Back of the book blurb definition

Back up, move, transfer, or share your booksmart books. Park, the international history of communication study page 268 edward r. Here are six rules to be mindful of before you put pen to paper on your back book cover blurb. Vintage romantic tales of fright, i struggle with writing back cover copy, also known as, the blurb. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. The word was coined in 1907 by american humorist gelett burgess. The front cover can feature your book title, a subtitle, author name, and images you select. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. The blurb about a new book, film, or exhibition is information about it that is written. Punctuation or grammar goofs in this highly visible spot broadcast the message that your book was not professionally written. Parts of your selfpublished book including all of the necessary parts of a book and putting them in the right order is the first step to making your book credible and professional. From cambridge english corpus the contributions encapsulate the enormous diversity in this field, and thus the book does indeed provide essential knowledge about the study of language variation and change cover blurb. A blurb may introduce a newspaper or magazine feature story. Jan 10, 2012 blurb, meaning words of praise on the back of a book, is a pathetic word that quickly devolves into an almost existential meaninglessness, not a shout into the void but a soft round brick shoring up nothingness.

A blurb is just a short written peice about something. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Paratextual traces the blurb, back cover, inside cover, notes and title are part of the marketing process. Back of the book financial definition of back of the book. Murrow and other leading radio personalities blurbed the book, published in 1950 by oxford university press, and siepmann thanked paul lazarsfeld and herta herzog in his acknowledgments further reading. Improve your vocabulary with english vocabulary in use from cambridge. Not long after that i wrote the back blurb to keep me focused on the main plot line. The blurb that changed my life sophfronia scott is author of the novel all i need to get by and of doing business by the book. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. The blurb about a new book, movie, or exhibition is information about it that is written in order to attract peoples interest. How to write a catchy backcover blurb that sells 2020. Advertisers argue that ads in the back of the book have the lowest response rate because so few people read magazines all the way to the end. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Back up, move, transfer, or share your booksmart books its always a good idea to create a backup file of the book project youve been working hard on.

When a new release is on the way, we face the same question. What is the summary written on the cover at the back of a. She is currently a masters candidate in creative writing. More frequently though, a blurb is used to describe the pitch you make in the query letter. Regardless of definition, the purpose of a blurb is to excite a prospective reader about the story and make them want to learn more.

As already noted, writing a back book blurb is a marketing exercise. Jun 01, 2015 so getting back to my use of the word relationship you get a blurb for a book of poetry by asking poets that you know and respect to read the proofs of your manuscript and write something complimentary about it, along the lines of what they think your poetry is trying to say and how brilliantly youve said it. Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure to check with your publishers guidelines before you begin work. The act of checking out a chicks booty, or reading the blurb, is a very similar concept. You can also use this backup if you want to work on your book on a different computer, or share your book with a coauthor. Six writers tell all about covers and blurbs by matthew gallaway april 4, 2011 writers by definition spend a lot of time on the inside of books, which is why what happens on the outside namely, cover art and blurbs can feel precarious and daunting. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Blurb definition and meaning collins english dictionary.

As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. Blurb definition is a short publicity notice as on a book jacket. Before i buy a book, i always read the blurb on the back cover. We get so caught up in delivering an enthralling story or a big idea.

Writing to ask for a blurb was embarrassing, but ultimately composing a love letter to a favorite writer is kind of fun what was tough was sending several reminders. Keep in mind at all times the blurb is what sells the book, so. Blurb is a basic service useable for basic book printing. These may be used for an interview, a book jacket, or even an event program in which you are a presenter. How to create a back of the book cover blurb that sells. Feb 10, 2016 how to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. The short summary of a book, usually on the inside cover or back, that most people read so they can say they read the book we had to read a book for school, but i just read the blurb by oh just someone january 24, 2016. Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. The section of a magazine that comes after most of the content. We all have our favorite authors, our lifechanging reads, and our massive collections of everything from wellworn novels and biographies to beautiful coffeetablestyle art books. Summary and synopsis are also used but, in my experience, are used only in. Definition of blurb noun in oxford advanced learners dictionary. Like the book cover is one of the biggest selling points for any book, a book blurb helps sell the idea of the book to those who are in search of reading something either new or out of their usually picked genres.

The blurb about a new book, film, or exhibition is information about it that is written in order to attract peoples interest. The blurb on the back of the book says that it will touch your heart. I have been a long time user but they are unable to print photo books true to the original images. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. A blurb is the back cover teaser that lures a reader or an agenteditor into wanting to buyread your book. If you are like those of us here at blurb, then your mind never wanders too far from the comforting thought of books. Front matter, body, and back matter even if youve already polished your chapters to perfection, you still need to prepare various other parts of a book before publishing namely, the front matter and back matter.

Even if you cant judge a book by its cover, the cover can definitely make a great first impression. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. Apr 03, 2019 a blurb can be the quote a published author gives another author for the book, often appearing on the front or back cover. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. The inside of your book, which we call the book block, is divided into three main sections. Yes, i heard its very good and in fact they sent it to me to blurb but i was. Publishers summary and recommendation of a book, printed usually on the front flap of the book s dust jacket, or in an advertisement or catalog. Writers use the term blurb to describe the text on the back of the book.

Apr 21, 2017 a book blurb is your way of selling your book. The publishers blurb refers to this book as an existential crime novel. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Their technical staff is obtuse and they use a biased color profile.

There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now. In the words of renowned typographer jan tschichold 19021974, book design, though largely forgotten today, relies upon methods and rules upon which it is impossible to improve, and which have been developed over centuries. Im a published novelist, and i participate in several writing groups and online communities. Your blurb can usually be used as your pitch in your query letter or when you are doing an actual facetoface pitch session with an agenteditor. She one made a rabblerousing speech in the house of commons from notes on the back of a grubby envelope, which she keeps as a souvenir. The back cover of your book is prime real estate for promoting your book. Dec 04, 2019 a book blurb also called a backcover blurb or a book description is a short description of the books main character and conflict, usually between 100 and 200 words, that traditionally is included on the inside cover or on the back of a book. Then ensure you incorporate them into your back book jacket blurb. This means all the focus needs to be on the reader their needs and expectations.

I have a book coming out this summer, and ive been working on writing one that i need feedback on. Blurbrollypolly already in its sound and to be taken as seriously as a beach ball or a random. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. Find 1,574 synonyms for blurb and other similar words that you can use instead based on 9 separate contexts from our thesaurus. Before writing your back book blurb, choose 35 of the bestselling books in your genre and make a note of stylistic similarities. With that in mind, i wrote a logline for my current wip as soon as i began writing. A blurb can be the quote a published author gives another author for the book, often appearing on the front or back cover. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Book blurb the text on the back of a book that catches a readers attention, describes the. So you blurb the writer rather than the book, so you just know that thats going to be the one they stick on the cover.

Six writers tell all about covers and blurbs the awl. Sep 12, 2018 a blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. They were both kind enough to blurb the first book. So getting back to my use of the word relationship you get a blurb for a book of poetry by asking poets that you know and respect to read the proofs of your manuscript and write something complimentary about it, along the lines of what they think your poetry is. There is one big difference though between a book blurb and a synopsis. A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Blurb definition, a brief advertisement or announcement, especially a laudatory one. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples.

Mar 17, 2019 see here, the definitions of the word blurb, as video and text. If you think you have not read any dystopian novels, check the above definition to make sure. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. Your back ofthe book blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Nevertheless, back of the book ads usually cost the same as ads elsewhere in the magazine. However, many self published authors treat it like the hellstrip in front of their house between the sidewalk and a busy street. Whats the difference between book blurb and synopsis. The blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. Blurbs definition of blurbs by the free dictionary. Book design is the art of incorporating the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various components and elements of a book into a coherent unit.

Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. Usually its in reference to a newspaper article that briefly mentions a barely newsworthy item. Most people look at the back of a book and read the blurb to get an idea of whether they want to read the whole thing. I have been asked to blurb it, and i am recommending it now to all of you. Jan 09, 2017 composing the blurb in a rush to meet my publishers deadline wasnt the best way to go about it and i knew i needed to be prepared the next time. It may refer to the text on the back of a book but can also be seen on dvd and video cases, web portals and news websites. Generally, 150200 words are more than enough for a full blurb. Murrow and other leading radio personalities blurbed the book, published in 1950 by oxford university press, and siepmann thanked paul lazarsfeld and herta herzog in his acknowledgments.

How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb. It should introduce your main characters, give an insight on conflict, depict genre and arouse interest. Synonyms for blurb at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Free thesaurus definition of parts of books from the macmillan english dictionary. A blurb is a short summary or promotional piece accompanying a creative work. Your back of the book blurb is the second thing a potential buyer looks at after your front cover. Blurbs synonyms, blurbs pronunciation, blurbs translation, english dictionary definition of blurbs. Information and translations of blurb in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web.