Comments on: The Art of the Book Blurb

By: goshyosh99

goshyosh99 — Sun, 24 May 2015 22:11:00 +0000

I love this one for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon--Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

And my publisher wrote this one for my debut novel, Things Unsaid (October 15): A deft exploration of the ever-shifting covenants between parents and children, Things Unsaid is a ferocious tale of family love, dysfunction, and sense of duty over forty years. Thanks for this wonderful article! Diana Y. Paul

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Mon, 18 May 2015 20:35:48 +0000

In reply to A.K.Andrew @artyyah. FOR ANDREW: Gotta love it when a book totally lives up to the blurb -- that writer (or the publisher's marketing department) deserves a lot of credit for featuring the most appealing elements in a way that reflects the story perfectly!

By: A.K.Andrew @artyyah

A.K.Andrew @artyyah — Mon, 18 May 2015 19:59:20 +0000

Excellent post Laurie. My fav. blurb recently was "The Paying Guests' by Sarah Waters. it made it sound both a great historical novel but with lots of juicy thriller-esque parts. It totally lived up to the blurb.

By: dandre2014

dandre2014 — Sun, 17 May 2015 22:49:01 +0000

In reply to Laurie Schnebly Campbell. Thank you, Laurie. What a GREAT opportunity. I am excited to be a part of your class and to learn about writing book blurbs.

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Sun, 17 May 2015 22:44:30 +0000

CONGRATULATIONS, DIANNE!

It's fun seeing somebody win free registration to "Blurbing Your Book from June 1-26 on Yahoogroups...and if anyone else would like details on the class, you can find 'em at:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BookBlurb/info

(or by clicking the blue class-title link in the paragraph way back up above my bio).

By: Orly Konig-Lopez

Orly Konig-Lopez — Sun, 17 May 2015 20:25:57 +0000

In reply to dandre2014. YAY for Dianne, who was picked by randomizer to win Laurie's workshop!

By: booklaurie

booklaurie — Sat, 16 May 2015 23:03:04 +0000

FOR LINDA: This blurb's opening line "In a universe" makes me think of that classic movie-announcer opening: "In a world..." (Last year a movie by that same title showed how many announcers wanted to follow in the footsteps of the first guy who delivered made such a narration famous.) Anyway, movie trailers and blurbs both have the same mission -- making people want to get more of the story. So it makes sense that they can each benefit from an opening line like that one!

By: booklaurie

booklaurie — Sat, 16 May 2015 22:59:00 +0000

In reply to Sher. FOR SHER: What a treat, discovering a book that turns you onto an author with plenty of books to love! And it's interesting that someone decided an abridged version of the blurb would work better...if you read it again in another few months, who knows? Maybe they'll decide the one that grabbed you the first time around WAS the better choice after all. :)

By: booklaurie

booklaurie — Sat, 16 May 2015 22:50:17 +0000

In reply to Vince. FOR VINCE: Isn't it handy, having experience at writing material where you can tell very quickly how effective your word choices are? There's a lot to be said for direct-response & retail, and in a way bookselling sites reflect both of those!

By: lalouziane

lalouziane — Sat, 16 May 2015 22:23:31 +0000

In a universe starved for power, the Conglomeration rules societies with an iron grip on all trade and by the power of the eMpaths with eXtra abilities they have enslaved.

Claire, a sheltered eMpath, finds herself involved in treacherous negotiations that leave her stranded on a barbarian world of violence and danger.

Koda, the ruthless barbarian Warlord, controls the vast resources of energy of his planet. Refusing to bow to the Conglomeration, Koda plunges Claire into a violent world of deception and greed where the rules of survival suddenly change.

When it is evident that the Warlord Koda has no intention of giving up his eMpath, Claire is forced to trust the barbarian with her life. As the future of her kind hangs in the balance, she must also decide if she can trust him with her heart.

http://www.amazon.com/Warlords-Honor-Krystile-L-W-Browning-ebook/dp/B00H30I99O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431814677&sr=8-1&keywords=warlords+honor

Warlords Honor by LW Browning