If youre traditionally published, you can often get your publisher or agent to help connect you with other authors who could potentially read your book and provide a blurb. Sell your selfpublished childrens book or ebook on your own website and on social media through blurb, or sell through amazon. Maybe in person or by email you are bold in your requests to writers while introducing yourself ive long been a huge fan of your work. Tips on getting those dreaded blurbs for your book grubstreet. View it here as youll recall from our previous blog post, the second thing that sells a reader on your book is the cover copyyour book description. Now you can easily import your photos into your next book. If your book is a nonfictional howto and you want to write your blurb in second person to talk directly to the reader as in are you tired of feeling tired and want to jump out of bed energized and feeling younger every day for the rest of your life. How to get blurbs for your book from wellknown authors blurbs being the short praise for the back cover and amazon page. In terms of etiquette, its very important to include in your book or your publicity materials all the blurbs you receive rather than picking and choosing the best ones, or just the ones from the most prominent writers. Furthermore, a lot of the time you are asking this of writers who arent your friends, which makes it that much harder. This is a threepart series on getting a reader to buy your book. Sep 09, 2010 in addition to blurbs, you can also solicit someone to write a foreword for your book. If you know and admire someones work, you can get their attention by tying your admiration of them to the theme of your book.
Make the first sentence good and continue to draw them in. How to get incredible blurbs for your book the writing. Asking for endorsements from established writers for your upcoming book can be a cringeworthy endeavor. Here are my top tips for getting the right blurbs for your book. Aug 15, 2018 getting the ideal endorsement requires tact and perseverance. If youd like for me to read the entire book instead of just. If youve written a book, you need to market and promote it so people will actually buy it. How to get blurbs for your poetry collection writers digest. Blurbs are basically endorsements from other authors for your book, which go on the front or back cover. Secondly, introducing the protagonist in a way that creates intrigue without delving into details. I usually decline the invitation to blurb the book, but not because im not interested or. If youre one of those people, please keep it to yourself. Firstly, highlighting your success in the bookwriting world. Also, if you ask for a book blurb and an author gives you one, be sure to use it.
Our dream team can help with book design, illustration, editing, and more. Apr 29, 2015 your book is a 60,000word art collective. Once you have those locked in, a way to add credibility to your book is through the use of blurbs. Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well. Draw another text container on the spine of the book and enter the title and author information there, as well. If they say yes, work within their schedule and their preferences. Once you attain your blurbs, post the most powerful among them on your book s front cover if you can, post some more on the back and inside, and share them on amazon and anywhere else you find. How to get incredible blurbs for your book the writing cooperative. The benefits of a professionally written book blurb. How to get amazing endorsements for your book reedsy live. Im going to teach you a free and easy secret to getting blurbs for your selfpublished book. It is illustrated by anne hunter and it is about the process that wrens go through to build their nest and hatch their eggs.
When youre refining your books blurb, there is a lot you can learn from guides and expert advice. Bestselling book blurbs part two katie mccoach editorial. Especially good in this one is the way you should compile a list of the best authors to. Jan 24, 2019 getting blurbs for structure your screenplay. To trigger actual sales, your blurbs need to come from people your. Today were going to focus on your blurb and share 5 pieces of advice to help your book blurb really sell your story. Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. How to get blurbs for your book from famous authors creativindie. Once you attain your blurbs, post the most powerful among them on your book s front cover if you can, post some more on the back and inside.
Set up your book title, description, tagseven isbnwith blurb, ready for amazon self. The first is to have your agent or your publisher reach out to the famous person of your choice on your behalf. How to get awesome book cover blurbs posted on february 26, 2020 by sandra beckwith 21 comments affiliate disclosure. Write a blurb that sells your book hidden gems book blog. How to get blurbs for your book the startup medium. Tim grahl is the author of your first copies and the founder of. But its even better to get blurbs from famous authors, or authors of other books.
My mom is is getting her first educational childrens book published this march by candlewick press. It is the authors responsibility to seek endorsements for their books and publishers expect you to get them. How to get incredible endorsements and blurbs for your book. How many heads begin to turn around, because you have captivated their attention by what you are saying. Apr 17, 2017 getting the right blurb from the right person can give your work credibility, which helps entice potential readers as well as the buyers for retail chains. One of the hardest things for a lot of authors is getting blurbs. Pick the blurbs from the most wellknown sources that you believe represent your book the best, and include those on your books dust cover or in the description you use on ecommerce sites. If youre selfpublishing, say so up front and include a sentence or two about how you plan. I could really afford to produce 20 books, one for each student in the class in which they would each have an end product. If they say no, thank them for their time and move on. I often receive blurb requests from authors who subscribe to my newsletter. Then, too, if you receive a number of glittering blurbs from a wide array of successful authors, it can even help you expand the market for your book, getting people to think outside that box we all seem to get stuck in. Whether its your first or twentieth book, enticing a reader to buy your book relies on an eyecatching cover image as well as an intriguing blurb. Type the book s title, a subtitle if there is one, and any authors names.
If youre wondering how to do that and where to start, it involves penning multiple drafts, lots of cutting, losing your sanity, and planning your blurb with the help of these steps. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, i will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Its important that this information matches everywhere that your book is displayed. Top ten tips i learned about getting book endorsements. Even if they get a lot of blurb requests, saying yes isnt a huge time commitment. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Then you found someone interested in publishing it and edited the whole thing again. Unfortunately, while most authors will hire a professional to create their cover, very few hire a professional to write their. Dont expect someone to write a blurb about an unsold or unfinished manuscript. The fine art of getting blurbs nathan bransford writing.
Getting great blurbs for your book can help you catch the attention of new readers, but it can often be hard to know how and where to start. You want the right people providing cover blurbs for your book. You are allowed to say 250 words to describe your book to a crowd. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb.
Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell more. Blurbs help attract readers to your books, and our tests show that. How to write a fiction book cover blurb that can make your. Your back cover blurb is what they will use to decide whether to buy your book or to move on to the next book. Thats why you want to write a book blurb that sells. The process for securing these is the same as with endorsements, but instead of sentences, the endorser writes a recommendation letter to the reader. William leith on the practice of bookblurbing the guardian.
When a reader first comes across your book online, two factors will determine if they pay any attention to it the cover and the book description. In addition to blurbs, you can also solicit someone to write a foreword for your book. Apr 04, 2011 six writers tell all about covers and blurbs. All photo books can be sold through blurb and amazon. Mar 26, 2020 you wrote the book and then edited the book. Book endorsement etiquette generally speaking, you should never have to pay for a book endorsement. Oct 05, 2008 based on my experience in both giving and getting blurbs, heres how. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. Each new book you write will need endorsements from fresh authors so its a. Do cast your net beyond people you personally know.
Even if your publisher has bestselling authors in your genre in its stable, dont assume your editor or publicist will have no problem getting blurbs. Tips on getting those dreaded blurbs for your book asking for endorsements from established writers for your upcoming book can be a cringeworthy endeavor. This is a nonfiction book, so i decided to look for experts or industry professionals to blurb my book. How to get blurbs for your book, how to approach famous authors for. Lets look at a few bestselling blurbs and see what we can learn from their successes. In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb, im including a few examples from bestselling memoirs which have their blurbs perfected. It doesnt enhance anyones belief that your book will be good quite the opposite and its an offense to all those who are playing the game straight. Use the description as a way to showcase your blurbs.
Follow the flow to list this second book for sale on amazon. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. How to get a famous author to endorse your book writers. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. With that single mid80s blurb, the king himself veritably. Entrada publishing marketing getting a blurb for your book. There is no surefire way of getting the blurbs you want, but there are things. How to get book blurbs, endorsements, and testimonials from. Most importantly, convince a potential reader to buy the book. Once an author agrees to provide a blurb, send them a free print or digital copy of your book. But before readers can even prove its majesty, theres this 2liner influx of superlatives styled to catapult your piece into greater heights. The authors received feedback from people who read the book and used.
If youve ever pulled out your hair trying to figure out how to add spaces between paragraphs, or to bold or italicize your font when formatting your book blurb on the amazon kdp dashboard, youll appreciate todays encore post and the html hypertext markup language tips. I started by thinking about what types of people would convey credibility and help convince potential readers my book is worth their time and money. Blurbs often only a few words or phrase of praise from a high profile author, celebrity, or expert appear on a book s cover or dust jacket flaps. Dont boast in public about getting blurbs for your first 50 pages. One of the important things youll need to do is get some great book blurbs, endorsements, or testimonials from leaders in your market or genre.
Also, thank each blurber effusively and when the book comes out, send him or her a copy with a nice handwritten letter. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your. Is it worth my time and effort and money to buy this book. Blurb can help with the pricing, warehousing, and shipping. You have complete control over what is entered in your books metadatathat is, the descriptions and categories that help libraries, bookstores, and readers worldwide discover your book and decide whether they want to purchase it. No matter how you approach the author you wish to get a blurb fromvia their agent, in person, or in emailremember to put on your professionals hat. Our copywriter is an awardwinning magazine writer, copywriter, author, and copy editor. A book blurb, or the book jacket description, summarizes the best part of your book in only 150 words yep. But the process of getting blurbs which the us journalist rob walker has termed blurbharvesting is thought, by some, to be a necessary part of modern book.
Even if your publisher has bestselling authors in your genre in its stable, dont assume your editor or publicist will have no problem getting blurbs from those authorsthis is typically not the case. How to get awesome book cover blurbs build book buzz. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Here are some blurbs from mona patels book, reframe. Tucker has sold over 5 million books as a 4x nyt bestselling author and is the cofounder of scribe. Sample cover blurbs from this centurys most successful. Start with your short list and then add to that list if necessary until you have two to three blurbs. There are over 400k books published each year, in the us alone. Top ten tips i learned about getting book endorsements dorit sasson 20160901. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell more books. There are a few approaches to securing blurbs from wellknown people. It needs to hook the reader and make them want to go on the journey with your characters.
Each new book you write will need endorsements from fresh authors so its a chore you can look forward to again and again. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. Youre setting the expectation for the book in the blurb, so make sure that your themes, ideas, and issues match. How to sell your book on both amazon and blurb help center. How to write a blurb to sell your book writing tips. Six writers tell all about covers and blurbs the awl. However, there are several advantages to getting your own isbn. Our plugin lets you upload your project to blurb without ever leaving indesign. Follow the lessons in this article to get you started. Take note of what the final amazon price for your book is on your listing. There are many ways that readers are encouraged to pick up a book in a bookshop or library, or to purchase a book online.
Always set a deadline for getting a blurb from them, even if your publication date is flexible, so they can slot reading your book into their hectic schedules. But, in our opinion, there are few better ways to figure out how to do something than by seeing how the professionals do it. Go back to your book making tool and upload a second copy of that book to your account on blurb. With ebooks, in particular, they are absolutely essential to selling your ebooks. Nov 11, 2015 a book blurb is a quote from that you put on your book cover or in some other form of media that says something positive about you or your book, and come from someone else. Occasionally, yes, but the bulk of the chore belongs to the author. Most of the time, their books have no connection to me or my expertise. Check with your publisher in advance to confirm that the publisher is willing to put a. Blurbs praising your book may be acquired a number of ways, and its often a team effort. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell. Blurbs and asking for endorsements swenson book development. How to get incredible blurbs for your book youtube. How to get blurbs for your book from famous authors. Heres how to sell your trade book on amazon, and heres information on selling your photo book on amazon.
May 02, 2017 a great blurb is like a gold star for your book. This article has incredible details and explanations just about everything you need to know how to get them, why you want them, and how to write an author you like and ask for one. Choosing a cover and gathering blurbs for your first book should be a fun and exciting time, but chances are. How to pitch influencers and get great blurbs for your book. How to get blurbs for your book, how to approach famous. As with all books, a lot went into getting it published and out in the world. In a way, getting blurbs is worse than everything that. Use the rotate button to change the orientation of your text. Mar, 2019 as much as book covers catch readers attention, blurbs grip shoppers and convince them to buy books. He has worked with authors for a decade to help them. A book blurb is a quote from someone that says something positive about you or your book. Sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more stressful than writing the ebook. If youre publishing traditionally, know that sometimes your publisher.
Blogging, getting published, rewriting and editing. If youre publishing traditionally, know that sometimes your publisher will help you get blurbs, but often, it wont. I have seen the future of horror and it is named clive barker. But if youre independently published, connecting with fellow authors in. For starters, blurbs arent paid, so youre basically asking someone to take time out of a busy schedule to read your work and then some more time to write a few lines about it. Now you have to write copy for the back and, if you dont have a publisher that takes care of it, get some blurbs. How to write a book blurb that sells with examples reedsy blog. How to get book blurbstestimonials for your book cover. Factor in the time it will take for them to read your book, and write the blurb. Use kickstarter to fundraise for an offset run of your book.
Once youve taken in all of the above and gotten a feel for the promise you want to make to the reader, use the outlines below to write your book cover blurb. They can skim your book and make sure its good enough to recommend, and write something catchy and simple in just 5 minutes. Print an image directly on the front and back cover. Beautiful photo books work for creative expressions of all kinds. With my book just a few months away from publication, i tweet the blurbs as part of my. Sometimes it can feel like writing the book is the easy part.
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