Blurbs

American Heritage defines a blurb as "A brief publicity notice, as on a book jacket". You have about 100 words in which to grab readers and entice them into your story, buy the book, or check it out. Writing blurbs, like headlines and titles, is an art. You can use a blurb at the beginning of the process, however, to consolidate and clarify your concept. It's like an "elevator speech" in which you have 30-60 seconds to explain yourself to a stranger (and perhaps get a new job or make a big sale). If you can't come up with a compelling blurb about a book, fiction or nonfiction, maybe your idea needs more work, either in development or clarification. If I'd told my friend that my cookbook will "save money, relieve stress, and boost the immune system" of readers, perhaps she would have been more receptive to my yen to teach youngsters how to cook from scratch. By writing the blurb, I would have fulfilled two or all three of her criteria for a good book idea: title, concept, and hook. The same process can apply to writing articles and short stories.

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