How To: Write a Blurb

A blurb is a section of writing on the back of a novel that invites the reader to read the book. It explains briefly what the main character’s facing and entices the reader to want to know more. Writing a blurb is an essential skill for an author because it will often be the first thing a potential publisher reads, and they may not even read your manuscript if the blurb is not interesting.

A blurb should be about three paragraphs long and should be written with the protagonist’s perspective in mind. “Rosie didn’t want to go back to Whitehaven Village ever again, but when her mum dies suddenly, Rosie is forced to return to the village of her nightmares.” Straight away, the reader is introduced to the main character, Rosie, and given a brief idea of what the book is about – Rosie coming to terms with the demons of her past. There is intrigue – why should a village be a place of nightmares – what happened to Rosie in the past? The reader becomes curious about the story and wants to know more. The blurb doesn’t tell the story, only what the reader can get from the first chapter, but it does encourage the reader to want to read the book.