To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. This is not an example of the work produced by our essay writing service. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. Compare yourself to other writers or your book to other books. Blurb are a wellrenowned printondemand company, and they offer numerous book printing options, with a variety of paper types, book bindings and other options.
May 23, 2012 a blurb is not a just the facts recitation of the highlights of your story. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Products our plans free trial academic solutions business solutions government solutions. For the novel holes sachar won a national book award and the newbery medal. For example, what do you expect camp green lake to be like based on its name. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. Heres a good rule to remember about rattlesnakes and scorpions. On taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. When you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. Tell students their knowledge of cause and effect, chain reactions, and familiarity with the story of holes will all be tested with this game. Youre setting the expectation for the book in the blurb, so make sure that your themes, ideas, and issues match.
Well look closely at the significance of the use of holes, onions and nicknames. Late on a hot summer night in 1965, charlie bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleepout. For a lot of firsttime authors, i think theres an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the book s universe before the beginning of the actual story. If youd like for me to read the entire book instead of just. See more ideas about blurb book, scrapbook page layouts and scrapbooking layouts. Mar 08, 2014 i couldnt put this book down, it has a great personality if any a book might have one. The board they served on together dealt with educational grants. You can also use any of these questions as writing prompts. Feb 10, 2016 how to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. About us linkedin learning about us careers press center become an instructor.
A blurb is not a just the facts recitation of the highlights of your story. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and quills. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous t. Bookwright allows you to create an ebook and a print book, all from one file. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your bookand convert readers. Its full of adventure and questions and had me up reading for most of the night, desperate to find out what happens sat 5 oct 20 07. Holes is a 1998 young adults novel written by louis sachar. The blurb should be written using the same tonevoice that you use in your storyso dont even think about getting someone else to do it for you. You know, the ones that readers use to choose the book they want to read next or throw on the pile beside the bed where, among the. The book is about a boy named stanley yelnats iv, who is supposedly a.
How to write a book blurb in 4 steps the opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic, says editor rebecca heyman. The book was about raising children and ayers is an education expert. Basically, its a place for kids who have committed crimes. The 2 nd third should answer what problem will this book solve for me. The book holes by louis sachar is an astonishing book that braids together three different stories that eventually will come together because of the main. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry book s overall success and reputation. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. When he was a boy, stanleys greatgreatgrandfather, elya yelnats, received a pig from madame zeroni, a gypsy, in exchange for a promise. Oct 05, 20 its full of adventure and questions and had me up reading for most of the night, desperate to find out what happens sat 5 oct 20 07. There are just a few final steps in this book building process that youll want to take. Book promotion expert ben cameron always says writing the blurb is the hardest 100 words youll ever write, and many authors are also stumped when it comes to writing the front and back matter another task that usually falls just when youre feeling least like writing another word, after completing your books final edit. Trials need to be faced and problems overcome, before old wrongs can be righted, and good can triumph over evil.
Holes is a 1998 young adult novel written by louis sachar and first published by farrar, straus and giroux. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Louis sachar author, vladimir radunsky illustrator, bagram ibatoulline illustrator. Stanley weighed three times as much as the other boy mrs. Symbols in the book holes lets explore a few symbols author louis sachar uses in his book. Blurb provide multiple options for creating books, allowing you to use either their booksmart software, webbased bookify, a plugin for adobe indesign, or you can do your own thing. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing. Basically, the name of the game with a blurb is to entice readers to buy your book. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. Each coincidence in the book, including the shoes that hector stole flying off the hood of a parked car and hitting stanley on the head, is so unpredictable and unlikely that it appears fate is the determining factor in these characters lives. Its full of adventure and questions and had me up reading for most of the night, desperate to find out what. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others.
Just as the title says, the author, quentin cope, provides one hundred and one examples of both the short blurb and the single sentence for a variety of topics. As an example, she chose the heaviest kid in the class and the lightest kid m the class, and had them weigh themselves. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. The book centers on an unlucky teenage boy named stanley yelnats, who is sent to camp green lake, a juvenile corrections facility in a desert in texas, after being falsely accused of theft. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the books front cover. Many authors write the book blurb as an afterthought. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishmentand redemption. Fixedlayout ebooks are built seamlessly as you design the book, so no additional steps needed. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. What holes by louis sachar can teach us about writing childrens. Focus on the most important aspects, but dont give away any twists or surprises. A curse that began with his nogooddirtyrottenpigstealinggreatgreatgrandfather and has since followed generations of yelnatses. Holes is a satire, or humorous critical book, written by louis sachar in 1998. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs.
Introduce the online game the treasure of green lake. Holes begins with a description of camp green lake, a juvenile detention facility in texas. Think about these great books, write about them, learn from them. A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. His visitor is jasper jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of corrigan. Cause and effect with the treasure of green lake scholastic. Out on the lake, rattlesnakes and scorpions find shade under rocks and in the holes dug by the campers.
In publishing lots of people give blurbs and they dont even know each other at all. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. Feel free to read a professionally written summary example of this book below. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. Stanley yelnats was the only passenger on the bus, not counting the driver or the guard. You have one shot at introducing your story to your reader make it count. The benefits of forming solid friendships are clearly shown in holes. In this post, we tell you how to write a book blurb in five easy steps.
Firstly, highlighting your success in the book writing world. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. Holes is a novel by louis sachar that was first published in 1998. He strongly suggests we read the blurbs of other authors to get a feel for what we want to say. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of holes. Examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Now stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys detention center, camp green lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes. If you do this, what it will do is it will create a pdf document which you couldthen print on your own desktop printer. Aug 08, 2009 examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom. Why wouldnt you ask a fellow board member who was also well known give you a blurb to help sell your book. Holes is a modern, pageturning adventure, which has the feel of a fairy tale. Holes by louis sachar book summary minute book report.
Blurb is here to help you turn your ideas into professionalquality books, magazines, or ebooks. A flashlight readers activity on the computers students will use make hard copies of the causeandeffect graphic organizer printable for the class. This movie is locked and only viewable to loggedin members. By day, clumsy panda po works faithfully in his familys noodle shop, but by night he dreams of becoming a true master of the martial arts. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. A curse that began with his nogooddirtyrottenpigstealing greatgreatgrandfather and has since followed generations of yelnats. I couldnt put this book down, it has a great personality if any a book might have one. Ask volunteers to read out their chain reaction examples and then demonstrate the chain reaction with their blocks.
After reading holes, use these questions to start a discussion with your students about the book. Jun 01, 2015 the occult art of the poetry book blurb on taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. This is a quick book summary of holes by louis sachar. There are goodies and baddies, and a touch of magic. Once your title and cover have drawn the reader in, the blurb is what is going to make the difference between a missed opportunity and a sale. In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb, im including a few examples from bestselling memoirs which have their blurbs perfected. Holes stanley yelnats family has a history of bad luck, so he isnt too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys. In what ways is the saying you cant judge a book by its cover a good one for this story. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more blurb. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. The 1 st third of the 150 word promo should be what the book is about. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way.
When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. Parents may want to talk to their children about the unfairness of stanleys life, and the coldhearted viciousness of some of the characters. Parents need to know that louis sachar s holes is a funny, moving, and sometimes violent story that has an edge kids really respond to. Embossing, foil stamping, and other customizations. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. Stanley yelnats, overweight, lonely, and poor, has been arrested for a crime he didnt commit, and hes on a bus headed for camp green lake. As stanley continues to dig holes and meet the other boys at the camp, the narrator intertwines three separate stories to reveal why stanleys family has a curse and what the warden is looking for. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader.
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