Blurbage…

From tag lines to blurbs, it’s the short-short that is going to sell your story.


Once you’ve finished your manuscript, you’ll want to interest an editor or publisher to read your work and hopefully consider it for publication. Putting a short inducement into your query letter is the best way to whet the editor’s appetite to see more than just your signature. Getting your manuscript into an editor’s hands is a necessary step to getting it out to the public.


What are taglines and blurbs? These are short abstracts that briefly summarize what your content is about. Taglines should be as short as 10 to 15 words (approximately), blurbs run from 50 to 250 words. The first line of this post is a tagline. You had a pretty good idea from the very first sentence if this article would be of interest to you. And that is what you want to do to entice an editor.


Blurbs are slightly more detailed and longer summaries of your content and can be anywhere from 50 words to around 250 depending on its use. How often have you read the back cover of a book before deciding to read it? You’ve read a blurb, an intriguing tidbit that leaves you with the question “What happens?” and compels you to read more.


Practice writing short blurbs from your story. Decide what audience you want to attract, this might change your opening line or perspective. Make sure the blurb fits your story – in other words, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Open with something catchy, but do avoid clichés. Keep your summary concise and short. Make sure your blurb is edited properly; this should represent the quality of your work. Don’t just rattle off items like a laundry list, write creatively just like you wrote your story. Reveal only just enough to draw the reader in without giving away any spoilers – why should someone buy your book to read if you’ve already given away the “surprise ending”?


If you are writing a blurb for a work of fiction, things you might want to include are: Who are your main one or two characters? What is the conflict? What are some of the obstacles? What does your character(s) want? End your blurb with an unspoken “read this to find out more”; one way to do this is ask an actual question (ie: What will Robert do to win back the woman he loves?).

An example of a blurb is: Deputy Sherriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full... investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife. He meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of them in danger. (Final Sin by Chelle Cordero) This blurb tells you who the two main characters are, hints at their relationship and points out obstacles. The last line makes the reader wonder how far the danger goes and what happens to them. The whole book, by the way, is 84500 words and it only took 44-words to blurb it.

Focus on the interests of your target audience – if you’ve written a romance then include conflicts affecting the couple; if you’ve written an adventure spy story then concentrate on the danger and intrigue. You want your blurb to be representative of the genre you’ve written in so that your reader knows what they are going to read. Like the cover and title, the blurb should be genre-specific.



Writing exercise: Write three blurbs each about (1) your job, (2) your favorite vacation spot, and (3) about your childhood. Make the first a tagline of 10 to 15 words, keep the second under 100 words, and the last in one to two paragraphs or 200 to 250 words. Make sure your job sounds interesting, your vacation spot tantalizing and your childhood nostalgic.


Writing prompt: Try telling a story in less than 15 words. (ie: He came, he saw, he conquered.) Do this several times until you feel comfortable with it.