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Does a book’s blurb contribute to its success, or its failure?

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My friend and fellow writer, Debby Gies

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My Antipodean mate and fellow writer, Derek Haines

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As my old friend Derek has said many times in the past, if you have bothered to pay strict attention to his many blog posts on the subject, instead of merely liking them and moving on as so many of you do, the one area every writer always tends to overlook is a book’s blurb. Apart from reading reviews, what the potential reader really needs to make up their mind to buy your book, is a blurb that leaves them wanting to know more.

On thursday I wrote what I hoped would be a good one. It was total rubbish. All it would have done is put people off wanting to read Céleste. So when I asked him, Derek suggested another. After I’d played around with it for a while, adding one tiny element from my original effort, I then asked my friend, the gorgeous Debby Gies what she thought about it. It made perfect sense to me to not only get Derek’s help on getting the Key Words right, but to also have the point of view of a female writer whose opinion I value highly, especially since my latest offering is a love story.

This is how it looks at present, short, sharp, and to the point:

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Falling in love is always complicated, particularly when you are an artificial intelligence like Céleste. To be able to physically express her love for the man who means so much to her is not going to be easy to achieve in the depths of the Milky Way, or is it?

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Whether or not it turns out to be the blurb’s final incarnation, I’d still be interested to hear your views on it folks. Does it make you curious enough to want to buy a copy?

If you want to have your say in the ultimate version of Céleste’s blurb, please let me know your thoughts on the subject. I promise that all sensible suggestions will be taken into consideration.

Even while writing this post I’ve changed the wording of the blurb slightly…

More later,

Jack

😀

34 thoughts on “Does a book’s blurb contribute to its success, or its failure?”

  1. First of all I’m humbled that you mentioned me here and plastered my face here as well, lol. Second of all to answer your question, I’d have to say that yes, a blurb does contribute to a book’s success, even if it only means capturing the interest of the reader enough to make them want to read it. The book still has to be appealing to the reader, so the blurb itself is not the book’s success. 🙂 Thank you Jack. I’m liking your current version much better. But if I was a betting person, I’m going to wager you’ll change it a few more times. 🙂

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  4. Hi Jack as always your info is of great help. I can write a book but as you say getting the blurb right is very hard. I do read yours, Chris’s and Derek’s blogs although I might not always comment but you three have helped me take another look at writing. After Stanley, I have written one more set in London but not the same as the Stanley books. Plus a naval novel and the one I am working on now.

    This change of direction is down to you three and I am hoping that it is the way to go. thanks Michael

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  10. Pingback: Marketing: Book Blurbs | Carol Balawyder

  14. It sounds like you have a really interesting concept, and you’ve posed an intriguing question in this blurb, but personally, I found the style of this blurb a bit too distancing, if that makes sense? If I’m gong to be drawn in enough to consider buying a book, I want an emotional hook that connects me to the central character enough that I want to find out what happens to them.
    At the moment, for me, it’s a bit too dry a description – more of an extended logline than a blurb,
    I totally appreciate how hard it is to write a good blurb, and I’m not trying to be critical for the sake of it, but that’s my honest reaction to your question.

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    • “If I’m gong to be…” Really? If you are going to offer an opinion, at least have the good grace to check it for errors first.

      Now then madam, at no time did I say that the blurb you read was written in stone, merely the first of many drafts. 😉

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