WOW! Once again
Wiesner has expertly taken a critical aspect of a writer’s necessary abilities
and made it understandable and, even more important, doable.
Most of the authors I know cringe at the word blurb and even
the ones who are capable without extreme stress see them as a necessary evil.
This book gives a well- needed tutorial for each potential blurb format.
The various versions, and the many ways, blurbs are
misunderstood or misused has been both startling and encouraging. Knowing what
is a wrong approach and why clearly explains why so many authors find them
almost terrifying. But after listening to Karen S. Wiesner’s clarity they now
become an interesting and strong resource to complement each individual book.
Right now there is so much misuse or misinformation
regarding blurbs that the need to have them each stand out is undermined.
Blurbs That Sizzle takes each detail, explains the purpose, points out the
potential pitfalls, differentiates between genres and readers, gives tips,
offers clear techniques, and shares multiple examples and exercises to evaluate
and “to hone effective good blurb writing skills.”
One quality I extremely appreciate in all of her writing
books are the hands on step-by-step examples and worksheets for every tool she
discusses. Here she doesn’t only explain the differences between High-Concept
Blurbs, Back Cover Blurbs, and Series Blurbs but shows a wide range of
examples—both bad and good—then walks us through the process for our own
stories.
A blurb is meant to be for the reader, she says, not the
many other versions. It is to invite your reader to enter into a compelling
story. “The purpose of the blurb is a-three fold C for a reader: capture, (to provide) content, (to give a reason to) care.
In Writing BLURBS
THAT SIZZLE and Sell! we can learn to sizzle too.
Read deep,
marcy
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