By Steffanie Costigan

September 19, 2024

I have taken a much-needed break from blogging as I recently had my new baby born, but I am back now and with some exciting new blogs and updates. During my blogging absence I had the opportunity to be a panellist in the Alberta, Calgary Writers Conference “When Words Collide.” I was a presenter for the book blurb workshop.

We shared advise on writing a blurb and did a fun blurb writing exercise with the group. Many individuals that went to that workshop expressed they concerns and fears of writing a book blurb. Book blurbs can be the most intimidating thing for a writer to write. It has to be just right, short easy to follow, enticing, good hook, a book blurb is what readers read before deciding whether to buy the book or not. 

Really your book blurb can make or break your book sales, this is why many authors are nervous to write their own book blurb. But today I really want to touch on this topic and what I have learned on my own personal writing journey. Writing a good captivating book blurb is really psychological, what I mean by that is just how marketing can be psychological to entice individuals to buy your product so is writing your book blurb. 

You want to get to the juicy stuff right away but without any spoilers. You also want to only add two characters at max to your book blurb description, the two characters should be the protagonist and antagonist. Write what are the stakes and what is at risk, at max book blurbs should be only 150 words at the very max. And don’t forget that hook at the start, make sure your book blurb leaves the reader with questions. If the reader knows the answers, then there is no point to them buying the book. 

Following these simple elements when writing your book blurb will make for an enticing, luring blurb that will peek the reader’s interest. During the book blurb exercise the winning blurb had all the elements I listed off and was simple. They did not need to list off all the characters just the ones that were important the hero and villain. You don’t even have to list the villain sometimes. Sometimes the most powerful words are the simple ones. Another strategy to do when writing a book blurb is to learn from example. We have a sea of books out there, look at books that are selling well, that have been released no longer than a year. Use those book blurbs as a guide and you will notice if your book blurb is missing any elements that can enrich it further. Those are some simple tips that stood out the most to me while being a panellist in the blurb workshop.