Search Results for: blurb writing loglines

Blurbing – Open Book Blog Hop #270

April 19, 2021 By Captain Maiel

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #270
Let’s talk about book descriptions.
Do you write yours before or after you write the story?

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. We appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

A book description, as you’ll find out, when you finally get to work on that book, will be the hardest part of the whole project, aside from direct marketing. Book descriptions, called book blurbs, are your main marketing point that will be contained on the book itself. It’s the summary. This is the piece that brings the reader past the cover–or not.

waste basket with crumpled paper, scrap pile — Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Book blurbs are the hardest part of writing a book. I cannot stress this enough. Writing one of these things will have you questioning your existence. My book series blurbs were even harder than normal, because I had to avoid writing spoilers, while also only writing about what was in each installment. Keep in mind, I wrote all three parts of the trilogy consecutively before I even began editing a word.

A blurb could come at the outset. You might see the stars align and write a great description that works after the rewrites and edits. My process is to write and rewrite the blurb as I go toward publication. I treat the blurb like I do script loglines. They need to be concise and compelling. This isn’t easy to do!

I found limiting what I wanted to say quite difficult when doing the blurbs for my series, but far easier for the historical fiction. My first blurb was for Blue Honor, and it was as overwritten as the first edition of the book it presented. Once I worked with a great editor and really got my practice on, I was able to form a far better description. However, writing a description for any of the Trailokya books still plagued me through the design of the final book.

Writing a series is hard enough. Writing a series about a multiverse rich in cultural detail is even harder. Then try to write their loglines and blurbs. Picture me facedown on the rug.

Most of the time, I procrastinated. I avoided trying to write any of the three blurbs during the publication process as much as I could, in fact. That said, the work had to be done if I was ever going to put them on the shelf for sale. You just have to bite the bullet.

The greatest tool I have found to help in this situation is leaning on a friend to critique it. You may have seen my friend Sterling Treadwell do the voices of Mikhael and The Demon in the table read of The Shadow Soul last year. Sterling has helped me on a number of occasions to whittle down and polish blurbs. He’s never been shy to speak his mind. That’s a valuable friend! You don’t want someone who will just say how amazing you are all the time. You want to the person who will look at you like you have six heads, pick out the wonky words, and gently mock the material that deserves it.

Why would you want someone to pick your blur apart? Because potential readers will either buy your book or put it back depending on the blurb. You can have a glitzy cover and an amazing story with an array of compelling characters, but the blurb could be a lead sinker. Someone like Sterling can help you lighten that blurb and make it shiny.

Just like a book can benefit from beta readers, so can a book blurb. If you have a team of friends, readers, and even family, let them hack up your blurb and encourage them to be fully honest. This is the thing that matters more than the cover or the material within. It is the main selling pitch. You’re going to use this in all copy and it’s going to also be a sample of what you have to offer.

Just like a logline can be the difference between selling the script or going back to the drawing table, the book blurb is the preview of you and your work. Not everyone is great at writing these. I’ve found being close to the work really does me a disservice. There are services available to help writers get these done, but be as discerning as Sterling when you’re working with someone to write your blurb. It does matter! Just because someone presents themselves as a professional blurb writer doesn’t mean they’re going to kill it with yours. You’ll have to shop them just like you do an editor: find the best fit for your genre and your style. Don’t just purchase the first set of shoes you spot.

When going it alone on book blurb writing, give it several drafts. The recommendation is to limit it to 150-200 words. Don’t be too brief, but don’t drag on. Write the initial draft, even if it’s a page long. Leave it to sit and come back to it once you’ve had time to let it percolate. Look for ideas you can combine and superfluous words.

Good practice for this is writing tweets! I’m not lying. You have 150 characters in which to get your point across. Draft a tweet around your book idea. Keep trying to make it fit in that space until it’s all contained within the limit. That’s how you learn to be concise. You start recognizing extra words compared to what is necessary.

It’s difficult when you’re close to the writing to decide what to omit. Things you’re excited about likely don’t matter to the blurb. But, tell yourself to drop all those details that make you so excited to return to the writing desk for that project. Reedsy has a great how to that outlines the simple format and purpose. There’s just not a lot of room or time, so save those fantastic moments for the interior.

No matter where you are in your career as a writer, you can always learn how to write a better description. Each description will be a different experience, requiring different tactics. Know your genre, know what readers are pulled in by the most, and know that those great details will unfold in your book as the reader goes on the journey. Patience is key. The blurb isn’t the time to attack the reader with everything. More experienced writers may or may not have that under control, but they do know what their limitations are and if they might be better off hiring someone to help or if they have a team of their own in place to help them hone this pitch.

My takeaway from blurb writing is that no matter how many I write, they will make me anxious and I need help from outside. I’m grateful to have a team there for me at that time. The description also unfolds over the course of the project. Having this drafted can help keep your project on track. Drafting several times can help you tighten and focus, as well as clean up the extra stuff. The anxiety is just knowing how important this small bit of writing is to your future goals. This is a great gauge of how seriously you’re taking the work.

Hop through the answers the other authors have given by clicking on their links below…

Let’s Start Right – Open Book Blog Hop #401

November 6, 2023 By Captain Maiel 3 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #401

What is the best opening paragraph you’ve written? (inspired by a
comment by Richard) Do you have a favorite one that is different?

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. Even more so, we appreciate that you share our writings with friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

“The veil, hiding what is beyond perceived reality, is the border of space and time,
called the khajala. It is this veil which keeps life blind to the reality of its universe,
until such a time the knowing takes hold…”
The Trailokya Trilogy, Book One: The Shadow Soul

The start of a book is some of the most difficult writing you’ll undertake. It’s not the hardest, in my estimation, but it is highly important and stressful. However you craft your opener will determine whether a reader will continue reading your work or set it back on the shelf. This small part is referred to as a hook for good reason.

The hook (or lack thereof) could easily make or break a sale as easily as a book blurb. Some readers may give you more time, but that is not the norm. With shortening attention spans, and high expectations for the entertainment they choose, the public will want a great opening paragraph (or line). Hooking them is a big undertaking in small space and all authors have to be able to do it.

Learning the important skill of the start is also an important part of screenwriting. It comes in a couple of forms: economical descriptions and the dreaded log line. Let’s start with the latter. Just like your book blurb, the log line provides the hook for would-be managers and producers (your script readers). Additionally, keep your descriptions concise and short is a great way to win them over.

Economical writing has become the vogue for novels and scripts. You want to cleverly write your story in the most concise and short way possible. Time is your currency in either kind of writing. The less you bog down the reader, the better. However, don’t think that means you should leave out just about everything. The idea is to make sure that what you do include is necessary and precise.

The start of a book is promise of the book blurb or a screenplays logline. It has to payout. If it doesn’t compel them to the next bit, it’s a wooden nickel! That line does a lot of heavy lifting for the entire book.

If you read the line I chose from The Shadow Soul, you’ll see that it supplies a litany of clues for the reader. You know right away that this is a fantasy, possibly science fiction in scope, and likely a bit dark. A reader can surmise that a whole lot of change is going to happen for the characters in these pages, and that the plot will more than likely take them to some pretty epic places. It insinuates the gravity of the pending adventure. There is a taste of a multiverse and the boundaries that keep those worlds apart, likely showing us that the characters are going to need to move past those boundaries.

Hopefully, this line does its job and is as compelling as I felt. What follows is a somewhat thick explanation of how that world was established and interacts with itself. Thick but not long. I recommend not getting bogged down in the formula, as it will unfold in the course of the adventure. Yet, I still felt it necessary to provide a primer. The reader can always return to those pages for review. If left out, then are reader would not have that option.

In many cases, that opener comes well-after the story is manifested on the page. Writing that opening paragraph or line is far easier to accomplish when you know where you’re headed. That harkens back to the way in which loglines and book blurbs come into existence. Think of them as teammates, and you can use them to help you build each of the other pieces. There’s more on log lines and blurb writing here.

Let’s hop on over to the other authors’ responses on this hop. Don’t forget to drop your email in the box on the top right so you can receive this blog hop in your inbox each Friday.

Unlimited Marketing – Open Book Blog Hop #286

August 16, 2021 By Captain Maiel

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #286
What do you wish you had an unlimited supply of?

To be perfectly honest, I wish that I had an unlimited supply of marketing–both know-how and outlets, in which the cost never meant sacrificing for months and pinching down the grocery bill. Marketing isn’t always about knowing how to market, but having access monetarily to the outlets that can get you before the readers. And, it costs a lot to do this. Most authors can’t afford it, and therefore they struggle to find their audience. With readers scattered across the glob engaging on multiple platforms, and having interests that run the gamut, you could theoretically reach them anywhere. However, they’re not congregated at the same time and place.

Good luck to the writer seeking readers who doesn’t have a strong budget, and isn’t a natural winner. I’m entirely serious. Without the “it-factor” and without a budget, you’ll struggle a great deal. Marketing isn’t getting easier either. Larger, well-padded, companies are paying big bucks for their content to reach social media users. You’re literally competing on these platforms for views with products that aren’t even in your niche. From Film to food, your book will have to push through the noise of advertisers, and quickly grab someone’s attention to get that coveted click. And their attention isn’t unlimited. You have only seconds!

Most potential readers on any given social media platform really aren’t interested. They’re there to decompress. How they hear about new books? Word of mouth from other readers in their reading groups. How do the taste-makers and influencers hear about new books? From the big publishing house release rolls. Most likely you’re not on those. And mid level writers aren’t there either, even if they are published by a big name publisher. They promote only the top tier.

Some authors are lucky enough to rise up to the USA Today bestseller list. That’s another arena in which authors are often found. However, without sales and readers already in your pocket, you won’t get here either. I feel your frustration!

Thus, marketing is a losing strategy from the get-go. In most cases, you’re trying something others have done before you. Just because it worked for one author or even three of them, it doesn’t mean it will work for you, too. That’s why having unlimited funds and know-how, as well as outlets is imperative to the success of a writer’s career. It’s no longer about just writing a great novel. You’ll need tools beyond the scope of the creatives niche: marketing skills and likability, not just examples of other’s success.

So you might say, what about those sites that promise to put your work in front of thousands of readers? Using those book promotion sites can be helpful, but they’re costly. Most of the folks following them are other writers (who can be readers) that have no time for your book. Readers, also, don’t like to be hammered with a lot of email or advertisements. When they look for a new book, they browse a shelf (virtually or real). In my experience, banging on their door and throwing your book in their face is highly ineffective. They ignore almost all such pitches.

Let’s try something else: printing cards to have the local bookstores include in bags is a great promotional tool. It’s a small reach, yes, but gets a good base started in an appropriate space. Keep in mind: they must be of high quality! Do you know what to write on them to get a reader’s attention? You’ll need to print a lot and go to physical book spaces to drop them off. You may not always be welcome, but you must always be gracious. Understand that you’re not the only author attempting to market your book, and the sheer number of those trying these avenues may be overwhelming to staff at stores and libraries. Not to mention that some authors are just not good at socializing and may have burned the bridge before you got there. You may have to rebuild it!

Let me get you started with factors that can help you build that positive relationship with readers and staff at stores and libraries.

Just because it worked for one author or even three of them,
it doesn’t mean it will work for you, too.

Promotional items are another reason your cover matters. They’re going to see the cover of that book and if it catches their eye, they’ll look for the genre (if the cover hasn’t given it away), and then read the blurb. If your blurb isn’t up to par, it’s going to speak volumes about what the reader can expect from you.

Think of the book blurb as your sales pitch. Logline writing is a great thing to practice, not just for scripts movies. You’ll need that to drew them in. Then a short paragraph pitch about your book to hook them. It takes a lot of skill to write these, and it is an art of its own. That’s the know-how of marketing.

I honestly recommend a course in writing loglines, as well as marketing courses, for all writers. It’s not a waste of your time if you intend to sell your work. Each logline will be a unique struggle. Hopefully, with practice, you start to get to know what works, what is mediocre, and what flat out fails. It’s better to start with mediocre than to screw up with a fail. Regardless, polishing that logline is a struggle we all endure and must if we intend to make a career of writing. Did I mention unlimited patience is a great resource to have, too?

Book blurbs remain one of the biggest struggles for me in the field. How do you boil your work down to a couple epic paragraphs that will make a lot of people stop and say–I want to know more? When you’re so involved in the writing of your book, you get overwhelmed by the details. There’s a lot to tell about! But, on the blurb (back of the book or promotional postcard), you’re going to want to speak to just the basic level of the story and make a reader care.

Knowing how to write a blurb and logline, having outlets on which to promote, and the funds to do so would be for anyone who has done their due diligence to learn their craft a great service. If I could have that in endless supply, I’d be all set. The rest, I don’t mind struggling through. The pangs of writing are why I write. I don’t write to become a book marketer, and it is a tragedy that our system has evolved to force this on creatives such as authors.

Hop through the links below to find out what the other authors would love to have an unlimited supply of!

Writersbane – Open Book Blog Hop #186

August 12, 2019 By Captain Maiel

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #186
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Welcome back to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop! If you’re new to the series, the authors included are grateful for your reads and appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Be prepared to become a regular reader.

Every part of the process is fraught with its own difficulties. I’ve written before about many of the aspects, and the struggles to be found in each. There are, however, a couple more details that I can speak to, as far as difficulties.

First, there is the writersbane known as the book blurb. It is certainly not as bad as crafting loglines, but it is close, because it is a major step on the way to that summation. Taking your work down to a paragraph, after spending months or, more likely years, is no easy task. Those who are good at it are privileged. If you think you are good at it, then you probably aren’t. That’s one of worst parts about blurb writing (or writing on the whole). Self-doubt is what drives us toward our best writing.

Summarizing each of my books into a pair of short paragraphs has been a struggle every time I embark on the task. When I wrote the blurb for the last in the trilogy, all of the inhibitions released and I satisfied the work with a couple of concise lines. The strange thing was that I didn’t feel anything more need be said. If I did write more, then I risked giving up a lot of information. So there the lines stood.

During my graduate studies in screenwriting, I practiced log-line writing. Of course, writing screenplays helps you to learn crafting on a budget, so to speak. It was great practice for blurb writing.

There is always hiring out, too. If you can swing that in the budget.

Second on my list of difficulties is blogging. Keeping up with the weekly entries is a struggle. This is less often about writing and more about topics on which to write or vlog. The other day, in fact, I mapped out my plan for the Zo Duck series for the next year. That was easy as pie, because it is something I meant to work more on, but also have had a long time on which to think.

I’m grateful to my colleagues on this hop, who I work with to brainstorm topics to keep us going. It has allowed me to reduce the heavy lift to something far more manageable. This is, of course, when there is no book in the queue. The lift in those times becomes quite a feat.

Even when there are topics to write on, there are often times I sit with my fingers on the keyboard and no clue how to begin. The best remedy is to just start a ramble and try to make it go somewhere worthwhile. A lot of great books started out that way, right? if you don’t think so, you’d be wrong. Sometimes dumping all the gunk in your brain onto the page helps clear the path for the story that’s trying to find its way out of you. That doesn’t negate the difficulty to be found. You might get the entire thing written and off to the editor before you remedy the gunk problem.

When I first published Blue Honor, it had a major gunk problem, but I also had a major lack of capital with which to hire a good editor. Putting the book out in the best possible shape I could manage alone was a stepping stone to raising money to complete the project, and other projects, along with carving the real book out of the chunk of gunk in which it was trapped. Thankfully, I got through that period and the book has been freed.

That’s a risky proposition to undertake. There are those who do not empathize with your journey and will be cruel. There are those who mean well but cannot really help you. And, then, there are those who can help you, but you might not be able to reach, either because of a lack of compensation or bad timing.

Essentially, the writersbane I have found is the gunk. Whether it is trying to hone a great, concise book blurb or writing blogs that will connect with readers and not bog them down in unfocused ramblings.

To find out what the other authors struggle with during their artistic processes, click on one of the links below…