Task Two: Collect sample blurbs
Blurbs sell books. Everyone from the publisher who initially buys the proposal, to the
book store owner who stocks your book will decide whether they’re interested in your
book based on the blurb alone.
Become a connoisseur of blurbs. Start your own blurb collection. Each time
you see a blurb which you think is effective, copy it, and put it into your Blurb File.Writing the blurb
The "blurb" is the back-cover material for your book --- the selling points which will
get people to buy the book. If you write the blurb before you write an outline, you're
guaranteed not to wander off the track as you write your book.
I can’t emphasize the importance of your blurb enough. If you've been
thinking of skipping this section, please don't. Here are some reasons to write your
blurb first:-^ it keeps you^ focused on the theme of your book;^
-^ it makes writing the outline easier;^
-^ it makes selling your proposal easier;^
- it will assure your agent and editor that you know what you're doing,
and they'll feel comfortable working with you and handing over the
advance; - when you've sold the book, and the time comes to write it, you'll have
an easier time because you can keep the blurb at the forefront of your
mind.
Your blurb helps your agent and editor to get a contract for you
Your blurb is the "sales story" for your book. If your agent becomes enthusiastic
about your book, she'll become enthusiastic on the basis of your blurb. She'll use the
blurb as her sales pitch to other people. For example, when she talks to an editor at a
publishing house who may be interested in your book, she'll start with your blurb. The
conversation will stop there if the editor doesn’t see the book's potential. Let's say that
the editor likes the blurb enough to look at the proposal. If she's still keen, it's her turn
to sell your book, on the basis of the blurb, to the other people in the publishing