Authors and publishers use blurbs and excerpts to get readers to buy their books, so the obvious question is: Are they doing the job? If not, where are they going wrong? What do you think?
I did a blog piece several months ago about blurbs and excerpts. We all read the blurbs but fewer read the excerpts. I don’t read excerpts for two reasons:
1) Not enough time; and
2)I know that the author selected it for maximum impact and I don’t want to be seduced into buying a book because of the excerpt.
What am I left with? The blurb. Here’s the gist of what I said in my earlier post –
“We read blurbs all the time to help us in our book buying decisions. But how effective are they really, in doing their job? We read them; we dissect them; and we wonder if they tell the ‘real’ story. Recently two blurbs I read did not tell the real story because they left out some important information which surprised me, and I don’t know if the omissions were the fault of the publishers or the authors. Were the omissions deliberate? Who writes the blurbs? Do the authors? Do the publishers’ assistants? Do the authors have veto over the approved version that the readers will see?”
These are some of my questions and I’m sure if you think about it, you probably have a few as well.
I noticed recently that blurbs are getting longer – several recent blurbs were at least 4 paragraphs to a page long – as long as, or longer than some book reviews 🙂 – and I wondered why it took those many words to tell us about the story, when in the past blurbs were usually one paragraph containing the pertinent information. Is it because authors don’t want us to misinterpret what the story is all about or is there another reason? I find that longer blurbs tend to contain spoilers. Recently a reviewer on this site, Leslie, refused to include the blurb for this reason. Since blurbs are so important in generating interest so that the reader becomes a buyer, why is there not enough care taken with writing a blurb that tells the reader about a book in a succinct fashion but with enough information to turn us into buyers?
Many authors need help with blurbs. Some authors suck at writing blurbs and they are the first to admit it. I have criticized blurbs on many occasions. I believe that the blurb is the most effective sales tool in marketing a book and the author should have a significant role in the final product. They can’t hand off the job to someone who has not read the book because that person would have to know quite a bit about the story before they can condense the gist of it in such a way that we readers would want to buy the book.
Creating the right hook for a book by way of a blurb is very difficult, and many authors miss the mark. Focusing on the potential audience is where I think authors need help in creating book blurbs and many of them don’t know what information their readers need in order to “sell” their books. What information do you, a reader, need in a blurb before you become a BUYER?
I’m pretty easy going. I don’t “analyze” blurbs but Val is a whiz at rewriting them. If authors are unsure they should be commissioning her to do them. She has a real knack for it.
I need to know the basic. How the couple come together, if there is a major obstacles to their match made in heaven, and …. really that’s it.
“Jim and Joe, both construction workers meet on the job. Jim’s family stand in the way of their happiness when they demand he give up Joe or lose his job with the family firm. Joe, whose been out and proud for years can’t believe Jim would bow to his families homophobic wishes. Can they find a way to make it work.” (poorly written LOL)
That’s enough. I know something about the guys based on the fact they are in construction, the conflict is family acceptance externally and internally someone has to choose love or family or can they have both? I don’t need a huge blurb about what kind of construction, what they look like, why their family is upset and what they do to try and convince him. I do find too long blurbs annoying and tedius. It’s hard to say why a blurb will sometimes catch my eye and sometimes not. I’ve passed on books because the blurb didn’t appeal only to have other tell me it’s great,and vice versa. But mostly it seems to be working for me.
Oh and of course they find a way to make it work. LOL It’s a romance. The serial killer never wins, the vampire doesn’t kill the hero (unless the other hero is the vampire and then he turns him so they can be together for evah), they don’t die in a car crash (usually – I hope), they don’t choose family over love (although they may temporarily but in the end they choose right). So I don’t want a lot of suspense to try and build up the “will they or won’t they?” aspect. Of course they will or I want my money back. 🙂
Tam
We (readers) shouldn’t be rewriting the blurb if the author has done her/his job. I think it’s the author’s job to write a precis of what’s in the book in a manner that makes us want to buy it. Who’s better to do the job than the person who wrote the book? If they need help maybe the publisher should hire a PR person not to write the blurb but to assist them.
My problem is that the blurb sometimes contains too much information. Why are blurbs all of a sudden almost a page? Why do they end in a question mark? Like you, I find long blurbs boring and I wonder if the authors don’t know what to say or or what’s the hook that’s causing them to go on and on in the blurbs.
With blurbs I guess there is a limited amount you can write, so an author or the PR department will leave out key information?
Katiebabs
The blurbs that I’m talking about are the ones that stick to what’s in the book and don’t praise the author or the book. This is strictly factual information. I guess my point is – do the blurbs truthfully represent what’s in the book in a succinct way that makes a reader sufficiently interested so that he/she is motivated to buy the book.
I guess you changed your comment because that’s not the one I saw originally to which I replied.
I just realized that and changed my comment. *blush*
KB
The blurb can be short but still have enough information to entice a reader to want to buy a book. Maybe some authors need help from the PR department, but I think it should be the author’s responsibility to write the blurb. Who else knows the book best?
Hmm I guess as a buyer I’d like to see a brief outline of what the story is about. Blurbs can either sell me on the book or make me run screaming in the opposite direction. I remember reading the back blurb for Proof of Seduction, if I hadn’t read reviews I would have never picked the book up due to the back blurb. Describing the main character as a fortune teller didn’t have me jumping in the cashier’s line. When I did read the book totally different tone and I really liked it. I’m not sure what I want…
KC
I can see why a fortune teller as a main character wouldn’t turn you on. 🙂
A couple of days ago a book which was given the highest rating on this site had a so so blurb. It wasn’t awful – it just didn’t ring any bells and the author would never sell a lot of copies based on that blurb. Luckily the reviewer decided to take a chance on it and wrote the most incredible review.
You’d think that and I agree just as an author should have input on their cover and title.
Spoilers are deadly. I don´t like them. And as Tam says I know my heroes will be together so leave that open.
I want a bit of background on the heroes, what kind of book I am getting (contemp, western,sci-fi). I am not always in the mood for IE westerns.
It is hard to say what catches my eye on certain times.
But I do read the excerpts!
Ingrid
You should be commended for always reading the excerpts. I know I should but I never seem to have the time so I totally depend on the blurbs.
I hate spoilers but you would be surprised at how many authors include them in the blurb. They get mad at the reviewers who do so but they turn around and do the same thing.
I think most blurbs and the cover art give us a hint whether the book is a western, historical or a vampire but what we need to know I think, is what differentiates this particuar book from all the others, and that’s the most difficult part to write.
I’m not fond of gore, suspense or murder mysteries so I want to know if the book has any of these. I also want to know if it’s a paranormal – I’m beginning to reach a point of boredom with vamps and shifters. I’d also like a hint if the book is a sweet romance or heavy on the angst. Spoilers don’t bother me – I’m likely to read the last chapter early on anyway – the no suspense thing.
Celeste
You are different from most readers because you don’t mind spoilers. For me, if I know the end of the book (especially if it’s a mystery) why bother to read it?
I think the sweet romance vs. heavy angst is a good point. I’m not fond of a lot of angst yet some of the books I would normally not read because of the amount of angst actually turn out to be pretty good. However you do have a point. Paranormals you can usually tell by the cover – there’s no hiding the blood dripping from the neck or lips. 🙂
I think the problem with authors writing their own blurbs *is* that they are the person that knows the most about the story. If you’ve been working on a story for a while and have been pouring all your passion and attention into it, you often reach a stage where you cannot see the wood for the trees anymore.
This is a random example I just made up to show how an author goes about writing a synopsis.
*Author synopsis: David has been searching for love for many long lonely years, and has almost given up hope he’ll ever find it. When carefree, easy going hippy Joel walks into his life he feels like he might finally have found someone he can be with forever. But as much as David is attracted to Joel, he’s also frightened of committing himself and getting his heart broken one more time, especially since Joel has never had a long-term relationship before.
Joel can’t understand the way that David holds back when they have so much fun together, and sets out to break down the barriers that David has put between them. But David has his barriers for a reason, and Joel might end up doing more harm than good with his persistent quest to be acccepted.
Can David open himself up to the pain and bliss of true love once more? Can Joel find the inner strength and patience to hang on – even when the going gets much rougher than he ever expected?*
Yawn, right? Lots of going on about emotions and nothing about action. You get a lot about David and hardly anything about Joel and you have no idea what actually happens in the story. BUT all that yawnsome emotional stuff is the stuff that, as an author, makes you love your own story. The action is just the way that you get your characters to open up and what you’re desperately trying to do here is get readers to love your characters the way YOU do. An impossible quest in three paragraphs.
Here’s what the synopsis might be if written by someone else, who’s good with words but not emotionally invested. They concentrate on what will sell the story to a prospective buyer, giving a flavour of the story and characters.
*Editor Synopsis: David is twenty years older than Joel, but that doesn’t stop the college professor from falling in lust with his student the first time they meet. Joel thinks David is pretty hot too, but the more they try to get together, the harder life seems to push them apart. What with interfering bosses, possom-playing spaniels, hostile families and a serious lack of things in common, it seems they’ll never get it right.
And then happy-go-lucky Joel is the victim of a vicious attack, and David’s world is turned upside down as he realises he might lose the love of his life, before he ever really had him.*
So you now see that the story has a May to December theme, probably has a bit of humour as well as some angst, and you have some idea of what goes on, as well as getting the warning about violence. But the author is going ‘Oh no! You didn’t mention this or that…’ because what’s important to the writer is completely different to what’s important to a reader coming to the story without any prior knowledge.
Alexi
That’s an excellent example of a poorly written blurb and you did a masterful job of crafting one that would tell what the story is about and peak the interest of the potential buyer. However, how would the person writing the second blurb know all that stuff about the book without reading some of it, and therein lies the rub. Time.
The reason I think that it’s important for the PR people to work with the authors is exactly what you illustrated. Maybe you should apply to some of the publishers (if you want such a job of course) and sell your skills on how to properly market a book to the BUYERS.
Great job!
Here’s a blurb for a book I reviewed yesterday which I thought was right on the money. How would you improve this one?
When Officer Peter Giordano is assigned to keep Trevor Haas safe until he can testify against his murderous father, he expects the hardest part of his job will be keeping his hands off the gorgeous witness. The two men hide out in the small, sleepy town of Honeysuckle, fixing up their dilapidated safe house by day…exploring each other’s bodies by night.
Their small-town neighbors have some secrets of their own, however, including one that someone is willing to kill to protect. Soon, a neighbor is dead and Pete and Trevor are thrown into the middle of a murder investigation. The two men struggle to keep Trevor’s true identity a secret, knowing his father will stop at nothing to silence the star witness against him—even if that means killing his own son.
Wave,
Well, I think the answer is to have the blurb be a joint effort between an editor and a writer, with the editor having the final say. This is what normally happens with print books. That way you hopefully have someone who has read the book and knows it well, but isn’t completely invested in it – and they can point out that even if the author thinks the part about the beagle mix puppy getting into the chocolate cake is vital because it’s a metaphor for the character’s struggle with the inherent destructive nature of love, it doesn’t really need to have a paragraph in the blurb…
In think that Hide Out Blurb is pretty good, actually; I guess the only way to improve it would be to shorten it down a bit. Like this:
Officer Peter Giordano’s assignment is to keep star witness Trevor Haas safe from his Crime Boss father. The job could be dangerous, especially as Pete’s chances of promotion ride on his success. But when the pair begin their masquerade as a devoted gay couple flipping a house in a small sleepy town, Pete soon finds that amidst crazy neighbors and a local murder investigation, the deadliest threat is his explosive attraction to the man he is supposed to protect.
Something like that.
Alexi
You are good, really good! If I had any influence I would suggest that publishers hire you because you can condense the blurb without losing anything in the translation. But the point of this is that you have to know something about the story before writing the blurb or you could totally mislead the reader. You obviously knew all about the book so it wasn’t difficult to extrapolate the information for an effective and winning blurb. Another wonderful job! 🙂
Wave,
*Blushes* Why thank you. I wish someone would hire me to do a job like that – I actually find it fun, kind of like a word puzzle. I speed read too, so knowing the plot wouldn’t be too much of a problem (on a day when I’ve got nothing else to do I can actually plow through about ten books, no problem).
But the thing is that I doubt that any epublishers would be willing to pay someone to do this job, because they’re all getting their authors to do it for free, even if all the authors aren’t doing a great job. Part of the reason why most of us are so annoyed by the blurbs we see is that epublishers don’t seem care about them too much. I think they rely on the fact that they can offer excerpts, and that word of mouth spread by blogs like this will get the real story about there, even if the blurb is unimpressive or inaccurate.
Sigh. Another great career opportunity down the drain.
As someone who has both written my own blurbs, had editors help me write them, and helped write them for other people, I can tell you that writing blurbs is a pain in the ass.
You have to figure out enough to tell people to interest them, not too much to give important things away, accurately convey the tone of the writing (is it a comedy? is it a drama?), and not sound like the TV Guide blurb for the Lifetime Movie of the Week. (More difficult than you might think.)
It’s hard when you’re the author, because what you think is important to know may not be (or may be too much), because you’re so close into the details and development.
The blurb for Windows in Time, for example, took several tries with lots of help and collaboration from a couple of editors. Should we talk about the secondary storyline? Should we mention the other heroes? Would that spoil too much, or would it leave out important information?
It’s nerve-wracking. *laugh*
But I agree that blurbs should never be more than a paragraph, maybe two if the concept is REALLY complicated. That’s the synopsis you send with your query, not the teaser you feed potential readers.
Jules
All excellent points. Obviously you know the pitfalls of writing blurbs for the authors NOT the readers.
I’m still trying to figure out why blurbs are so long especially over the past few months. Did one person suggest this and now everyone is following suit?
I strongly believe if the author puts herself/himself in the reader’s shoes and tried to imagine what that person would like to know about the book that would entice them to buy, and particualrly what would differentiate that book from a thousand others, they can write the blurb in their sleep. 🙂
Re your other point about excerpts, I remember the last survey I did indicated that only about 25% of readers actually read the excerpts – most of them depend on the blurbs. When you buy a print book there is no excerpt unless it was previously an ebook, at least I don’t think so but I could be wrong.
Oh look, Jules said everything I was going to say. I guess I’ll just add, “Amen.”
Though I will add that I do ALWAYS read excerpts. Because I’m ruthless in wanting the writing to be strong, and I can almost always accurately suss that out from the excerpt. If there’s no excerpt, I won’t buy. I’ve been burned far too many times not to check that.
Oh, and my excerpts are always the first chapter and never chosen by me. They just happen. But I imagine that varies by house.
Oh, thanks for bringing up the excerpt thing! I forgot to mention that.
Excerpts on “promo” days are selected to be teasery, but yeah, the publisher excerpts tend to be the first chapter.
And good god, I won’t buy anything by an author I’m not familiar with without checking out the excerpt first. As you say, once burned, twice shy.
I rarely read an excerpt anymore. Certainly not by an author I know and like. With unknowns I used to read them religiously but now it seems I am buying books either because I know the author’s work or someone I know and trust (friend/reviewer – which can be synonymous) said it’s good so I trust them that I don’t have to read it.
I have to say though when I first started in the genre the excerpt was essential for me. I used to be a total anti-first person POV reader, but now I don’t really consider that a factor thanks to reading some good books in that POV. But sometimes the tone will come through in a short excerpt, but as I said, all the books I’ve bought in the last couple of months I haven’t read them. However I think they are essential to have there for readers just starting out or exploring the genre if for no other reason. You may not have good (pushy) friends who read to point you in the right direction. So even if I personally don’t read it often I think it’s handy to have.
The blurb however I always read. Even if I can’t remember a book I bought (ahem, my mind is going) I will look it up to see what I’m reading about. I hate starting a book and having no clue beyond the cover picture (which can be worse than useless at time). Some publishers have started putting the blurb in the book just before the first chapter and I’ll be honest, I appreciate that. “Oh yes, this is the one with the elephant shapeshifter and his lab rat lover in Brazil” It let’s me get myself into the right mindset to start reading. (Oh and someone feel free to run with that plot bunny there. 🙂 )
Hey Tam
>>You may not have good (pushy) friends who read to point you in the right direction.<< I'm not pushy, am I? 🙂 As I said in the post I no longer have the time to read the excerpts so I totally depend on the blurbs. Because I read so many books I couldn't read the first chapters of all those DSP books either. We NEED better blurbs that tell us in one paragraphg or 2 (max.) what the key points of the story are. No question marks please.
Heidi
I think it’s a great idea to read both the blurbs and the excerpts if time permits. Dreamspinner for example allows readers to sample the first chapter of every book before buying, which is wonderful, but you have to have the time to do so. Also, sometimes the first chapter is not a good indication of the writer’s style. I’ve read many books where I was tempted to give up after the first chapter but persevered and was thankful I did because the book turned out to be better than I anticipated.
I know from my schooldays(!),it`s much more difficult to write a short blurb with all the important information than a renarration or the whole story!
For authors,everything is important.In my opinion they should not write the blurbs to their storys..(spoilers!)
Experts are tricky.Sometimes I need several chapters to warm up with a story.If I don`t read it because I don`t like the expert,I`m in danger to miss out on a very good book.I read them when I see new authors to get a glimpse of their writing style
Simsala
If someone else writes the blurb without consulting the author how would they know what to include if they haven’t read the book? That would be my only issue. I think authors need professionals to help them write the blurbs but they should be involved in the process if only to say, “no, that’s not what the story is about.”
Spoilers are a big issue for me and many authors unintentionally include them. I don’t read the excerpts because frankly, time doesn’t permit me to do so for every book I buy, so I totally depend on the blurb which I regard as my map to what the book is all about, without revealing the ending or key plot points.
Jules said it best: blurbs = PITA (for all the reasons mentioned). I’d rather write a complete story than a blurb any day.
Authors are lucky if they can have some give-and-take with a good editor or beta reader. Too many publishers either accept blurbs and make few if any changes, or they make changes without consulting the author first. Neither is the best way to go.
For me as a reader, it’s the excerpt that makes or breaks the deal. I realize how misleading, and how irrelevant to the author’s writing, blurbs can be.
KZ
>>For me as a reader, it’s the excerpt that makes or breaks the deal. I realize how misleading, and how irrelevant to the author’s writing, blurbs can be.<< I read print books which don't have excerpts. What do you do then? The investment is much greater for print. If an author takes a lot of time to write a book, the least they can do, PITA or not, is give the reader an accurate picture of what to expect between the covers, in 2 paragraphs or less. I remember having to precis books when I was in university in the 18th century. 🙂 How hard can it be to precis your book if you're an author? You know what the story is all about so tell us in two paragraphs or less - make us salivate to read the darn book. 🙂
I haven’t had to write a blurb yet, but I’ve written a lot of summaries for fanfics! One bit of advice I’ve seen for those that could hold good for blurbs is to summarize the first third of the story. If you’re having to mention stuff beyond that point to bring people in then they may not get that far when reading and it avoids spoiling the end of the story.
Anyway, I’m reading this entry with interest, as it’s something I hope I have to do soon!
JFM
We all agree that writing blurbs is an imperfect art but the back cover information is the best indication of what’s inside.
I think, as I said in the piece, authors miss the purpose of the blurb. Blurbs are not for the authors, they are for the people who are looking to buy a book and the competition for the scarce dollars is high, so it’s up to the author to make the blurb for his/her book as appealing as possible without twisting the truth of what the story is all about.
Like junkfoodmonkey, I’ve written hundreds of summaries for fanfics, mine and other people’s, so while I don’t like writing blurbs for original stuff, I can do it. It’s a bit of a random science in that some publishers ask for 35 words and other publishers want 300 words, so I guess the easiest way to do it is write a longish blurb and then cut and cut until you’re basically left with the hook.
*
I don’t often read excerpts unless they’re right under my nose, but I always read the blurbs. I want to know who the characters are, what’s the context, and what’s the hook. I’m not a fan of rhetorical questions: ‘Will Bob save Roger from the intergalactic spider-ray in time for tea?’ because those kind of questions are kind of gormless – if I’m buying a romance then by gum I hope Bob and Roger will end up together otherwise I’ll be cross – so rhetorical questions at the end of a blurb are ‘meh’ (and I say this as someone who has used rhetorical questions in her blurbs…).
*
Likewise I don’t want epic blurbs that last the length of the page. That signals to me that either the book is really, really long or it suggests there’s too much going on in there, or that the author isn’t sure of their hook. It can happen that an author is too close to their story and can’t see the wood for the trees, so if they have a critique partner or beta reader, they’re really useful in saying “Actually, your story is about XYZ, not ABC” – so sometimes the best person to write the blurb isn’t the author!
Hi Kate
I think when I said that the author should be the one to write the blurb what I should have clarified is that s/he should have someone i.e a CP, looking over his/her shoulder to point out how to write it better for the intended audience. No matter how we look at it, writing a blurb is difficult and an art, but ultimately it’s for the reader who has to decide how to spend his/her hard earned money.
No reader wants a blurb that’s a page long. If a writer can’t tell me in two paragraphs or less what the book is about then maybe they should rethink writing their own blurbs and hire someone to help them.
I have to admit that I rarely read blurbs these days, and if they are longer than a couple of short paragraphs then I never read them. I choose my books on the author, the genre of the book and then the extract.
I’ve read blurbs which have completely misinformed me by suggesting that the book is lighter in tone than it was; or which have given far too much information away; or which have been so confusing they’ve told me nothing. One blurb I did read recently told me the backstory to the book and nothing about what happened between the pages. That had me scratching my head, that’s for sure.
In the end, I decided that it’s probably best not to bother reading the blurb at all, especially if you know the author and can trust them to deliver a great story regardless of what the book is about.
Jen
If you don’t read the blurbs and choose books strictly by the author, the genre and then the extract, what about in those cases when the author is unknown and the genre is one you have never tried before? I have found many wonderful authors new to me strictly by reading the blurbs and getting a sense of whether the story was something I wanted to read.
We don’t all have the luxury of knowing the authors before we buy a book. Every week I encounter a new to me author and most of the time I luck out. It’s a great feeling. I have found authors like Isabelle Rowan, Janey Chapel, Madeleine Urban, Rhianne Aile etc. just by going with the blurb of a book and finding out that it’s worth taking a risk and then discovering a jewel. Also, even the best author disappoints on occasion.
We all agree that there needs to be some consistency about the way that blurbs are written. I find most of them incomprehensible but I prefer blurbs to excerpts or no blurb at all.
Sometimes, in those cases, I do read the blurb. However, often with a new author, especially if they are from a reputable publisher who I know I can trust, then I’ll just skip to the extract and see if I like the author’s written style before I buy the book. This is possibly not the best way to go about buying a book – and I’ve had my finger’s burned a few times doing things this way – but it’s what works for me, especially as I’m often worried about blurbs which give away too much information.
Jen
We all have to do what works for us. I’m a creature of habit and the first place I go to is the blurb. If I like it then I go for it.
I think we ‘re all saying much the same thing. Blurbs are getting to be too long and sometimes they give away too much of the plot, intentionally or unintentionally. I never got into the habit of reading excerpts.
I’m terminally bored by blurbs that ask questions. And that’s endemic in romance:
David caused Lawrence to become aware of desires and emotions that he’d long concealed even from himself. But now David was in mortal danger from a blackmailing killer. Could Lawrence save the man he loved before tragedy struck?
At this point, I put the book down, because I know damned well that Lawrence will save the man he loves before tragedy strikes. The blurb just told me that. Ergo, I know how the book ends. So I don’t have to read it.
I’ve gotten to the point where I make up alternatives to the ending indicated by the question in the blurb.
Can the lord and his valet stand against society and build a life based on love?
Me: “No, they can’t. They try, but it becomes a horrible scandal. Lord Andrew is ruined, but he can’t remain in England–everyone knows, and it took a frightening amount of money to keep his love letters to his valet from falling into the wrong hands. Like, oh, the newly founded London police. And Henry, his valet, has disappeared–possibly to the country, possibly into the army–Andrew has no idea, and he’s not entirely sure that Henry didn’t set him up and get caught in his own trap. And Henry has no idea that Andrew doesn’t know where he is, because to his way of thinking, there are a limited number of places an ex-servant can go, and Andrew should know that. So the two of them are both experiencing a great deal of anger and resentment and frustration, and they both need to live down the scandal so that they can rebuild their lives, at least somewhat. Only living it down might involve marriage, and Henry is afraid he’ll make a complete hash of wedded life, while Andrew is gritting his teeth and preparing to marry the Lord Chamberlain’s niece, who knows all about the scandal (even though she has to pretend she doesn’t, because she’s supposed to be a delicate flower of society and her father would expire from shock if he knew she wasn’t). She doesn’t consider Andrew any great prize, either. And everything has just turned into a great big mess.”
Sometimes I even check the conclusions of books to see how well my predictions of what I think happened, based on the blurb, (as opposed to the alternate ending) worked out.
Wow. After reading this I will never dare put a question mark in a blurb ever again.
So Alexi
You learned something today. 🙂 No more question marks in your blurbs because many readers hate them. 🙂
Wow Tracey. Are you sure you’re not a writer? That was really funny and ironic.
Wave,
Yes, I’m a writer. I’m working on a couple of novels at the moment–one Regency and one urban fantasy mystery.
Coming up with a decent, pithy blurb can be a real challenge! I try to make a game of it and bring it in at exactly 100 words. Sometimes in the editing process, it’ll go a little over or a little under, but that’s one way I’ve found to be very conscious of each word in the blurb, and make sure it’s used for maximum impact. I also prefer one-paragraph blurbs; I think they’re easier to digest.
As far as excerpts go, I do read them. If they’ve got typos or stilted dialogue or raging epithets, I’ll probably pass on the book.
Hi Janey
We know it’s difficult to come up with a blurb that attracts and entices the readers into taking a first or second look at a book. The competition is huge and each book has to stand out from the crowd. It’s probably ridiculous that the success or failure of a book you slaved over for months or years should depend on a paragraph, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
I hear you, Wave. Covers are what first catch my eye, then the blurb, then the excerpt. I imagine that most readers give a book a maximum of thirty seconds to a minute to make a decision whether to buy; sometimes less. It’s part of why I like review sites — I get better information to use to make a decision!
Janey
Reviewers try to even the playing field somewhat and give those books that don’t catch the eye the first time a second chance as it were. As you said, covers are the first part of the book ‘package’ (and I have written about covers ad nauseum), then we read the blurb to get a sense of what’s between the covers, and hope that when we read it the book lives up to its promise.
I belong to several Yahoo groups with authors of the books I read. One author recently posted to the group and asked our opinion about a blurb she was working on. I liked that. Shows that she knows the readers are important.
And don’t forget about the different blurbs they have to deal with if the book comes out as a hard back first. The blurbs for those always used to be longer than the paperback version.
I personally like the two paragraph blurbs myself. One about the hero, one about the heroine. Sometimes a third paragraph about the enemy if there is a specific one is okay. But, I agree, they don’t need to totally fill the back cover of the paperback or more than half the screen, if viewing the info online.
Loved Tracey’s post! 🙂
Those rhetorical questions have been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. I tend to do the same thing she does — mentally answer the question in a way that surely wasn’t intended, and then elaborate by coming up with my own ending (perverse, yes, but fun!)
Heh! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who does that, K.Z.! Do your alternate endings ever give you ideas for your own work? Because sometimes they do with me.
Tracy and KZ
You are very funny and weird. 🙂
Really, as important as a blurb is the concept. A good concept OR a blurb that hooks me in–both make me look for an excerpt. A good review can make up for a cruddy blurb and still lead me to the excerpt.
Blurbs must be tough to write, but occasionally it seems it’s tough to decide what to excerpt, too! If the beginning’s slow, then excerpt from a little later on, but still from VERY early in the book; once I buy it, I’ll read from the beginning and get into a slow build-up…but when I want a taste to decide whether to buy, try to pull me in with a good (early-on) snippet. (Don’t pull something from the middle!) Also, I hate excerpts that’re so short (like a few paragraphs) that I get no sense for the writing.
So yeah, the excerpt is important for me. I’m wary if I can’t find an excerpt; tastes differ and it’s good to get a feel for the writing, beyond what a review says. But forunately, it seems like just about every book I’m intrigued by has an excerpt! (And why not?) So really this hasn’t been a problem for me. Also, if I’m not intrigued by concept and/or blurb and/or review (usually 2 of the 3, at least), then I don’t bother looking for an excerpt
Regarding an excerpt misleading: Sure, it MIGHT be the best part of the book and the rest sucks, but IME no. I’ve found it to be a very good indicator of what the writing’s like. I haven’t bought a book yet where the excerpt was amazing and the book was a bomb. (But maybe I’m lucky?) I HAVE had a book or two where the excerpt was good (just good, not great) and the book wound up being mediocre, but that doesn’t totally surprise me. In contrast, I’ve probably had a few with mediocre excerpts but I bought anyway due to the concept and blurb…and the book rocked! So on balance, it works out well for me; but again, I’m really looking at everything (concept, blurb, review, excerpt) if I’m intrigued enough to go beyond concept and/or blurb. A strong excerpt can definitely push me over the edge if I’m not sure after the concept/blurb, and it can overcome a lukewarm review.
Sorry to ramble! Just love me some excerpts.
Hi Kendall
I can tell you love excerpts. Some readers (like me) depend on the blurb to give them a sense of what’s between the covers. DSP offers a free chapter which must be heaven for you. 🙂
I don’t have a problem with excerpts but because I read so many books for review all I seem to have time for are the blurbs, and when they are poorly written or misleading, or both, that really aggravates me. I think if an author can spend all this time (sometimes years) writing a book, why can’t they give the blurb equal billing? After all, most people read the back cover of a print book which is all the information they have to go by about the book’s contents. Ebooks offer another alternative – the excerpt, but even those can be misleading because the author or publisher will usually choose an excerpt that will draw the reader into the book and it could still end up less than what was expected.
I say if you have time for both, go for it, but for those of us who depend on the blurb it’s disheartening to read so many that suck.
I’m sympathetic–we’re coming from different places. I can’t imagine how much stuff you read and organize and keep track of for this site….
Anyway, the blurb IS a factor for me…just not as important as for you. But I cheat–I have the reviews here to help me! 😉
Tracey, I would TOTALLY read that one.
Blurbs are the bane of my career. That said, I like Amber Quill’s style:
Give us three blurbs
150 words or less, back of the book
50 word
25 word
And they ask for them at contract signing, so you’re in that heady flush of “I sold this!” instead of “oh gods, i’ve been editing this thing for three months. Will it never end?”
The worst I ever had was when one of my publishers edited my blurb and it came out transphobic. I hit the ROOF. You don’t say the character “isn’t a woman at all” when she is a woman in every way but her body!
Angelia,
Tangential, but which book of this is yours? I’m always on the lookout for trans characters!
I imagine it’s ‘Heart of a Forest’. It’s a re-telling of Robin Hood, only Marion is transgender. I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet, but I think the idea is genius.