When I turned The Name and the Key to my publisher and editor, I was given two forms in return–a cover design request form, and a blurb form. I completed both rather quickly, partly because I’d already had my own copy of the cover form, and I’d done my research ages ago. I happily turned everything in same day!

However, I’m having second thoughts about the blurb I wrote.

Before I dive into it, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. There are two types of blurbs–the one I’m referring to is the back cover copy used to describe and promote your book to potential readers. The other kind of blurb is a little endorsement of your novel, which can come from editorial reviews, fellow writers, etc. (Those are extraordinarily hard to get, in my experience). Those blurbs appear on either the front or the back cover of a book, used to further entice readers to pick up your novel.

Here’s the back cover copy I wrote for Oliver Heber Books:

At thirteen, Lily Bellamy discovers her mother’s body in the marshes, and is haunted by what she thinks is her mother’s ghost. The corpselike spirit follows Lily through all reflective surfaces: mirrors, glass, and still water, and begs Lily to “open the door” and let her out. Lily has no idea how to stop these visions or to save her mother, and it plagues her into young adulthood, slowly inching her towards her breaking point.

Andresh Zatavier–Lily’s childhood friend and perhaps something more–returns to the Bellamys when Lily is eighteen. Andresh confesses a study of dark magic during his time overseas, and of powers beyond human limits, including the power to end death. He claims to know the key to breaking Lily’s curse, but his own secrets may destroy them both.

As I retyped this above, I realized that this isn’t exactly terrible. But in our private group, a Blurb Checklist was shared for OHB authors to use to construct better blurbs. I did not have this when I wrote my original, which was written by the seat of my pants.

I’ve decided to give the blurb another go. In addition to the OHB checklist (sorry, that one’s just for us), I thought I’d do some more research on composing successful back cover copy.

This article, “How To Write a Great YA Fantasy or Sci Fi Book Blurb” by Kristen Pham, is helpful because it includes blurbs from several different authors and gives hints as to what to do. The blurb that caught my eye the most was for Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, which I have read, and really enjoyed. Let’s take a look at the hint and the blurb:

Tip #1: Echo the tone of your book in your blurb so readers get a sense of how you write. Example: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor (Blurb: 170 words)

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages–not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers–beautiful, haunted Akiva–fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

i think this comes across as a bit more cinematic (and lush!) than what I’ve written, and there’s definitely a strong sense of urgency. There’s also a clear suggestion that romance is part of this story–I think this book was romantasy before romantasy became a thing. Daughter of Smoke and Bone isn’t an exactly lighthearted story, either. I think this blurb fits the tone of what I want to do in my own blurb, so I should use it as a model.

But just in case, I’m going to look at another blurb of a book I enjoyed that’s tone-adjacent to mine — from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (blurb is 157 words long):

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, and Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Wow, this blurb is pretty urgent-sounding, too! I don’t remember things in the book going exactly like how the blurb describes it, but I also suck at remember details in books, even books that I love. What’s missing from this blurb is the hinting of the romantic relationship Elisabeth and Nathaniel will share. We get “as her alliance […] grows stronger” as the closest thing to a clue. It mentions Nathaniel as her “sworn enemy” so it’s possible the blurb could be rewritten to hint at enemies-to-lovers…but that might distract readers from the overall adventure and darkness to this story. I’m curious as to why the blurb was written this way, but I feel like overall, it’s very effective.

I’m going to hold off on sharing my blurb rewrites publicly until my publisher and editor agree on the right one to use; then I’ll post the formally approved version here, and likely with a cover reveal. In other words…it’s going to be a bit.

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Readers, does the back cover copy (story blurb) help you decide whether or not you will read a book?