Ready – Set – Go!

Squeeze 80k words into one line!

What??? 

I generally find that writing my book’s tagline and blurb is far more difficult than writing the book itself. How does one squeeze 80,000 words into a measly 30 seconds or into two paragraphs? Even a short story’s pitch often has me stumped, and usually that only means summarizing about 5,000 words or less.

But… it has to be done and it has to be good.

That quick little descriptive summary is the magnet that draws the reader into your story. They make the reader/potential purchaser nod their head and say “Hmm, yeah. That sounds good. I need to read that.”

In this case, self-publishing Lady, Will You Hear Me?, I needed to have the tagline and blurb ready to go before I uploaded the manuscript. These are the descriptions that appear on the book’s page at Draft2Digital, the universal link page on D2D’s counterpart Books2Read, and at each of the sales outlets.

Just what are taglines and blurbs and what are they for?

A tagline is a one or two-line pitch for your story to catch a reader’s attention. You might also need one for a query letter to an agent or a publisher. Sometimes they’re called elevator pitches. Imagine that you step into an elevator with someone for a short ride. They ask about your book. You repeat the tagline, clearly and succinctly describing your story in thirty seconds, and thereby convince the person to buy (represent/publish) your book, before they reach their floor and step off the elevator.

Of course, that will probably never happen. But, still, your tagline has to be brief and persuasive, giving life to your story in a quick minute. It has to be original and it has to be memorable.

So how do you write a tagline/elevator pitch that sells your book?

First of all, decide what about your book is unique and compelling. Isolate the key point that makes your story special. More than likely you’ll have to peel away almost everything you’ve worked so hard on to write the book. Forget about the amazing settings, the great characters, and the genius plot twists. The tagline doesn’t summarize or tell the plot. It gives a short, basic idea of what the book is about. It’s sole purpose is to make your companion in the elevator say, “Sounds interesting. Tell me more.”

Remember this isn’t about retelling the story, it’s about selling the book.

This is the tagline I wrote for my book:

“Lady, Will You Hear Me? is a ghost story, a memoir, and a historical mystery; a search for proof of a ghost's existence and his experiences during his life.”

That’s it. It seems to be working. I’ve had a lot of people say “Sounds interesting” and asking for more info or how to buy it.

A blurb has the same purpose as the tagline, to grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read the book. However, the format is very different. Blurbs typically appear on the back cover of a printed book or as the story description for an online bookstore. They are significantly longer than a tagline, often containing two or more paragraphs. A strong and interesting blurb is one of a book’s most powerful and important sales tools.

Essentially, the blurb is a short promotional sales pitch. It should highlight the major points of the story without straying into side plots. The blurb must be creative and elicit enough curiosity to make the reader buy your book. Generally, a blurb should be between 100 and 200 words, but this is not a hard rule. A little longer or shorter will work too, depending on the subject and nature of your book.

The opening line or two of your blurb is perhaps the most important. It will give your reader her first impression of your story, the hook that should immediately grab the reader’s attention with a unique perspective of your book. Make it clever, witty, or surprising – whatever will work to pull the reader in.

The tone of your blurb is critical, and should match the tone of your book. The blurb should also align with the genre of the story. If your blurb conveys one style or tone, and the reader encounters a different one in the story, there could be a disconnect when she begins to read. Write with your own voice for the most effective result. You can also add in a line about your own experience related to the topic and premise of your story. Let the reader understand you know what you’re taking about.

Your blurb can describe the main characters, primarily the protagonist and antagonist, and can include a glimpse of the conflict that impacts them and drives the story without giving away too much information. Certainly not the ending!

Lastly, treat your blurb like your story. You want it to look and sound as professionally written as your book. Edit it, have another person or two or three read and critique it, then edit some more. Always review for grammar, spelling, and typos. Cut unnecessary words to keep it short and sweet, and promote the greatest impact on the reader. Edit it again until it’s as perfect as you can make it. Then read it out loud. Would it make you want to buy this book? By now your answer should be a resounding yes, or it needs more work.

This is the full blurb on the back cover of my book:

“Lady, Will You Hear Me? is a ghost story, a memoir, and a historical mystery; a search for proof of a ghost's existence and his experiences during his life.

“A practicing psychic medium, the author received a pleading message for help from the ghost. Seventeen-year-old Joe Tripp enlisted as a Union Army soldier during the Civil War. His tale was one of horrific experiences, trauma, and death on the battlefields of Virginia. After returning home, he suffered nightmares and "soldier's heart," the term for PTSD during the Civil War, to the point he decided taking his own life was preferable to the hell he endured every waking minute. At the very last moment, he had a change of heart, but too late, and his death became an agonizing accident. Since he left no note of his plan or destination that day, there was no one who would know where to look for him. His remains lay where he fell for years, until discovered by a police detective. By then, there was only an unidentified skeleton to be buried in an unmarked grave.

“Lady, Will You Hear Me? follows the authors efforts to research and prove that the ghost of Joe Tripp existed as a living person, with the hope he could heal and find peace. In his words - Will you make sure they all know? I want to be sure that they finally know what happened. Lady, will you tell my story?”

Does it make you want to read my book?

What’s Next? Style and grace and format!