Here are ten habits which will make writing easier and help you to write a successful book. If they give you 5,000 characters, try to avoid using them all. Last week, i blogged about why i wrote and selfpublished my book write the crap out of it. Nov 08, 2020 a book blurb also called a backcover blurb or a book description is a short description of the book s main character and conflict, usually between 100 and 200 words, that traditionally is included on the inside cover or on the back of a book. The novel takes place in japan, where the kano familyteppei, maseo, and their young daughtermove into an extremely affordable apartment that. Either fortunately or unfortunately, theres no single correct way. The more key information you can provide about your work, the better the blurb will be. An effective blurb is about more than just recounting a book s contents. The graveyard book neil gaimon 3 rattle his bones over the stones its only a pauper.
The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. The book also covered information that will be practical to authors that seek traditional and well as selfpublishing. He has a sharp knife and he uses it to kill the mother, the father, and the older sister who live there. Early rate through december 4 my fifth book is going through final edits as i t. Although william shakespeare did not write actual books, he wrote 38 plays during his career as a playwright.
If you have a story youre itching to tell but dont feel confident in your writing, check out this guide to improving your writing. His earliest written plays included although william shakespeare did not write actual books, he wrote 38 plays during his career a. Get a professionally written book blurb that will sell. How he has managed to combine fascinating, friendly, frightening and fearsome in one fantasy, ill never. Neil gaiman, in the graveyard book, experimented with both styles of writing, and has divided the story into eight chapters, giving it a shortstory approach, and also maintained the style of a novel, by saving the mystery till the end. This is the only book to have won both newbery and carnegie medals. Youve made what youve made, dreamed your dream, written your name. The graveyard book is a young adult fantasy novel by the english author neil gaiman. In ebook and selfpublishing, a book blurb is whats used on the main online sales page. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. The dustjacket blurb it takes a graveyard to raise a child, says it well. The authors that do are usually the successful ones. How to write a book blurb by far, the weakest part of many selfpublished books is the synopsis found on amazon and elsewhere. Any submissions found to contain plagiarism will be disqualified.
Each day, start to begin writing a book, first create an outline that clearly lays out the beginning. In order to write the best blurb possible heres what i need from you. The blurb should be in the same style as the rest of the book, for example. Oct 25, 2008 t he graveyard book begins, as so many childrens novels seem to do these days, with a multiple murder. The book traces his growth as it depicts snippets of his life as a toddler, a child, and a teenager.
One of the things short story writers dread is writing a blurb for a collection. Keep in mind these ten key questions when crafting your blurb, and youll be well on the way to writing stellar copy that will have your readers hooked on your book before theyve even opened the cover. How to write an irresistible book cover blurb read blog. Movies do this incredibly well in their trailers and descriptions, so it may be an idea to look at some popular movies and see how they do it. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your book and convert readers. Aug 27, 2016 there is just a big difference between writing a book and writing an effective blurb. To order presentationready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit. Being able to write a good blurb for your book is an important skill to have, whether its for your website, a query to an editor or agent, or for your selfpublishing book. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust jacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Blurb creation for poetry, graphic novels, or other works is not currently offered. Echo the tone of your book in your blurb so readers get a sense of how you write. When a teacher or anyone else asks you to write a book summary, he or she is requesting that you read a book and write a short account that explains the main plot points, characters and any other important information in your own words.
How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Ten things you need to know about writing your book blurb. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. Jan 14, 2019 the howto of writing the perfect blurb for your book or novel is a cocktail of creating suspense while revealing the main characters or conflict. For example, if youve written a nonfiction selfhelp book and the back blurb reads more like a thriller novel, thats going to leave readers more confused than engaged. This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. Jul 17, 2019 if youre writing a storybased book, see if there is anything you can borrow from the back cover of fiction works with stories similar to yours. Summary of the graveyard book with literary analysis penlighten. A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an abandoned graveyard, where he is reared and protected by its spirit denizens. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. Nobody owens, known to his friends as bod, is a normal boy. The graveyard book traces the story of the boy nobody bod owens who is adopted and raised by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered. Next write about the situation or hitch that makes change inevitable.
Gothic elements in the graveyard book by neil gaiman. A chilly breeze blew across the graveyard, scattering the fog in the lower slopes of the place for the graveyard covered the whole of the top of the hill, and its paths wound up the hill and down and back upon themselves. Have students use storyboards to identify the gothic elements in the book. The graveyard book neil gaimon 3 rattle his bones over the stones its only a pauper who nobody owns traditional nursery rhyme the graveyard book.
But in reality, its a dark book exploring themes of death and good vs. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb. Plus, you can view the book blurbs for my own books elsewhere on this website. We know the marketing techniques that go into writing exceptional sales copy to sell your work. The graveyard book by neil gaiman the shameful narcissist. The graveyard book s setting, characters, and tone borrow from the conventions of gothic literature. How to write a great ya fantasy or scifi book blurb. The graveyard book by neil gaiman, illustrations by dave. This penlighten article takes a closer look to analyze this book. The graveyard book seems like a whimsical jaunt at first, what with neil gaimans name attached and that shiny newbery medal on the cover. Early rate through december 4 at least a few times a week i receive messages from people asking me how to write a book. The graveyard book neil gaiman with illustrations by dave mckean page 3 of 140. The graveyard book traces the story of the boy nobody bod owens who is adopted and raised by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally. If youre wondering how to do that and where to start, it involves penning multiple drafts, lots of cutting, losing your sanity, and planning your blurb with the help of these steps.
And, if you can say it faster, with more impact, do so. To set yourself apart is good, to be too different from the rest is not. Oct 28, 2009 the grand old dame of british fantasy writing for children, diana wynne jones, author of the chronicles of chrestomanci, among many others, writes of the graveyard book, this is, quite frankly, the best book neil gaiman has ever written. Students can make reference to the list below to choose and depict 35 gothic characteristics present in the novel. Authors working with the storychapter would do well to think of it like a book series. In this post we tell you how to write a book blurb for your short story collection. Its easier to write a 90k word novel than a blurb of 100 words. Content to allow gaimans writing to create the characters, mckean gives us a world of comfortable, haunted ruins. For example, if youre writing a book about a great athlete, you might want to look at the blurbs for fictional sports performance stories. The graveyard book is a young adult fantasy novel by the english author neil gaiman, simultaneously published in britain and america in 2008. Whether its your first or twentieth book, enticing a reader to buy your book relies on an eyecatching cover image as well as an intriguing blurb. Worse than the cover, worse than the writing in the book itself, there are a lot of blurbs on amazon that are pretty near atrocious. Movies do this incredibly well in their trailers and descriptions, so it may be an idea to. Thanks to my copywriting experience, i aim to make blurb creation as painless as possible.
How to write a back cover blurb for nonfiction pages. The graveyard book by neil gaimanneil gaimans tales from the crypt are a deathly delight. Buy more and save more with our book blurb writing volume discount that is designed to save you money. The graveyard book by neil gaiman books the guardian.
The graveyard book summary a man named jack enters a home in the night. How to write a book blurb for your short story collection. The graveyard book traces the story of the boy nobody bod owens who is adopted and reared by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered. If you think you have a book inside you, this is what you need to know. If you can change the world, the world will change. The lady on the grey appears in the book in the first chapter. A terrifying tale of a young family who move into an apartment building next to a graveyard and the horrors that are unleashed upon them. It spans most of bods childhood and ends when he is old enough to start out on his own. Summary of the graveyard book with literary analysis. When a reader first comes across your book online, two factors will determine if they pay any attention to it the cover and the book description. The writing style though easy enough for children, is very descriptive and. Over the years, ive written hundreds of books, mostly for clients. The graveyard book, neil gaiman the graveyard book is a childrens fantasy novel by the english author neil gaiman, simultaneously published in britain and america during 2008. The submitted blurbs will be judged by our team of query letter writers based on how effectively they hook readers, taking into account the writing style and the overall impression.
Jan 10, 2020 a book blurb, or the book jacket description, summarizes the best part of your book in only 150 words yep. The graveyard book, published in 2008, is a work of neil gaimans that instantly appeals to readers of the macabre and strange. The graveyard apartment, by mariko koike was first written in 1986, and later translated into english. A mysterious character known only as the man jack sneaks into a family home and kills mum. Contents contents epigraph 1 how nobody came to the graveyard 2 the new friend 3 the hounds of god 4. Bod makes mistakes, learns from them, and grows up to be a wise and brave young man. Writing your back cover blurb dorrance publishing company. Oct 18, 2018 writing a nonfiction book blurb isnt as difficult as some people make it out to be, but to write one that will sell your book, you must follow a proven system. What writers can learn from the graveyard book by neil gaiman. Each book in a series has its own plot arc, however, readers. How to write a catchy backcover blurb that sells 2021. I appreciated the helpful tips that covered both fictional and nonfiction writing. Rattle his bones over the stones its only a pauper who nobody owns traditional nursery rhyme. Simple tips for formatting book blurb on kdp dashboard for.
The graveyard book may have a macabre premise, but gaimans quaint and lovable. Capturing the essence of your novel in a few short paragraphs is always going to be a challenge. One of the joys of reading gaiman is how he subverts our. One or two pages of information about your book is perfect. Unfortunately, while most authors will hire a professional to create their cover, very few hire a professional to write their book description.
It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. You may be inspired to turn your blurb into a novel of your own one day. The graveyard book is the story of a boy growing into a man. When he sat down to write, however, gaiman decided he was not yet a good enough writer and came to. The graveyard book neil gaimon 2 the graveyard book neil gaiman with illustrations by dave mckean page 3 of 140. The plot is fairly simple, the writing is good and set firmly at a middle grade level and the book explores a variety of themes you normally see in a scary story, but often with a bit of a takeaway children can use as teachings in their own life especially the idea that being given everything you want often comes with a catch think hansel. It won the carnegie medal this year for childrens fiction, and this novel deserved to win. The plot is fairly simple, the writing is good and set firmly at a middle grade level and the book explores a variety of themes you normally see in a scary story, but often with a bit of a takeaway children can use as teachings in their own life especially the idea that being given everything you want often comes with a catch think hansel and gretel. Once the book is live, check that the blurb looks fine on the ebook sales page. Jan 30, 2021 per the blurb, this is a retellingfanfiction of rudyard kiplings the jungle book, but without the blatantly racist aspects of the original work.
A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an. Authors frequently create ones for each other, trading quotes that can be used on book jackets and in promotional materials. Gain wifes approval and copy and paste blurb into the ebook details page on amazon. This week, im going to tell you how i wrote the blurb for the book. In using the graveyard as a paranormal standin for mowglis jungle, gaimans novel serves as a perfect parallel to the return to your own world narrative, and could in fact surpass kiplings motif to the same. You can see a sample of a few of my book blurbs further below.
How to write a book blurb in 4 steps the opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic, says editor rebecca heyman for a lot of firsttime authors, i think theres an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the book s universe before the beginning of the actual story. To begin writing a book, first create an outline that clearly lays out the beginning, middle and end, including chapter breaks if possible. The graveyard book by neil gaiman, first edition abebooks. Beth bacon, an awardwinning author and marketer, suggests this formula for writing a fiction book blurb. The selfpublishing boom in 2010 influenced her decision to focus on editing, blurb work, and her own creative writing.
This years newbery medalwinner is about a boy who is raised by ghosts in a cemetery. Are you an advisor whos thought about writing a book. Fiction book blurbs and nonfiction book blurbs congratulations. If youre an entrepreneur who has been through the ringer in life or business and willing to share, selfpublishing can be powerful. People are like sea glass, the longer and harder they are tossed around, the more beautiful they are. He kicks off his book with the brutal murders of a childs entire family, written in a chilling tone it takes a graveyard to. Copy and paste the same blurb into the print book details page on amazon. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the. Romance, including erotic romance and erotica any heat level, is welcome. My 4step process for writing a nonfiction book blurb that. One of the most popular writers working in japan today, mariko koike is a recognized master of detective fiction and horror writing. A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, the tale of nobody owens is told in magical, haunting prose. To each genre their own, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to writing book.
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