Its a paradigmshifting experience that will change the way you write and communicate. People want connection and growth and something new. The editorcopywriter producing the blurb will be an experienced professional with many years of experience in editing and the writing skill to put together good copy for your work or an experienced copy writer. Blurb, back cover copy, jacket copy, or promotional copy whatever you call it, a great book description is your second best marketing tool your cover is number one. Australian writers tell the truth about perinatal anxiety and depression in poetry, fiction and essay. Michael hyatt, author of platform and living forward tribes is a must read for all of us. In fact junger actually wrote a blurb for matts new book.
This will help you start building the audience your message deserves. Whatever the old adage might warn, there is a bit of merit to judging a book by its cover if only in one respect. I just read a rather poorly written thriller blurbed with fulsome praise from a couple of authors who are excellent writers. As i read it, i was literally underlining every other sentence.
Vietnam lost tribes by cees van veelen 2009 blurb books. How is it that a writer can write a story spanning tens of thousands of words but stumble at a 250300 word book blurb describing it. Put simply, being concise is hard, and being concise about something you know insideandout can seem downright impossible. 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. I have seen nonfiction blurbs that are more about the author than the content of the book and i have seen fiction blurbs that are a synopsis of the story and even tell the reader the ending. Here are some of the reasons you might need to write a book blurb. A book that screams to be highlighted and written in and talked about.
Some writers love to write the blurb, and some cant stand this step in the publishing process. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. Sebastian junger holds a special place in my heart. The american writers series guests examine the history of the plains indian in the latenineteenth century, the policy of indian removal, and warfare between the u. Chose from several free tools or use adobe indesign or adobe lightroom. This is the home page of seth godin, author of seths blog. Blurb create, print, and sell professionalquality photo.
A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. These days, most writers are finding it increasingly difficult to succeed without an online platform. We need you to lead us, seth godin presents the idea that humans are wired to unite and form tribes. Nov 18, 2015 this book follows the shepherds hattie, her children and grandchild from 1948 to the 1980s. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. His premature calling into the order of the crow, a member tribe of the third realm, harbings the chaos about to unfold. These are actual blurbs taken directly from the back of published novels. On homecoming and belonging hardcover may 24, 2016. A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one.
Your book blurb aka online description, like your dating. Inclusion in this list does not imply any support for the aims, objectives, policy or advice given. It is written by sebastian junger, a prizewinning author, war journalist, and maker of. The fee for the blurb writing service is calculated in relation to the length of the manuscript. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. For obvious reasons, established writers are usually very selective about which novels theyll blurb. Print as you go sell one copy at a time and let blurb fulfill the orders or place a large order and sell inperson. In addition to the four teaching modules, youll also get. A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. Consider the blurb, one of the most pervasive, longestrunning and, at. Has tribes by seth godin been sitting on your reading list. Make sure your book blurb reads like those that are selling well. Sebastian jungers tribe examines disbanded brothers. The latest from vanity fair contributing editor junger war, 2010, etc.
The book in question couldnt eat their lunch in a million years and the blurbers must have noticed the inferior writing but still tossed off overthetop encomiums as. Sutherland, with the plot developed by editor victoria holmes under the. Sep 27, 2015 whatever the old adage might warn, there is a bit of merit to judging a book by its cover if only in one respect. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should. The other day, a friend on social media told me she was tired of building a platform and just wanted to write. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. The fee for the blurbwriting service is calculated in relation to the length of the manuscript.
Which is why tribe writers is a lot more than just content to be consumed. Triberr is a marketing suite for influencers and bloggers who want to amplify the reach of their content with intuitive sharing features and builtin analytics. Here are eight examples of bad blurbs by good writers. Full blurb service, including both a shorter and full marketing blurb from a synopsis. I picked up this book because it was written by an author i used to love as a teen. An easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. As it happens i could have got a much bigger discount by printing 100 and it turns out that i am selling well over 100 so lesson learned for next time. Synopsis in this fascinating book, seth godin argues that now, for the first time, everyone has an opportunity to start a movement to bring together a tribe of likeminded people and do amazing things. Founded originally as a print magazine by steve cannon in 1991 when he lost his eyesight to glaucoma, a gathering of the tribes operated for more than two decades, evolving into a place where artists could meet and. The twelve tribes of hattie was a wonderful pageturner. An examination of the wily book blurb chuck wendig. The author said that this could be a critical point at the end of the book and.
Find vietnam lost tribes by cees van veelen 2009 at blurb books. Sell your book in the blurb bookstore, through amazon, or in the global retail network of over 38,000 retailers, libraries, and schools. We deliver three different lengths of blurbs for one price. Unfortunately, these parts of the book are also the dullest and most.
Oct 04, 20 an easytofollow, practical guide to writing the best blurb to sell your selfpublished book, provided by ya author sarah juckes of completelynovel. Fiction or nonfiction basic blurb cover copyproduct description for fiction or nonfiction extended product description. But fear not, because theres a secret science to writing the perfect book blurb. Penn release date november 25, 2011 language english pages 402 format paperbackkindle publisher cumulus publishing limited isbn 10 0473199386 isbn 9780473199388 the tribe. The american writers series guests examine the history of the plains indian in the latenineteenth century, the policy of indian removal, and warfare between.
Extremely short chapters that pack a punch, this is a must read for anyone with a burning desire for change who just needs the little push to get beyond the fear. In 1923, fifteenyearold hattie shepherd flees georgia and settles in philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Amazon might allow 4,00o characters in the book description box, but nobody wants to wade through a long blurb. The oncegreat civilization has been reduced to scattered tribes of survivors, hunted by a sinister darkness that appears to have come from the sky. Full blurb service, including both a shorter and full marketing blurb from a read of the manuscript. Godin defines a tribe as any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. I chose blurb to print my self published photo book. A short book with a solid argument about the downside of civilizations progress. There are tribes everywhere, all of them hungry for connection, meaning and change. Therefore you want to create the best blurb you can.
If this is the blurb for your story id also recommend naming the two women. Create, print, and sell professionalquality photo books, magazines, trade books, and ebooks with blurb. As it is, your blurb is intriguing, but creating that personal connection with the characters might help draw in more readers. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Collected poems by gabriel okara nebraska university press along with publishing a first book by an emerging new african poet each year, the africa book fund has also committed to publishing a collected edition of a major living african poet each year, and this year it is gabriel okara, the only person who could ever be called both the elder statesman of nigerian literature. Youve snagged a prospective date by your alluring cover, so now youve got to show theres more than just surface appeal. I didnt have enough confidence to place a bulk order so wanted an option that would allow me to print in batches to meet demand as it came in. No matter if you love it or hate it, the blurb is one of the key elements which helps sell your book to new readers. Today, im giving away a free ebook called every writer needs a tribe. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so.
The blurb of your book is the second thing a potential reader will look at after the coverso take the time to get it right. Oh, and by the way, many publishing houses have the author write the blurb. This book tribes, is the best book on leadership, social change and creating a movement that i have read. Published almost a decade after permission marketing, this book explains how the internet has made it possible for an ancient phenomenon the development and growth of tribes to take place anywhere in the world, all the time. This is because writers dont really understand what a blurb is meant to do. Its been a long time since ive read such a book of nonsense. If you are absolutely against having a website or creating attention around your writing online, there are better.
How to write a book blurb in 4 steps the opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic, says editor rebecca heyman for a lot of firsttime authors, i think theres an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the book s universe before the beginning of the actual story. In historical and anthropological terms, a tribe is a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious or blood ties, with a common. The writer and documentarian sebastian junger, author of tribe. The road to somewhere by david goodhart a liberals. A young boy named kevin is drawn in by the intriguing gang the tribe, and psychologically coerced into becoming part of. Jul 19, 20 writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose. Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents.
Goodharts book does not offer much advice on how we might get there, but it is a powerful reminder that we have to try. The twelve tribes of hattie by ayana mathis african book. How to write an effective blurb for a selfpublished book. The series was published by harpercollins and written by authors kate cary, cherith baldry, and tui t. Writing a book blurb is a little like online dating, i suppose. The series takes place in the fictional location white hart woods, and halfway though the second series, around sanctuary lake. Namesake by jhumpa lahiri a gathering of the tribes. Australian writers tell the truth about perinatal anxiety and depression in poetry, fiction and. The worlds best writers arent necessarily the most popular ones. David discovers his ancient lineage to cosmic guardians known as the third realm.
A childrens book that highlights many societal issues in childhood, theres a lord of the fliesesque aspect to tribes. So yes, we spend a good deal of time focusing on setting up a blog, building an email list, and building your online influence. According to godin, tribes are a powerful force of influence and change, thus marketers and other professionals should learn to tap into. And if this bugs you as much as it should, then id like to help you get past that frustration, and take the right actions to finally get noticed and find your own tribe of loyal followers. Tribes by cathy macphail meet your next favorite book. Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on blurbs. A young boy named kevin is drawn in by the intriguing gang the tribe, and psychologically coerced into becoming part of an oppressive group, whose ringleader is salom. Warriors is a series of novels based around the adventures and drama of feral cats living in 4 clans, later to be 5. I honestly do not have any issues with this book because it was simply an excellent read. Tribes is a semiprovocative take on how we should lead and not lead. The series is published by harpercollins and written by authors kate cary, cherith baldry, and tui t. May 24, 2016 a short book with a solid argument about the downside of civilizations progress.
It is written by sebastian junger, a prizewinning author, war journalist, and maker of two outstanding documentaries on the conflict in. Ayana mathis tells the story of the children of the great migration through the trials of one unforgettable family. Perhaps, sometimes, they should be more selective about what they actually write, too. We writers are often advised to find our tribe, to reach out. While many wellknown authors will blurb an emerging writers book, russo goes much farther, often planning joint appearances and hosting highprofile events to help bring attention to. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Pick up the key ideas in the book with this quick summary. About tribes a gathering of the tribes is an arts and cultural organization dedicated to excellence in the arts from a diverse perspective. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your book and convert readers. The blurb for my book, the third realm, book one, order of the crow. Warriors is a series of novels based around the adventures and drama of several groups clans of wild cats. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. A revolution is taking place in the country of walden.
Many writers find writing book blurbs really difficult. It is written by sebastian junger, a prizewinning author, war journalist, and maker. They are both great writers, have both written for vanity fair, share friends, an affinity for native americansamerican indians my little brother loves the jicarilla apache. The author stays just on the surface and hasnt said anything new or. Russo is renowned as an advocate for other writers. There has never been a better time than right now to be a reader of african literature, especially in the united states historically, an underdeveloped nation in this regard. Forget the book, have you read this irresistible story on. Discover his free videos, his seminars and workshops and his books. Aug 12, 2016 some writers love to write the blurb, and some cant stand this step in the publishing process. Aim for a word count in the vicinity of 150 words 14 paragraphs. Your book blurb aka online description, like your dating profile. For leopold, the weakened state of the kingdom means an easy opportunity to subjugate it to his. The series is primarily set in the fictional location of white hart woods, and, later, sanctuary lake. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others.