Most readers decide in under a minute. They see the cover, they read the blurb, and then they either click Buy or move on. The blurb is not a summary of your book. It is a sales pitch of 150 to 200 words, and its only job is to make the right reader want chapter one.
A blurb that retells the whole plot kills curiosity. A blurb that sets up a situation, a character with something to lose, and a choice that cannot be avoided creates it. Readers buy books to find out what happens next. If your blurb already told them, there is nothing left to buy.
1. The hook (one or two lines). Who is the main character, and what is unusual about their situation? Start with the person, not the worldbuilding.
2. The stakes (two or three lines). What does the character want, what stands in the way, and what happens if they fail? Make the cost concrete, not vague.
3. The promise (one line). End on a question or a threat, never on a resolution. Leave the reader mid-step, not at the finish line.
Then stop. If your blurb is running past 200 words, you are almost certainly summarising instead of selling.
Starting with backstory. Nobody needs the history of your world in paragraph one. Start where the trouble starts.
Listing every character. One main character and one opponent are enough. A cast list reads like homework.
Using praise instead of proof. "A thrilling, unputdownable masterpiece" tells the reader nothing. A sharp situation does the selling.
Spoiling the twist. If the blurb gives away the ending, the book has no surprise left to deliver.
Writing for everyone. A blurb that could describe ten books will sell none of them. Name the genre signals: the setting, the conflict, the tone.
Read the blurb aloud to someone who has not read the book, then ask two questions: who is this book for, and what would you expect to happen in chapter one? If they cannot answer both, rewrite. Then test the blurb against your cover and your first chapter: all three should promise the same book.
Wecrafte writes book descriptions as part of its publishing service, along with cover design and formatting in ebook, paperback and hardcover. See wecrafte.com or write to info@wecrafte.com.
