Creating a Book Synopsis: A Step-by-Step Guide for Authors

When people browse bookstores, readers would always look at this piece of information first before deciding whether to buy a book. It is mainly described as the book’s synopsis, but it has a name: the book blurb. It is a short description that we usually find on the back cover or the dust jacket. A book blurb is usually written for promotional purposes—to introduce an artistic work or your book. It is an essential part of a book because it attracts customers to buy and read its content. Without it, readers might have to scan the pages or judge the book by its cover to decide if they would buy it or not. Book blurbs make it convenient for readers to know what books interest them or not. Here are seven steps on how novelists can write an impressive book blurb that would pique a reader’s interest:

1. Start with a hook. Like any written content that needs to impress a reader, a blurb must start with an innovative, eye-catching line. This line is the first thing people would see on your blurb and define whether they would continue reading it. You can introduce your main characters, the book’s setting, or go straight with your central conflict. Only remember to write what you think would make readers grab your book.

2. Know your genre and target audience. Of course, you should base your blurb on your genre. You can’t write dark and twisted words on a blurb for a kid’s book. Nonfiction and fiction books have different styles for blurbs. Business books tend to have bullet points, while novels would need to have enticing paragraphs.

3. Include details, but not too much. One common problem that novelists encounter is the necessity to include everything in one go. However, blurbs are a reader’s appetizer for the whole book. Avoid putting out spoilers for readers to look forward to in the book’s content.

4. Give the readers what they want. Include your book’s purpose in the book blurb. It is sometimes the part that makes readers want to buy your book.

5. Keep it simple. Remember to keep your book blurb as simple as possible. Not all readers have the time to read your blurb’s contents; most of them skim its content. Keep the blurb simple and summarize as much as possible for readers to know what your book is about in one glance.

6. Highlight the book’s selling points. Think like a salesperson and point out the selling points of your book. These are what your readers would want to read in your book. Make a list of the selling points and include as many as possible in your book blurb.

7. End with a cliffhanger. Like the hook at the start, a cliffhanger on the end would leave the readers curious about the book. This part would need to make the readers decide whether they would buy your book or let it go.

A book blurb is one of a book’s most significant sales factors; it works real-time while your book is on display. Writing it demands time and attention; refining it as well as possible would affect your book sales. You can draw inspiration from different authors that you may admire. See for yourself how they write blurbs and increase attention to their books. Grab your pen and practice writing blurbs for your book now!