Blurb Examples

ID: 1185376   (Rated: ASR) Title: THE BLURB that caught attention  Description: A Contest: write the back cover description for your book -- WINNERS By: Voxxylady: Go Go Nanos!

Blurb: A short description of a product written for promotional purposes.

Invented by Gelett Burgess to describe the short summary of his novel, the blurb is "what it's about" in a concise, catchy phrase. This is what goes on the back of the book to grab the reader's interest. It's safe to say the blurb's importance is on an equal level with the first sentence, and maybe more important. This description, generally consisting of no more than 100 words, is also used in promotional materials, such as flyers and postcards and possibly business cards. With it, the reader decides if the story is of interest enough to open the book.

It must grab attention.

It also must be true to the story.

Examples of blurbs from Writing.com authors:

Look Into the Eyes of Evil by P.K. PARKER

When a female body is discovered in a South Florida State Park, FBI Special
Agent Chris Delone and partner Marc Cullen are catapulted back into a nightmare
hunt for the Cutthroat Serial Killer. Under constant pressure from both the
media and public, along with taunting messages from the killer, the agents race
against time to catch him before he strikes again. They soon discover that the
latest victim's roommate may've been the intented target. When protection for
her becomes more than just a job for Chris, Cutthroat's rage mounds; turning
the fight personal as the hunters become the prey.

Finishing Touches by Voxxylady: Go Go Nanos! :

Jenna Rhodes escaped her mother's idea of a successful, elite life with an early marriage to an unknown artist, but her husband's eventual success has catapulted her into the midst of another world in which she feels she doesn't belong. Now, in her early twenties, she finds herself alone with a young baby and fighting against her overwhelming artistic desires. With memories of the past and the rekindling of an old friendship, Jenna struggles to find her own world. Rejecting her impulses becomes impossible, though, when a handsome magnetic force begins to pull at her spirit.

Rehearsal: A Different Drummer by Voxxylady: Go Go Nanos! :

Susie Brooks is a nineteen-year-old dance teacher whose main stability through an uncertain childhood was her best friend, Evan Scott, a guitarist with a flair for the business world. Evan's other best friend is Duncan O'Neil, also a guitarist, but with a flair for attracting women's attention while hiding his past. When Duncan moves into Evan's world, he changes the dynamics not only within the band, but within Susie and Evan's relationship. The three friends find themselves struggling with love, loss, and secret passions during the turbulent Seventies.


Blurbs from traditional publishers:


Ireland by Frank Delaney (historical fiction):

In the winter of 1951, a storyteller arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. The last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, the Seanchai enthralls his assembled audience for three evenings running with narratives of foolish kings and fabled saints, of enduring accomplishments and selfless acts -- until he is banished from the household for blasphemy and moves on. But these three incomparable nights have changed young Ronan forever, setting him on the course he will follow for years to come -- as he persues the elusive, itinerant story teller ... and the magical tales that are no less than the glorious saga of his tenacious, troubled, and extraordinary isle.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman (non-fiction):

Who formed the first literate society? Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism? The Scots. As historian and author Arthur Herman reveals, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland made crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics -- contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since. This book is not just about Scotland: it is an exciting account of the origins of the modern world. No one who takes this incredible historical trek wlll ever vew the Sctos -- or the modern West -- in the same way again.

Email to have the blurb for your published book listed as an example. Specify whether it was written by you or by your publisher.

(blurb info source: worldwidewords.org)