Blurbs
Can a blurb by a famous author help sell your book? I believe it can- do you? Have you ever picked up a book and your favorite author says ‘it’s a great book’ do you buy it? I think that blurbs help widen you fan base. If a reader picks up your book and sees so and so enjoyed it, I think that you have a better chance of selling more books. Writer’s Digest- March 2005 issue has a great article- to be successful at blurb searching. It’s a must read article.
I have already set up myself to receive blurbs from three well-known authors. These great people were friends first and then I asked for a blurb. Even though I don’t have an agent yet, I figured it was nice to have them ready when I need them. I also want to touch on fan base, which I have had in mind from the beginning. I write my series with fans in mind and as a reader, I love to see the mc in danger. So, I have kept my mc in danger through out the novel and I have had readers comment about how my mc doesn’t get any rest.
Do you write for potential fans?
Who is your dream blurb from? Mine is Laurell K. Hamilton.
posted by LA Burton @ 4:05 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
I've often picked up books because they had blurbs from authors I enjoy, and it's a tactic that's yet to fail me! I suppose the logic (for me) is that, if Writer X enjoyed it, and I enjoy Writer X, I will like it.
On the subject of fan-bases: I like to think I write firstly for my own pleasure, because I love my characters and want to see them brought to life. But I know I love having someone tell me they liked a story I wrote, or that they loved such-and-such a character that I created. So it's about 60 - 40 for me between my pleasure and someone else's. But first and foremost, I try to write something I'd love reading myself. After all, you can't please all the people all the time.
Do you find that what you like most of your readers enjoy? I totally agree with you can't please everyone. That was something that I had to learn because I took every suggestion and it changed my series and not for the better all the time.
I take whatever blurb is written on the jacket with the same suspicion with which I'd give an IRS agent that said, "I'm just here to help." As much as I'd like to believe that all blurbs are written by authors that actually read the book…I know, sadly, this isn't always the case. (Whose got that kind of time?)
Congrats on having blurbers already lined up. Lucky!
Normally, I write what I would like to read, and since I'm not that different from other people, there should be a fan base out there for my stories. But, I'm not above changing a story if there is money involved!
Last but not least, my ultimate blurb would come from Harper Lee and/or Elmore Leonard.
Wait…add Christopher Moore, Harley Jane Kozak, JA Konrath, and Jim Butcher to the list. I'm such a suck up! I'm disgusted with myself...really I am. ;-)
I've found the only thing I tend to disagree with my readers on is pacing - I like to build up tension before unleashing any doom, but my writers' group think I need more doom early on! I'm sure there's a happy medium.
At the end of the day, I think you have an instinct for what will work best for your characters and series, so you learn which pieces of advice to take and which to ignore.
I like doom and gloom at every turn I think that it makes my mc work just to live. I think that it would me important to just start putting a bug in a persons ear that you would like to blurb your book. Make a list because when your publishing career starts I think that it's better to have some of this stuff in mind.
My dream blurb would be from John Milton. Pity he's been dead since 1674...
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