“If You’re Looking for Someone Like Me, I’m Perfect” — Write Your Book Blurb Like a Dating Profile
An earlier version of this article was posted in the California Writers’ Club Bulletin, Spring 2022.
While I was making slides last month for my “How to Write a Killer Book Blurb” workshop, I realized that a book blurb is a lot like a dating profile. Years ago, I sweated over writing dating profiles and one line I particularly liked, and used, was “If you’re looking for someone like me, I’m perfect.”
When you’re writing book blurbs, you’re looking for readers who are looking for books like yours.
Of course, if you’re scrolling for dates, you’re happy to find one, if he or she or they is the right one. If you’re selling books, you probably want more than one reader.
But the analogy still holds. You want your book to be just what your reader is looking for. Your blurb is your best opportunity to do that. You want to make your book sound enticing, and you want to accurately describe your book.
If you’ve written a romantic comedy, your readers are going to be disappointed if they’re expecting Harry Potter. You want to attract the audience your book is written for.
—
The blurb, or book description, on the back cover of your book and on your online sales page, is arguably more important in attracting readers than anything except your cover and title.
And a compelling blurb can be equally important before you’ve written your book, because it can guide you as you write.
Blurbs can be several paragraphs, but no one will read your second paragraph if your first one doesn’t grab them.
Often you need shorter blurbs for social media or Amazon ad copy, which must be under 149 characters. (That’s how many characters this paragraph is.)
But how do you distill your several-hundred page book into one or more memorable paragraphs?
First off, a blurb is not a synopsis, but a promise that persuades potential readers they must read your book. You reveal enough to entice your readers, but hide enough so they’ll pay to find out more. You may also want to share setting, genre and tone. Is it light and funny or dark and tense?
But no spoilers. Blurbs are like movie trailers, which never give away the endings.
Let’s look at two well-known examples.
An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price.
Until something goes wrong. . . .
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle.
Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
Your book may not feature a dangerous predator or a bespectacled wizard, but you can use a similar formula, which has three parts — setup, hook, and punchline.
1. Setup.
When X does Y, Z happens.
Your first paragraph should give readers a clear idea of what the story is about, where and when it’s set, and what kind of book it is, like a thriller or a romance, though you don’t need to use those words.
You introduce your hero at the start of his or her journey.
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive.
2. Hook.
Now, with A, X must do B to accomplish C.
Your hero must do something brave in order to achieve a goal that changes his or her life, and, if possible, the broader world.
You want to distill the plot, more of a teaser than a summary.
3. Punchline.
With Jurassic Park, the punchline is, “Until something goes wrong.” For most books, you want to be more specific, but if your premise is as brilliant as Jurassic Park, let readers use their imagination.
Either way, you let readers know that something does go wrong, and to find out how the hero solves the problem, you have to read the book. You don’t give the “how” away in the blurb.
—
Non-fiction is often easier because you’re solving a problem, but you still want to stand out from other books offering similar benefits.
Here’s a good example.
Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again.
With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home — and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.
The formula for nonfiction starts with the problem that potential readers may be suffering from, like too much clutter. This helps readers determine if this book is relevant for them.
1. State the problem.
“Papers accumulating like snowdrifts and clothes piling up like a tangled mess of noodles.”
That’s both memorable and something millions of people can relate to. Like me, who is writing this at a desk cluttered with papers.
2. Show what your solution will accomplish
Like fiction, you want to entice, but also hide, so generally you want to share the “what,” but not the “how.”
The Marie Kondo book does include a teaser about “how” — does it “spark joy?” But no more than that.
3. State how readers’ lives will improve as a result of reading the book, and, if possible, why this book instead of others.
This is the toughest part. Marie Kondo’s blurb touts her book as an international best-seller, but it didn’t start that way. Still, “enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home” is a decent selling point.
Even with these formulas, it’s daunting to write a blurb that sells books. But it’s one of your most important marketing tasks. And it should take less time than writing your book.
One last thing. If possible, demonstrate your writing style in the blurb. If your book is funny, don’t say it’s funny. Show your humor in the blurb.
—
P.S. I am available to present “How to Write a Killer Book Blurb” workshops, online or in person. Contact me at johnbyrnebarry@gmail.com
Recent Comments