blurb comments, please?

[gmw]

Side Note: I see my "one technique" is something you're already using on another of your blurbs - which I had read, but ... there must be some excuse I can use that doesn't sound like senility.

If possible I would try for a blurb that doesn't identify the individual stories at all - even if you are using an excerpt from one of them. Your final paragraph could simply "Five modern fairy tales, timed just right for bedtime reading, are gems that will delight the entire family." is enough if you can capture the readers attention in a brief text above it. The blurb isn't a summary, it's an appeal/attention-getter.

[gmw]

Adding to what I said above, I was thinking along these lines:

<some catchy dialogue or action from one story>

Brave princesses, grumpy dragons, princes wanting to be kings, and children seeking answers to age old questions. These five modern fairly tales are timed just right for bedtime reading. Each a gem that will delight the entire family."

[BeccaPrice]

Should the catchy dialog be from the first story, or can it be from any one?

how about this:

*************

“I am three thousand, four hundred and ten years old.” said the Dragon. “And for every single night of every single year of those three thousand four hundred and ten years, I sleep on my treasure. It’s how dragons sleep. It’s how dragons have always slept.” .” And he closed his eyes with a snap.

Then he opened one eye cautiously.

“What’s a bed?”

Brave princesses, grumpy dragons, princes wanting to be kings, and children seeking answers to age old questions. These five modern fairly tales are timed just right for bedtime reading. Each a gem that will delight the entire family."

****************

hey, actually, I'm liking this better and better!

[James_Wilde]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

The thing is, none of these blurbs capture the *feel* of the stories, and I don't know how to do that.

Oh, I don't know.

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

What I meant by "timed just right" is that they're a good length for a bedtime story, so that they take about 1/2 hour each to read aloud. That was from one of my beta testers (hi, ApK!) who said that the timing on them was good. but I will take it out.

No, don't take it out. This might be a language thing, US vs UK english. Timed for me means being at the right time, not being the right length. I'd say something like 'just the right length for a bedtime story'.

[James_Wilde]

Originally Posted by gmw

WARNING: One problem I've had is getting the blurb formatted correctly with resellers. Amazon seems to get it right (but I've never tried to send italics, just paragraphs). Most of the other resellers continue to have merged my three paragraphs into one, and some are obviously getting the encoding wrong. Had there been dialogue or special characters beyond hyphens it would look truly awful.

I have to agree. The only way I can get the right effect is to create a pdf and use that.

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by James_Wilde

No, don't take it out. This might be a language thing, US vs UK english. Timed for me means being at the right time, not being the right length. I'd say something like 'just the right length for a bedtime story'.

excellent point; change made.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

Should the catchy dialog be from the first story, or can it be from any one?

how about this: [...]

I like it. I was just starting to think it was a little long and not catchy ... and then the zing. I think it works.

I don't think it matters which story the excerpt comes from, the point is to try and catch the readers attention, and if possible display the mood/style of your story telling. Your sample appears to do that.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by James_Wilde

I have to agree. The only way I can get the right effect is to create a pdf and use that.

I'm not sure I understand. I was speaking about how the blurb appears on book sellers' websites - I am not aware of any way to give that blurb to them by pdf. This is one of those questions I've been putting off researching until I'm ready to try and publish my next book (which I've also been putting off).

[James_Wilde]

Sorry, gmw, I misunderstood. Didn't read closely enough probably.

[Dr. Drib]

"More blurb, advice" has now been merged with the earlier thread on blurb advice.

Please do not create new threads on the same issue.



Don
(Moderator)

[Dr. Drib]

"Dragons and Dreams Blurb Advice" has now been merged with the original thread asking for blurb advice.

Please do not create additional threads on blurb advice.


Don
(Moderator)

[Dr. Drib]

An earlier "Blurbs comments, please" has now been merged with a later thread with a similar title, "blurb advice, please."

Please do not create more threads on blurb advice.

Thank you for your understanding.



Don
(Moderator)

[BeccaPrice]

New blurb, this one for my gargoyle story, Heart of Rock. It's three very short (about 1,000 words each) stories.

One amulet. Two kingdoms in crisis. Two heroes. Which one will prevail?

I don't really like it very well, but it's all I can think of - comments?

[gmw]

If you were looking for text for the front cover of the print edition then something like that might work ... but for the main blurb? No, I don't like it much. ... But, always the fence sitter, I could also argue that proportionate to the story length maybe it's just right.

Sorry, none of that's very helpful. I hate writing blurbs. You can pay for editors, for graphic artists, book formatters, typists, even ghost writers, but who can you pay to do your book blurb?

[BeccaPrice]

well, in about 6 weeks, you could pay me to write blurbs for you... I'm taking the DWS class in writing blurbs. I'm pretty happy with the Dragons and Dreams blurb, and moderately happy with the one for Bridge of Seven Stones. I think the reason I can't write a good blurb for Heart of Rock yet is that, while I basically know the ending, it hasn't jelled yet. I was hoping writing a blurb for it might help with that, but it hasn't.