Book Jacket Blurbs

1. Book Jacket Blurbs

2. What are they? • A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually referring to the words on the back of the book but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases, web portals and news websites.

3. Their combined input gives a reader a vague idea of what to expect from an author and looking at a wide variety of these quotes shows the usual standards for crafting the prominent back-cover material.

4. Book Jacket Blurbs • A blurb on a book or a film can be any combination of quotes from the work, the author, the publisher, reviewers or fans, a summary of the plot, a biography of the author or simply claims about the importance of the work. Many humorous books and films parody blurbs that deliver exaggerated praise by unlikely people and insults disguised as praise. • ･Monty Python and the Holy Grail - "Makes Ben-Hur look like an Epic” • ･1066 and All That - "We look forward keenly to the appearance of their last work"

5. Things to consider • 1. Who is your target audience? • 2. Whose reviews should you chose?

6. Steps • #1 Keep it short. Book blurbs are generally not more than 3 or 4 lines and can be as short as 7 to 10 words. One popular format is to omit the subject and only write a description in several words, such as "A wild Dionysian romp--a great read!"

7. Step 2 • Use extreme action verbs. Providers of book blurbs like to promote literature with adjectives like "sizzling", "crackling" or "shattering." Then there's the ever popular "spine-tingling" used for thrillers and supernatural fiction.

8. Step 3 • Make author comparisons. New authors are generally compared to more established ones. These comparisons can be made in a second or third sentence that compliments the original style assessment.

9. Step 4 • Describe the journey. Formulas like "The author takes us through..." or "(Author) introduces the reader to..." are often used to set the stage, giving the reader a preview of the setting or plot.

10. Step 5 • End with a bang. Those who are enthusiastic about promoting a book will often include a repeated recommendation at the end such as "A must-read."

11. What to avoid • Plot spoilers! • Although book blurbs will sometimes include the brief description mentioned above, there is a line that should not be crossed between outlining general plot/setting and divulging things that the reader should have to figure out for themselves. Many times, a book blurb will set up the "general problem" of a plot and then ask a question that the reader will answer in the course of completing the book.