Writing a book blurb for my comic

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Silkychicken

I decided to stop putzing around and finish my attempt at a “back of the book blurb”, not to be confused with a “synopsis”–which I am also still very much working on as well.

What is a Book Blurb? A book blurb (also called a “back-cover blurb” or a “book description”) is a short description of the book’s main character and conflict, usually between 100 and 200 words, that traditionally is included on the inside cover or on the back of a book.

I’m not writing a novel obviously, but the need for some sort of way to entice readers to care about my comic seemed necessary. And what better way than a short pithy paragraph or two that leaves the reader wanting more. I’m currently in the process of garnering feedback on how to make my blurb better on various sites, but I’ll post it here too, and if you’re up for it, I’d love yours as well. I’m at ~182 words.

I’ll post the resources below that I used to get to the point I’m at now. I hope they’re helpful to you as well. Any helpful resources get you to the blurb you love?

Here’s the formula I loosely followed:
1. Grab the readers’ attention
2. Introduce your protagonist
3. Introduce the basics of your conflict
4. The twist or the ‘not everything is as it seems’ moment
5. The ‘stakes’ of your story

The work-in-progress blurb is just below here:

Broken Swords Still Cut.
Seven hundred years ago, Abjuration Barrier Magic ended the East Territories War. The realm is at risk again, only this time, there’s no Abjurer.

The child of a Federation Soldier and a Su’nethian Aristocrat, Oriole is an outsider from birth, hoping someday to find her parents. When her guardian’s life is threatened, Oriole unknowingly casts an ancient magic barrier for protection. Whisked away to the Ivory Ministry in Vaal to harness her abilities, Oriole finds fellowship with the renowned Onyx Guard, as well as an unlikely ally in the dejected soldier, Ryn Alrae.

Now that Oriole has glimpsed a world that perhaps accepts her after all, she is ready to fight to be a part of it. As Oriole’s powers grow, so does the desire by Emperor Su’neth to get his hands on the rare and ancient magic many thought vanished. As the threat of war looms between two nations, Oriole will discover things about herself that will change the course of the conflict, and what she believed, forever.

—

And that’s it! Here’s the Recommended Resources as promised:


Thank you for the support. ♡

Become a patron at Patreon!

2 thoughts on “Writing a book blurb for my comic”

  1. E.J. Robison

    Ah, book blurbs, the bane of my existence! How am I supposed to boil down a whole book into 200 words?! Anyway, I think you did a wonderful job with yours, and I love your formula and the resources you listed! I normally don’t like to meet someone and then instantly dump feedback on them, but since you mentioned wanting feedback, I hope you don’t mind if I mention a couple things I noticed in the blurb? I think the first sentence could be a little more concise (something like “Seven hundred years ago, Abjuration Barrier Magic ended the East Territories War.”) and I also think you can combine the last two sentences of paragraph two into one sentence (so: “…Oriole finds allies in the renowned Onyx Guard and an unlikely ally in the dejected soldier, Ryn Alrae.”) I’d also suggest changing the second “ally” in that sentence to “friend” or another synonym to avoid repetition. 🙂 I hope that’s helpful! But also, I know I am a stranger so please feel free to ignore this if you want 😅

    Anyway, I’m so happy to have discovered your blog! Good luck on your comic; it sounds awesome and I can’t wait to hear more about it!

    1. Silkychicken

      I’m so grateful for the feedback, it’s exactly what I need, thank you! I incorporated some of your suggestions in real-time. 🙂

Leave a Reply