I ‘attended’ my first webinar…
So, you have completed your novel. You clutch the manuscript (MS) to your bosom like a child, time to release it into the world, set it free..
…but hang on there! Hold your horses! What about that blurb on the back, you know, those 200 or so words that are going to help sell your new baby? Did you know that the book blurb, or back cover text, is what will hook the reader into buying your precious thing? Were you aware that novels can rise or fall on the strength of this blurb?
I self published two small books a long while ago. A children’s story about pirates and later, a collection of stories on the theme of witches and witchcraft – I know, continuity eh? So I completed them, fumbled about to write the back blurb and released them into the wild….result? Nothing, nada, zero, zilch. Oh, one or two copies, but nothing to write home about.
I have trawled through various sites that go into horrendous detail, or give little away about how you actually write this irksome, dread-inducing, frankly pain-in-the-arse text.Then I found, via other blogs, leading to Twitter and more sites, a woman who is prepared to give her experience to those of us who don’t have a clue.
Glenna Mageau has an excellent way to pass on her advice based on years of experience writing books, and blurbs. https://twitter.com/GlennaMageau
I initially read her blog, then watched her short course on writing a simple book blurb. I then attended her webinar session, Mastering the Art of Writing Catchy Fiction Book Blurb. It was a weird experience, my laptop screen was the PowerPoint part of the lesson, I could hear Glenna talking and was able, via a selection of tabs, to ‘Chat’ or ‘Raise Hand’. The hour long event was revealing in its simplicity and exposing my ignorance; for example, did you know you should begin your blurb when you begin your story?! Really!
*Glenna Mageau writes under the nom de plume of Maggie Thom.
Flailing Through Life 