Finally, the Truth About Back Cover Blurbs

Does your Blurb Work?

Okay people, listen up. For those who want to self-publish or at least those of you who want to know a good book blurb when you see one, this is what you’ve been waiting for.  Finally, you’re going to hear the raw truth like nothing you’ve ever heard before, and you’ll actually learn something valuable along the way that you can really use in your writer’s life.

Question one: 

What’s the purpose of the back cover blurb?  All those who said, to summarize the story, bend over-- you get one flog.  Those of you who said, to show off the plot--you get two flogs.  Now for those of you who said, to tell as much of the story to get people interested in buying the book, bend over and take three, ass-numbing flogs. You’re all wrong.  What?  WTF dude?  (I never say dude, but what else can possibly follow WTF?)

Okay, okay technically no one is right, although, number three comes close.  But why 3 flogs if it was the closest?  Because it breaks the most sacred “blurbing” rule of all time, and just about everyone is guilty of committing this dastardly deed.  You want to tell the whole damn story on that back cover don’t you?  Well stop frying your brains over the whole thing.

Here’s what you need to do:

First of all, the back cover blurb is sales copy. Write that down.  It’s not supposed to tell the whole story--the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And more importantly it’s not supposed to reveal too much. Otherwise what’s the point in reading the book if you’re going to give away the best parts on the back cover?  Too much detail and too much of the story, too much plot dissuades readers from delving into the book--you know, from taking that all-important second step and open the cover to the first page and continue reading. 

Don’t forget, life is short and attention spans these days, even shorter. A potential customer has already invested 3 long seconds of their time and decided that based on your magnificent title and captivating cover art (hopefully that is the case) that they will go through all the exhaustion and trouble of flipping the book over and invest another 8 very long seconds of their valuable time reading the blurb. (My goodness.) Don’t forget, readers want to get to the heart of things but they also want to be teased. They don’t want the whole truth because if you give it all, there’s nothing left for them to figure out. The mystery is over. And that applies to any story, any genre. 

Your back cover copy must convey a sense of curiosity and intrigue to your prospective customer, one step at a time. Stop trying to sell the whole store.  Sell the next step. Sell the first page. (Table of contents for non-fiction.)  That’s where you want readers to go, but of course there is a catch.  The first page must also sell the second page and the second page must sell the third page and so on, and so on. Get the picture? It’s a step-by-step process, almost a formula of sorts where all your selling points must be in place if you want to make the sale.  Once your fantastic prose hits a rut and sounds like a dead end, guess what? You’ve just lost a customer. They’re going to slam the book shut and move on to the next one.

How ruthless!  But hey, that’s life in the big city folks.  Writing is much more than just pretty words on a page. Your words must do much more than describe a character or a place. First-time novelists especially must entice the reader to want more and more. You must fascinate the reader and put them at ease and assure them they’re not wasting their valuable time and money buying your book. You have something to prove. That’s the name of the game folks. It all goes back to the domino effect where good writing, good storytelling is essential and that means to constantly build suspense and maintain conflict. That’s what sells your story to the reader. Period.

Okay, so how do you go about writing that all important 70 word blurb that’s supposed to lead an impatient reader to the next step, your first page?  Good question, and there are no easy answers but I can boil it down to this:  The back cover blurb can be fudged into killer sales copy that has little to do with your actual story.  What?  Read it again. In other words, what you want to say does not necessarily have to match word-for-word with the contents of the book--at least not in specific order.  And what that means is that you can bend the storyline a little or maybe play–up an event that has little prominence in your story but sounds good because it sensationalizes.  For instance, and pardon me for using my own novel as an example, but I can’t speak for anyone else’s book in great detail, or come up with two examples like these that show a long and short version.

My novel is set during the civil war, circa 1863, although the setting is merely a backdrop, but I can play it up on the back cover and hold the interest of civil war enthusiasts who love this era, thereby expanding my market reach.  The novel, Cold Mountain, is a good example.  It is set during the civil war, but it is really about something else altogether.  In my case, the setting is incidental, just the same, and not the focus of the story at all. It just happens to be a small part of the story by comparison to its premise, which is, the meaning of death, for lack of a better expression. You can also focus on minor or major themes in your story.  My story has many themes, among them: temptation, infidelity, and uncertainty, to name several. Take your pick. Focus on a theme in your novel and mention it in your blurb if you think it’s important. (Come on now, forget about premise and theme for a minute, I’m about to blow the proverbial lid off this blurb quiz!)

Back to Blurbs:

You see how this sales copy (blurb) thing shapes up?  By choosing your focus wisely on topics that you think are the most intriguing, you can piece together a damn good blurb that builds curiosity without giving away anything that will deter the reader from looking for more.  But of course, like many things, it’s easier said than done.  Writing a good back cover blurb, or any sales copy is hard work and you must have plenty of experience to pull it off.

I couldn’t possibly explain how to write a blurb that works for your particular story, but I’ve used two different blurbs that I wrote for my novel so you can see how different they are and judge for yourself which is better. Which one sells the book? You decide.

This is the short 45 word-count blurb:

 

A thought-provoking tale of courage, survival,

and dark mysteries of the heart.

Cultures will collide, ideologies will fade,

and one survivor’s belief’s will crumble,

When faced with a choice between her freedom,

and the betrayal of her beloved.

A decision that will haunt her forever.

 

What I like about this short blurb is that it leaves so much to the imagination. That’s what you want.  It raises more questions than answers. That’s the key to a good blurb that will encourage for readers to look for more—inside your book.

 

Here’s the longer version:

104 word-count:

The year is 1863, the backdrop, the hostile Civil War where this riveting and tragic story takes hold of Virginia Mae Mercy, a fanatical Christian who believes her husband's death was God’s divine justice.

But when Virginia births a stillborn she denounces her faith. Resigned, she learns to love her only surviving daughter, Triste, a prodigious child with the power to heal.   

Across this vast wasteland of severe injustice, Virginia discovers not only the startling truth about Triste’s gift, but the truth about her own fate.

A revelation that challenges her most profound beliefs—and ours.

The good thing about this blurb is that it still raises plenty of questions and although it’s longer and it gives more details, it doesn’t drown the reader with too much at once. The sense of mystery and intrigue are intact.  And although it is longer than the 50-70 word, so-called range for a back cover blurb word-count, and written in a very linear fashion, I stuck to the old axiom: the more you tell, the more you sell.

I like them both, but I went with the second, longer version because I think the short one is too short. I hope this helps you see the difference in what I call fudging and playing-up certain themes and events.  You control what you want the reader to hear, but it must be engaging and it shouldn’t reveal too many important details. 

 

One way to narrow down your blurb selections is to make a long list of selling points from your story, and take it from there. Remember, it must also sound natural and not like a grocery list of reasons to continue reading.  Think of an interesting hook and then work your copy, your list, into it, in the most emotional way possible. Good luck and make sure to let what you write sit for at least a day and then comb through it with any changes/improvements.

 

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Here’s a link to a good article on Back Cover Blurbs and although it‘s geared towards non-fiction, it also covers the importance of testimonials and tips for fiction too. Which, BTW, when it comes to testimonials, the more well-known its writer is, (an actor, professional, etc.) the better your chances of making a sale.  But that’s almost a no-brainer. Testimonials are priceless and worth using.

 

This Blurb article is a good read. Here’s the link:

 

http://www.writersmonthly.com/pages/wm_library/self_publish/judy_cullins_self_publish2.html

 

Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Dreams

Accidental Author? How did she do it?

You’ve already heard all the hype that preceded the movie, Twilight, which had sold out before it even opened weeks before. Her books have now been translated into 38 different languages, and counting. The movie was a great success and there will be movie sequels and of course, more books. That’s the short of it folks and here’s the million dollar question:

How did a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids manage to write her first novel, get it published and literally become an overnight sensation? In a word, or two, High Concept.  That’s the magic buzz word that leads to fame and fortune in the publishing/filmmaking business—period. It’s your ticket to success in a business that never guarantees success of any kind, and there are plenty of horror stories out there, as you have already heard.

Let’s face it, 99.9 percent of writers will fail to even get anything published, let alone, make it big as a writer of any kind. So what separates the exceptions, like Stephenie Meyer and David Wroblewski, of Edgar Sawtelle fame? High Concept, of course. Don’t look for anything else under the sun folks. I’ve been saying it forever now, if you don’t write from a high concept idea, you’re never going to enjoy this kind of success. High concepts sell. Mediocre concepts wane, and bad concepts die before they’re even born. Where do you want to fit in?  I don’t know about you, but I’m all for the high concept. Okay, so let’s define what a high concept is and what it is not.

A high concept is an idea that when you hear it, you get it all at once. In other words, it’s an idea that captures a specific feeling.  For example, the idea behind Twilight is this:  When you can live forever, what do you live for? That’s a damn good question, and therefore, a high concept that propels this story into the deepest recesses of your mind, as you search for your own personal answer. It’s a question that matters because it is profound and universal, yet very personal to each of us. Everything hinges off that one dramatic story question. And so, we search for an answer wherever we can find it. In books, however long, in movies, however shallow, under a rock, wherever. A high concept is, in essence, the engine, the spark that drives any story, from beginning to end.

In the Sawtelle story, the dramatic story question is found in its fascinating prologue. Who is the mysterious figure that procures this bizarre poison and who will he kill with it, and why? Specifically; What motivates people to kill? What drives them? All good questions, and we get great answers along the way. Over six hundred pages worth of good answers. Never mind that the story is modeled after Shakespeare's, Hamlet. Its plot and its characters often surprise us and the story's central premise, the spine of the story, a motive for murder, moves us and drives us in search for answers throughout the volume of pages.

But even high concepts have their limitations. However, a high concept of any kind will always be favored and considered in the media, whether it be for publicity in publishing or film making. And with so many great high concepts floating around, why should publishers or film studios limit their financial possibilities? They go for the big money. The monster deals that will yield bigger dollars. Why not? Why settle for less?

You get the point. Mainstream High Concepts are the way to go. Publishers and filmmakers will take care of the rest. And by that I mean, publicity and promotion of your book or screenplay. And casting, star performances, musical score, and special effects, which are some of the most important elements that will either make or break a movie. In a book, the reader supplies all of these things with their imagination, of course you already knew that, and I only mention it because it’s easy to forget that is indeed the case. Which is, BTW why writers are advised not to go overboard with character description. In fact, if you’re writing literary fiction, character description is all but not there. Romance novels, like Harlequin, are a different breed where description is a must, and not so much because the writer is inclined to do it, but because publishers require it.

Okay, have I gone off topic far enough?  Well, sort of, but not really because all these things play into the high concept arena. But a high concept is not enough and it cannot exist in a vacuum. A great idea is not enough. You must also execute its details, its dialogue, its plotting and its themes to perfection. Nothing else will do. It’s an orchestration of many disciplines which all hinge on the spine of the story, its premise. Its amazing high concept. A universal idea that sells, on contact.

Okay, so here’s what a high concept is not:  it is not any idea, even a good idea such as, an important person dying of cancer. That’s not enough. It’s an idea but nothing more. Now if you take that same basic idea and add another element, let’s say an important person dying of cancer whose last wish is to donate their body to science in hopes they find a cure for cancer, while they are still alive!  Now you’re getting somewhere. See the difference? In the first example, there’s nothing at stake, nothing to lose “except a life” and lives are lost every day, even important lives. But in the second example, we’ve taken the same basic idea and fused it with a high concept:  A cancer patient donating their body to science, while they’re still alive. Do you see how you can suddenly see this book or movie unfold in fantastic ways? BTW, I just made that high concept story up, off-the-cuff, but feel free to make millions off it if you like. All you have to do is take a few years to write it―maybe more. Good luck with that. (Can I get any more pompous?)

Let’s get back to Meyers’ books.  First of all, Stephenie Meyer has said and claims on numerous occasions that she had never written a novel before. Yet, she is being hailed as a talented storyteller. And I believe she is. I think she’s a natural. (Does her success have shades of Truman Capote as ghost writer for Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird?) In Meyer’s case, it would be her editor that might have given her a helping hand along the way. Who really knows? I can’t say if Meyer works off her editor’s outline for a story, turns in a first draft and that’s it, maybe ghost writers take care of the rest. But it sure seems that way, at one long book per year. 

Heck, it’s virtually impossible to write anything that fast, let alone something good. (Can we sequester Stephenie Meyer, lock her up in a small room with nothing but a computer and ask her to, just write?) Okay, okay, let’s give Meyer the benefit of the doubt and look at another angle. You’ve heard that writers are born with talent. That good syntax, sparkling adjectives, and brilliant storylines, ooze from their pores and that writing cannot be taught. Well, let’s settle the record straight--shall we?

Can writing be taught? Sure it can. Anyone can learn to write just as anyone can learn to paint in oils or build furniture. Just about anyone can learn the mechanics of writing. And that is to say, plotting a story, foreshadowing its events, crafting sub-text and dialogue, and so on. Heck, you can even learn how to develop high concept ideas that can sell for millions. You get the idea. These are known as skill-sets. Techniques you can learn and even master if you practice long and hard and smart enough. I think we can all agree on that. Now here’s the part that cannot be taught. The magic of stories. And by that I mean what Hemingway called “the magic dust on butterfly wings”. Careful not to rub it off, because it will never fly, as you know. Can we define that magic dust that Hemingway alluded to? 

Or is it just as illusive as the wind itself. And how does it apply to screenplays? Movies are of course a visual medium that depend largely on images and emotional performances buy A-List actors. So there is another dimension to writing for film that one must master, namely scenes loaded with sub-text. And sometimes, stories can either get lost in the shuffle or be enhanced by the performance of an actor, but the magic is there, scene-by-scene, and moment by moment, which when edited into a seamless work of art, it either flies with magic dust, or it does not. Books and movies such as, To Kill a Mockingbird, or Shawshank Redemtion, soar with that kind of magic while so many others do not.

And, as it happened to Stephenie Meyer, she dreamed of a story that spoke to her subconscious, she wrote it down as it came to her, page after page and before she knew it, she had an almost 600 page novel she could try to sell. She mailed out 15 queries, (which she learned how to write on the internet) and she got about 10 rejections, 4 no-replies, and one interested publisher--just one. But that’s all it takes. The rest, as they say, is vampire history. But what makes Meyer’s vampires so different and so human is just that, their humanity.  Her vampires are not cartoon character cut-outs that merely sink their fangs into every Jane, Sallie, and Mary they come across. They are beautiful and they are powerful “beyond belief”. They are villain superheroes with a twist. They are young, sexy, and extremely likable characters.  And they are trying to do what all human beings do—they are seeking meaningful, fulfilling lives. Hence; the things they will live for. Good marketing.

Stephenie Meyer's story is the quintessential success story in publishing and certainly an exception. We don't have all the insider details that led to publishing Twilight, and probably never will, athough, she has been candid about her success and dismisses it as a fluke.  And not to make a comparison, but Toni Morrison never intended to become a writer either. She dreamed of becoming a dancer, and we all know how her dancing dreams turned out. In other words, dreaming is not enough. Somewhere along the line, sooner rather than later, you must take appropriate action if you want your dreams to become reality.

It appears then, that some people fall into certain careers by accident and become hugely successful at what they do, overnight. But that's usually not the case. It is the subconscious that gravitates people towards their deepest desires, and before they know it, they've accumulated specific knowledge and they apply it towards their hidden goals. And finally one day, it all comes together, like magic. But it is anything but magic. That being said, we are all wired for something, but not for everything. 

The Twilight movie has of course helped book sales tremendously, not that the books needed the help, but let’s face it, a well-produced movie will always bump-up book sales and usually lead to a series of books. Which BTW, the covers for these books are very provocative and curious, as well as beautiful in a very simple way. I was immediately attracted to the twilight cover even though I’m not a hard core vampire or sci-fi fan. For me, the cover was enough to make me curious about the story, and that is certainly part of the lure and desire to acquire this series of books. As far as reading them, that’s difficult because they are competing with more than a hundred other books on my wish list. I too need the eternal life of a vampire to read everything I like.

And the cycle of life for books like these will endure forever, if that’s what the public wants. It can certainly endure as a TV series, like Buffy, or stage plays, like Phantom of the Opera, and so on. I’m sure that all those options are being considered and in the works. Not to mention all the merchandising from hundreds of products.

So, in other words, we can sum this up as follows. Vampire dreams lead to even bigger mega-dollar dreams of fame and fortune, realized because a housewife with three children believed in herself, and believed in her story, and against all defying odds, she was published in grand style.  She took a chance and listened to her inner voice that asked the question, what do I have to lose?

And the answer came back:  Magic dust on butterfly wings.

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Next Monday's Post 3/2:  Finally, Back Cover Book Blurbs Revealed

In this Post, I'm going to demystify the secret to writing powerful blurbs for your back cover. What's the real purpose of a blurb?  Find out next Monday, March 2nd. The answers may not only surprise you, but they may blow every neuron in your brain. Check with your doctor before reading this Post.

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March 9th Post: Part One -  Book Buzz, Trust, and Sales DNA

Ever wonder what it really takes to promote your novel successfully? Well you're going to latch on to this Post like a hungry puppy because I'm going to milk the ground rules to what I call Sales DNA 101. You don't want to miss this bizarre Two Part Post. It just doesn't get any freakier than this folks. Mark your calendar and check it out March 9th.

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March 16th Post: Part Two - Sales DNA 101

This of course is the continuation of the above article and since it's the grand finale for this Post, its the best part. It's a monstrosity of deft proportions and I just had to break it up. I think I'm almost back to my neurotic self again. Good Lord.

I Love the Plastic Smell of My Kindle

Are books on the verge of extinction?

Okay folks, I thought I’d follow up my last post about the Kindle’s high price and its wanting features, such as, no color, and settle a debate that’s been going on since e-books hit the publishing scene several years ago. I’m not going to get technical about it or even long-winded because there’s no need to.  This is an issue that even a moron can figure out in half a second flat.

To refresh your memory, the well-known question is this:  Will e-books ever replace paper books?  You know, this question is so ridiculous that I’m ashamed to address it. It’s like asking if the internet will ever replace television. Of course not. The world needs them both.

And no, I didn’t break down and buy a Kindle, for the love of God.  I just needed an interesting headline. I still enjoy the pulp and glue smell of my hardcover books and yes, I will buy a kindle as soon as they’re priced at $99.95. I’ll “run right out” and get one.  After all, Amazon.com is getting $9.95 for most of the e-books they offer.  That’s a bit expensive when you consider that you’re really not purchasing any tangible book products, other than the Kindle, that is. (I know, I know, it’s a perceived value pricing thing.) As a matter of fact, it’s the most expensive 150 megabytes of space per book you’ll ever buy. What? Yeah, something like that.  I told you I wasn’t going to get too technical.

But how cute is this photo of Jeff Bezos, peeking from behind the Kindle 1 last year? Had his fingers been clad in monstrous diamond rings, I would swear he’s a dead-ringer for Liberace. (Google him, young guns.  Baby Boomers, you can stop guffawing now.)  In fact, he’s so adorable and so devious that he had the audacity to claim the Kindle will eventually replace all books. (The headline reads: Books aren’t dead, they’re just going digital.) Wowee, all of them Mr. Bezos? How exciting. I’m sure that public libraries around the globe got a kick out of that one. 

I sure hope Bezos has thought things over about this whole, taking over the publishing world with Kindles thing. It’s an idea that goes beyond a goal, a dream or even something plausible. It’s outright hubris and a distortion of reality. It’s just plain silly.

But then again, maybe Bezos really knows how to play to the media and he’s brilliant at spitting out sound-bites to generate publicity. And besides, eliminating paper books would obviously not be a smart thing for Amazon.com. I think he's aware of that fact. So somehow he is brilliant at something, after all, since he has managed to design a product that again, many people will “line up” to pre-order this contraption at $359 a pop. 

Although, I would much rather believe that than think Jeff Bezos is a modern day Gutenberg, in white, Kindle clothing.

Don't miss my next Post:  Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Dream:  How did she do it?

 

Kindle 2 - Great Idea, Backwards Technology

I was just about to plunk down my Credit Card when...

The all-new Kindle 2 is set to hit retail outlets on February 24, my birthday.  What an auspicious moment for me.  Hey, I'll treat myself to one of these "beauties".  That's what I was thinking at first, but as I perused Amazon.com for more information about the new Kindle, I was soon un-sold instead. Congratulations on the convincing  marketing Bezos. You're the only merchant that has un-sold me a prodcut, ever.

And I'm sure Jeff Bezos can afford to sell this Kindle 2 for about $199, as opposed to $359, and not take any losses. The bulk of the Kindle 2 is probably manufactured in Taiwan for about $19 bucks a piece or maybe less.  But since so many people have already paid even more for the KINDLE 1, which was priced at $399 last year, why should Amazon cheat themselves out of half the profit? Are they that altruistic? After all, they can hardly keep up with the demand for these hideous things. Not that they’re so ugly, mind you, but they look plain and uninteresting. They look cheap, but of course they’re anything but.

Just stick with the program, Bezos, and charge what the targeted upper middle-class traveler's / Yuppy student’s market will bear. (Did I get the demographics right?) Have you seen the bibliophile dorks on Amazon.com that tout Kindle 2 as if it was the best thing since B&W TV? Come on now, where do they get these folks?  Get a clue people, this thing is as revolutionary as day-old bread. Bezos claims that e-ink technology, “…does not do color.” How uninspiring is that? What are we stuck in the Fifties? Did Joanie really love Chachi? Was The Fonz cool or what?  Oh, excuse me, I was just having a transcendental flashback.

Here are some modern Blues Clues for Jeff Bezos:

1.           There are other colors besides white, you know.
   
2.           Skins and so-called leather covers for this device are also over-priced.
   
3.           People like black and chrome finishes, even more than white.
   

Here are a few suggestions to improve the look and feel of the Kindle 2:

1. 1.    How about adding a silver Bling-Bling chain that you can attach to your Kindle so you can wear it around your neck? You know, like Flava Flavs clock.
   
2. 2.    Or, how about adding a few more dozen staggering features and benefits to go along with it?  Like connectivity with the Space Shuttle’s console interface, for instance.
   
3. 3.    And lastly, how about lowering the price so everyone that loves to read can afford one.  If that’s out of the question, and I’m sure it is, then why not offer three easy payments of $119, just like Ron Popeil does? And throw-in a few “free” skins with the deal.
   
4. 
   
5. Oh, one more thing. Why does Amazon insist on selling technology that hearkens back to a bygone era when we’re trying to get beyond the dawn of black and white television and into the digital age?  Is Amazon revolutionizing the digital era or are they taking a giant leap backwards in time with a product that promises so much, but ultimately delivers very little for the money. WTF?
   

It’s obvious to me at this point that the Kindle 2, as it now stands in this consumer’s view, is nothing more than a packaging of old technology, mixed with electronic ink technology that has yet to match or surpass color HD TV.  Am I expecting too much?  Yes, for $359 dollars, I’m expecting much more than an un-cool, gigantic black and white cell phone that doesn’t even make phone calls.  What a gyp.

In short folks, this product tastes like a gourmet shit sandwich on fresh, five-grain whole wheat bread. Mmm…yummy. Does anyone care for a bite?

By the way, have I mentioned that I like the Kindle idea but I just can’t bring myself to buy one? Anyone else getting any of this?  Thank you.