The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. Nonetheless, these ideas are very good for selfpublishing authors who dont have the benefits of a publishers staff of professional designers and copywriters. The blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. This is one of the most important pieces of copy youll write, since it has a lot of work to do representing your book and showing people whats unique, interesting, or especially. Kinnells landmark the book of nightmares was published in 1971. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. Writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. He is a fulltime writer and parttime book blogger at 101 books, where he is currently blogging through time magazines top 100 englishspeaking novels. Compare yourself to other writers or your book to other books. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. Clockwork angel, written by cassandra clare after having to bury her aunt harriet and sell everything including most of her wardrobe in order to do so, tessa grey leaves new york and sails to london. The clockwork three book trailer, interview, and website.
Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. A nightmare vision of the future told in its own fantastically inventive lexicon, it has since become a classic of modern literature and the basis for stanley kubricks oncebanned film, whose recent reissue has brought this revolutionary tale on modern civilization to an even. Feb 10, 2016 how to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. A blurb is not a just the facts recitation of the highlights of your story. Its a snowy winter night in the town, and a young apprentice clockmaker is in despair. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. Clockwork angel book summary awesome book summaries. Keep in mind at all times the blurb is what sells the book, so. I did not read the book, look at a manuscript or pdf, or have any textual interaction beyond timmons explaining the project in an.
Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well. Mixture of discussions, role plays and language activities. Im not going to deny here that the book contains violence. Clockwork by philip pullman, leonid gore, and peter bailey. A clockwork orange is one of those books which everyone has heard of but which few people have actually read mostly, i think, because it is preceded by a reputation of shocking ultraviolence.
Tradition holds that each apprentice, as a final test and rite of passage, must design and build a mechanical figure to be added to the towns impressive clockwork. One blurb, two blurb, three blurb, thirty blurbs poetry. In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb, im including a few examples from bestselling memoirs which have their blurbs perfected. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the books front cover. A clockwork orange is almost a foreignlanguage work. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. She also recognises that we might be asked to do a short version of the blurb for press releases, bookshop catalogues etc. A clockwork orange is the heart racing story of 15 year old alex and his friends. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples.
Jan 15, 2010 one of the most common questions i get from new selfpublishers is, what do i put on the page. Nadsat the cryptic language of a clockwork orange and. Aug 02, 2017 read on to find out how and why antony burgess based a clockwork oranges secret language, nasdat, on russian. The book is partially written in a russianinfluenced. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. Examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom. In sextons blurb, one cant help but hear an additional echo of plaths the blood jet is poetry.
I will pass the book along to someone i know will love it as much as i do. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. In anthony burgesss nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends social pathology. We had a book fair and i bought your book, the clockwork three.
How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne. To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. A clockwork orange takes place in a futuristic city governed by a repressive, totalitarian superstate. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry book s overall success and reputation. The original american edition of the book the one that omits the 21st chapter had a glossary of terms in the back of the book.
It was shortlisted for both the whitbread childrens book award. Levine books edition was illustrated by leonid gore. Apr 02, 2012 clockwork angel, written by cassandra clare after having to bury her aunt harriet and sell everything including most of her wardrobe in order to do so, tessa grey leaves new york and sails to london. How to get awesome book cover blurbs posted on february 26, 2020 by sandra beckwith 21 comments affiliate disclosure. 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.
Focus on the most important aspects, but dont give away any twists or surprises. May 23, 2012 a blurb is not a just the facts recitation of the highlights of your story. Copyright page samples you can copy and paste into your book. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way. Clockwork philip pullman, author, leonid gore, illustrator, peter bailey, illustrator arthur a. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. And, like any good howto, marilynn includes some examples of what a good blurb looks like. While many authors refer to their books description as their blurb, the established publishing industry uses book blurb when referring to a book testimonial or endorsement from someone who influences.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The teenage protagonist, alex, narrates his violent exploits and his experiences with state authorities intent on reforming him. Dont worry, in this article, well walk you through the important points to keep in mind while writing your book s blurb, as well as give you a simple blurb template that sells and some bestseller examples for different genres. The protagonist of the story is alex, a fifteenyearold boy who narrates in a teenage.
A vicious fifteenyearold droog is the central character of this 1963 classic. And by def mentor or red foment, i mean, of course, fred. Stanley kubrick also does this masterfully in the movie in my mind, that is what makes this book one of the finest examples of twentieth century literature. By day, clumsy panda po works faithfully in his familys noodle shop, but by night he dreams of becoming a true master of the martial arts. Nov 15, 2019 when you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. The endorsement blurb recommends another writers book.
This adaptation of philip pullmans clockwork is a brilliantly contrived puppet show cum theatre piece but squeamish children would do. For some reason, the page has the power to intimidate some people, with its small print and legalistic language, not to. It is set in a nearfuture society that has a youth subculture of extreme violence. Firstly, highlighting your success in the book writing world. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. For some reason, the page has the power to intimidate some people, with its small print and legalistic language, not to mention all those mysterious numbers. Copywriting is a completely different skillset to creating fiction, and im here to help you get that blurb in tiptop shape. Magic is dangerousbut love is more dangerous still. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the book s front cover. Resource clockwork discussion guide from scholastic.
A clockwork orange is as brilliant, transgressive, and influential as when it was published fifty years ago. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, i will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. This is the exact same process which occurs if you create a blurb book using the downloadable blurb booksmart application, rather than lightroom. An orangutan was once known in two words, orangutan, meaning man of the forest in indonesian or some similar language.
How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. The blurb is a product description for the books backcover and amazon page, designed to entice readers. She has arranged to meet her brother nate at the docks, but met the dark sisters instead. Figuring out what alex means with each term is a feat in itself, and it takes a few chapters for. One of the most common questions i get from new selfpublishers is, what do i put on the page. Read on to find out how and why antony burgess based a clockwork oranges secret language, nasdat, on russian. Aug 08, 2009 examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom. Did anyone else have serious trouble reading a clockwork.
Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. May 28, 2011 this adaptation of philip pullmans clockwork is a brilliantly contrived puppet show cum theatre piece but squeamish children would do well to stay away, writes clare brennan. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. Click look inside or download free sample to see how this guide can help give your book the success it deserves. How to get awesome book cover blurbs build book buzz. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. In this society, ordinary citizens have fallen into a passive stupor of complacency, blind to the insidious growth of a rampant, violent youth culture. You know, the ones that readers use to choose the book they want to read next or throw on the pile beside the bed where, among the. An taut and eerie original tale from philip pullman set in a small german village once upon a time.
When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. Jun 01, 2015 the occult art of the poetry book blurb on taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. May 17, 20 all of these are great ideas, but since they are wellemployed by major publishers and others, they really arent secrets. Website 11 resources from the tes clockwork lesson. A clockwork orange is a dystopian satirical black comedy novel by english writer anthony burgess, published in 1962. I downloaded this from audible this morning and listened to it while shoveling snow, wishing i had a clockwork automaton to do that for me. Youve written your book, but now you have to publish it and kdp has a box that you dread. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. Basically, the name of the game with a blurb is to entice readers to buy your book. The time out blurb on the cover stating every generation should discover this book. In a nearfuturistic society, late teen alex delarge is the leader of a gang of thugs his droogs who commit acts of ultraviolence, often with sexual components, without any regard for their victims, and purely because it strikes their collective fancies.
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. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. On taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. It should introduce your main characters, give an insight on conflict, depict genre and arouse interest. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading writing book blurbs and synopses. As i understand it, this was originally supposed to be a clockwork orang, meaning a mechanical orangutan. Clockwork, or all wound up is an illustrated short childrens book by philip pullman, first published in the united kingdom in 1996 by doubleday, and in the united states by arthur a.
It features lengthy descriptions of heinous crimes, and theyre vivid descriptions, full of excitement. However, this task typically comes just when youre at your least able. The doubleday edition was illustrated by peter bailey and the arthur a. Instead it features nadsat, a made up language incorporating elements of cockney and russian spoken by the modern youth in the book. Its not every day you run into someone whose specialty is back cover copy for your book. She also recognises that we might be asked to do a short version of the blurb for press releases, book shop catalogues etc. Oct 16, 2014 writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. Sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more stressful than writing the ebook itself. A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. When you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. The blurb should be written using the same tonevoice that you use in your storyso dont even think about getting someone else to do it for you. Philip pullmans clockwork is a fairy tale set in germany in presumably the 19th century, in a world where clockwork devices can be made so intricately precise that they can, if constructed by a particularly ingenious clockmaker, pass for little boys. It matters not only what a blurb actually says but who said it and when.
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