How to write an effective blurb which sells your book

Getting your book ready for publication involves many aspects, but one which can get overlooked until the last minute is the blurb for the back of the book cover design itself, these words are something we can take for granted when picking a book off the shelf and flipping it over, but when it comes to writing your own it can turn into a process which can last days and even weeks.

The thing with the back page of your book is that you need to grab the attention of your reader (and you only have a moment to do it in), you must give them a hook which entices them to read more but at the same time you can’t give too much away either, it’s easy to fill the back page with text but will they read it all or just skim and put the book back down on the shelf? On the other hand, if you put too little text upon the back of the book cover then you miss an opportunity to sell, yes, getting the blurb (and Bio) for your book does require focus.

It is important to realize the point of the back page of your book cover first, now, most people will say that it’s going to tell the reader what the book is about, and whilst that’s correct you need to understand that there is more to it than that. Simply put, your back page is your sales page (a continuation of your books advertising), a great blurb will make the reader want to know more and ultimately buy your book itself (it will overcome the objection of parting with money and investing the time to actually read it).

So, what should you consider when getting your back page text read for publication? Here are some of the most important elements which will go into a great blurb/bio.

1. Look at the greats – Go to your local book store or online via Amazon or Barnes & Noble and look at the blurbs used upon the best sellers, I would also recommend looking at the authors within your own genre and those you respect as writers. Here you’ll get some great tips as to how it’s professionally done, look at the phrases, words, structure and length.
   
2. First impressions – You need to ensure that your first sentence is a great hook, many readers won’t go past this so getting your blurb off to a strong start is vital to keep them reading.
   
3. Follow the process – Many fictional books use a formula with blurbs, 1st the situation, 2nd the issue/problem, 3rd the hook/twist, 4th summarize with a final sentence which gives the mood of the book itself.
   
4. Characters within the book – Readers need to be intrigued by your characters, giving them dimension within the blurb and making them sound interesting with an idea as to the challenges they’re about to face, it will make that connection for you and increase the likelihood of the reader buying your book.
   
5. Cliffhanger – You want the reader of the blurb to be in a position where they must know more, using a cliffhanger within the blurb is a great (and highly recommended) way of enticing the reader to take the book home. A cliffhanger works well within fiction, but for nonfiction you should consider using a statement which promises the reader what they’ll get in return for reading your book (if it’s a book on starting your own business for example, you could tell the reader that this book gives them a clear strategy to start and manage a successful business in 12 weeks etc.)
   
6. Time and place – Make your readers aware of the time and location of the book’s setting, drawing them into the world which is set within your book is another way to make a connection with your reader.
   
7. Word count – Don’t go crazy and try to fit 400 words upon your book’s back page, the book cover design will be such that your copy will need to fit within certain margins, take into account the barcode and that the text may be printed over an image too. By trying to place too much text into the back page the font will have to be decreased, by doing this you are actively making it harder now for your readers to view your blurb. A blurb of about 250 words works well and enables the font to be at a size which is easy to read.
   
8. Sentences – Most potential readers will skim-read through blurbs (we all do it) so write your blurb in short sentences, it breaks up the blurb into easy chunks and will more likely be read than a huge block of text (remember, your blurb is advertising too).
   
9. Go back to it – Once you have created your first blurb leave it over night or for a few days, you should then go back to it with a fresh perspective and re-read it, also get others to read it and get some feedback.
   
10. Test it – You can post your blurb upon a blog, website or social media and get your followers to review it, if you have written two or more versions of your blurb then you could even get them to vote on which one the prefer (maybe give a copy of the book away as an incentive).
    
11. Edit & rewrite – Don’t be afraid to rewrite your blurb, once you have tested it you should get an idea as to what people like and what needs tweaking, don’t get personal about feedback, use it to ensure you have a great blurb which sells your book.
    
12. Quotes/Testimonials – Adding genuine quotes to the back page really helps to sell your book (especially if they’re from well-known people), if it’s non-fiction look at getting quotes from experts or people who have benefited from your work, these become a great sales pitch for the book.
    
13. Bio – A short bio is more important for non-fiction than it is for fictional books, the reason being that it qualifies you to the reader, if you’ve written a book on investment and you have thirty years of successful experience behind you then shout about it, people need to know why they should trust your advice within the book, your bio ensures them that the information comes from an expert.
    
14. Photograph – Along with a bio you may want to consider your profile image (which sits alongside your bio), this helps your reader to make a connection with you. However, you need to remember that adding a photo should be for more than just vanity reasons, it should match the tone of the book and be professionally taken (selfies from the back of your cell-phone are a no go).
    

With some focus you will be able to construct a blurb which will grab the imagination of your reader and increase the sales rate of your book, don’t forget, the blurb is a very important element of your cover and a key tool in promoting and advertising your book.