REVISION

EXAMPLE

A blurb should contain three of the most important elements:

the book’s title,
the author’s name,
a catchy book description.

It can be found online or in print books, usually on the back of the book jacket to give readers a brief account of the book’s contents.

On the basis of such a description, many people decide to buy and read the book.

In Slovenian, it can be called "promocijsko besedilo."

WORDS TO REMEMBER

intriguing = (adj.) fascinating; make someone interested;
summary = (n.)a short account/description of something with the main ideas included;
praise = (v.) admire something, saying it is excellent;
tempt = (v.) persuade somebody to do something;
promotional = (adj.) intended to make a product/service known to the general public;
promote = (v.) to attempt to sell or popularize by advertising or publicity
potential (buyers)= (adj.) possible (buyers), not (buyers) yet.
blurb = (v.) write or contribute a short (book) description.

FIND OUT

How to write a book blurb.

There is no layout or a conventional rule on how to write a book blurb. Since it is primarily promotional material, it is left to blurb authors and their creativity how and what to write to "tickle the reader’s fancy" with one final aim-to sell the book.

A book blurb can also be written by readers, and for the social media, not to promote but to arouse interest.


Possible steps in writing:

Why not studying the book blurbs of your books first?

1. Introduce the plot with a catchy, exciting situation in which the heroes are the most important. Mention their names.

2. Decide on the number of paragraphs and words. Mention a problem /=a hitch/ which makes everything complicated.

3. But there is still a ray of hope, you should reassure the readers, but still leave them two possibilities about the end. You should reveal almost nothing.

4. You should use the Present Simple tense to make it dramatic, and appropriate vocabulary to evoke excitement, which immediately reveals the genre.

Do a Google search to find out more detailed information/tips on various ways how to write a book blurb.

ACTIVITY IDEA

Take a few books off your bookshelves, and read their blurbs. Choose the one that you find the most attractive to read.

Now, after reading, study its blurb again. In your opinion, does it match the book contents? Write down your ideas. What changes would you make to "your" book blurb? Say why and change it. In what way is your blurb equally or more interesting? Can you claim there is no rule for writing a blurb, but the purpose of it is the most important?