Blurb Tips: Less than 127WC for Amazon and 73WC for B&N for Best Visibility

Last month I took an online class on creating blurbs (more data below). It was so much fun. So today I reworked my original blurb for my debut novel, Good Ole Boys. That's when I found out what length (via word count) works best for each site so that the browsing shopper doesn't have to click on the Expand link to see it all.

AMAZON:

For Amazon, stay under 159WC if you are using long paragraphs. My revised blurb was only 127WC but I had a lot of short paragraphs, with my last three being only one sentence each.

In that format, all of my blurb was not visible from the get-go. The "visible" portion faded away at my tagline, which was the last sentence of my actual blurb before I went into some stats (rating, pages, chapters, WC, etc.).

So even though my new description was already online, my Bookshelf still reflected Good Ole Boys as "publishing" which stopped me from making further edits. In about six hours, I was able to combine my last three paragraphs (those one-sentence-each kind) in an attempt to position all of my blurb for reading in toto without further effort by the potential reader.

This second revision of the day is now reflected online and worked just perfectly. All is visible.

B&N:

For Barnes & Noble, my original blurb had 73WC visible before it was cut off, forcing anybody who wanted to read more to click a link to see the rest. Even using my 127WC blurb as I did within Amazon, the B&N blurb window cut it off at a perfect spot. So I left it. It should entice customers with or without hitting the link to see more.

KOBO:

I had a different blurb altogether for Kobo and it is at 72WC (all word counts per Microsoft Word) and fits nicely in their description area, so I don't know what the top limit is for them.

SMASHWORDS:

I have yet to revise my debut novel's blurb at Smashwords, but they offer a short and long description, allowing 400 characters (not word count here) for the short and a max of 4,000 characters for the long version.

BLURB CLASS BY LAURIE SCHNEBLY CAMPBELL:

During August, I took an online class on writing blurbs from Laurie Schnebly Campbell, author of romance novels and also a nonfiction book entitled Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams. Here's the book link at Amazon and from there you can find her contact info on her Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/Believable-Characters-Enneagrams-Laurie-Schnebly/dp/0930831039/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346550816&sr=8-1&keywords=laurie+schnebly+campbell

I've taken about five of her classes and have enjoyed them all. This one was the easiest by far. All of us participating created anywhere from three to six blurbs for their selected book. Two times we reviewed them all, shared our favorites among everyone's submissions and explained why. It was great to see what others liked, plus what I liked and didn't like, so I can incorporate all that info in new, improved blurbs for my own offerings.

Laurie's day job is working at an ad agency, plus she's a novelist in her own right, so she's got experience from both sides.

And for me, as an Indie author with no budget at present for anything, my attention focuses on what I can do myself: writing a good story, editing same (I'm a freelance copy editor), getting a cover I love (I search for free domain pictures with no royalties), working up a catchy tagline to add to the cover and then hitting the mark with a great blurb that entices readers to further check out my books.

That's my current marketing plan in a nutshell.

Hopefully Laurie will be giving the class again for any of you who are interested in taking it.

FREE BLURB CLASS AT MARKETING FOR ROMANCE WRITERS ONLINE GROUP:

Plus, another online group I'm a member of is Marketing for Romance Writers. MFRW will be hosting a free blurb online seminar on September 15. I'm looking forward to that two-hour presentation as well since it will be given by editors of The Wild Rose Press. A third viewpoint to add to Laurie's double-pronged knowledge.

Here's the MFRW post regarding this upcoming event:

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How to write a blurb for your book that will attract readers, agents, and publishers. Polish your blurb or craft a new one at this two-hour workshop featuring lessons, how-tos, and advice from editors at The Wild Rose Press.
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Class will be held on the Marketing for Romance Writers Yahoo Group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingForRomanceWriters/
http://is.gd/mfrwgroup
Date: Saturday September 15th
Time: to be announced.
No need to sign up -- all members are able to attend. Simply read the messages and reply if you have questions.

Tweet this:
#MFRW Blurb Workshop 9/15/12 http://is.gd/mfrwgroup Free class for #authors @WildRosePress @MFRW_ORG

Please TRIM this post if you reply to it.

Kayelle Allen
Unstoppable heroes, Uncompromising love, Unforgettable passion
http://kayelleallen.com

  ~  https://twitter.com/kayelleallen  ~  https://www.facebook.com/kayelle.allen

~ ~ ~

I'll be there. In the meantime, have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend, everyone. As for me, I'll be working! But my career is so much fun, it's hard to label what I do as "work."

Denise Barker, author + blogger + copy editor

http://bit.ly/DeniseBarkerBlog

http://amzn.to/DeniseBarkerBooks

http://bit.ly/BNDeniseBarkerBooks

http://bit.ly/KOBODeniseBarkerBooks

http://bit.ly/SMASHWORDSDeniseBarkerBooks

How to Indie Publish (in a Nutshell)

I’m of the Indie camp, much like I am of the Edward camp but with feelings for Jacob.

So I believe, even while you unpublished authors are awaiting that dream agent and that dream contract from your first-choice dream publisher, you should Indie publish in the meantime.  Traditional publishing (Trad pubbed) is going through some changes and still takes a year or two to get your book in print, so why not earn money now on your creative endeavors by uploading to Amazon and Barnes & Noble as you send out queries? 

In my current day job, I have found two newbie authors who have inquiring minds.  I have so much to share just having gone this far on the journey. 

Here’s a quick overview of what I did.

1. Write a good book, regardless if fiction or nonfiction.  Keep writing.  Whether you focus on one and finish it before you start another, FINISH one.  It is not as easy as some make it look.  I have two completed novels, one 215 pages and growing plus the other 400-plus pages—both in need of the Final Edit.  But I also have eight new stories started.  Keep notes of good ideas you get, wonderful conversations you overhear with a desire to place those in a future novel.  Remember, just as quickly as you get these ideas, they can flit away as fast as you can blink.  Back up those WIPs (works-in-progress).  Print them out (think Y2K).  You can NEVER recreate those exact words.  Trust me.
2. Join as many writing groups in your area as you can find time to attend.
3. Read as many books on writing as you can put your hands on.  This means going to the library and then, when you find a gem, buy that book to add to your own personal library—or take copious notes.  I’m on a budget but books are my jewelry, and I buy them at Half-Price Books or used ones from Amazon.
4. Read as many books from authors you love.  Learn from them.  See where they break the supposed “rules” and pull it off.
5. Spell Check/Grammar Check.  Turn on spell check and grammar check within your word processing system and take the time to really consider the words or phrases it brings to your attention.  This one step alone could elevate your book over the masses.
6. Edit/copy edit your work--whether you do it (under the right parameters), your valued critique partners (CPs) do it or you hire a freelancer to do it.
7. Cover Art.  Again, you do it or you hire it out.  NOTE:  Nook requirements for the pixels are different from Kindle’s.  Check out book covers that grab your eye, whether in a brick-and-mortar store or online.  Are you drawn to certain colors or landscapes over people?  Decide.  Use that info to create the cover YOU want, regardless if your genre is romance and you “have” to put a half-naked man on the cover.  NOT.  You are in charge.  You choose.  Make it the best cover for that particular book.  Think out of the box.  In fact, imagination is king.  Where better to release your creativity than in the creative world of writing books?
8. Front Matter/Back Matter.  Check out paperbacks in the bookstore, hard covers in the library.  Pattern the organization of your book after those.
9. Give more.  I have several things currently at the back of my books:  a “success formula” and a prose poem on my success philosophy.  However, I am currently amassing a collection of my favorite quotes to supplement these goodies already at the end of my books.  Plus, I am playing with making bookmarks out of my covers and adding them to my e-books as well.  I can never have enough bookmarks.  If my readers are like that too, then they can print off my bookmarks onto card stock, cut them apart with a paper cutter and voila!  Five new bookmarks.
10. One great idea I’ve heard of, and confirmed with Amazon, is the positioning of links to your other books within each of your offerings.  If you read the Amazon contract, there is language about “no advertising” in your books which seems like a teaser for your next book tacked on the last page of your other books would be a no-no.  Hence, the link.  Not an advertisement, yet takes your reader directly to other books you have written.  Now THAT’s marketing at its best.
11. Read all the Indie publishing info within the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.
12. Uploading.  Again, read the Kindle and Nook How-To articles.  Uploading is easy, yet takes a little time.  I did both my e-book and my cover art uploads by myself.  If you can afford to have a third-party do it and save you some hours, spend that time you recouped doing something worthwhile—like more writing.
13. Have a book blurb ready to upload as well.  Study cover jackets at the book store or online Amazon descriptions to give you ideas.
14. Decide which two “sections” your book most appropriately should be slated for (like:  nonfiction, reference or fiction, romance).
15. Create your Author Page on Amazon.  This is your Bio.  Mention your other books.
16. Tag your book online at Amazon and B&N.  This is where more particulars define your work:  comedy, humor, baby-related, etc.
17. Marketing.  This is not my niche.  Read about that elsewhere.  Knowing this is my weak area, take the rest of this and compare it to what the experts are saying.  I’m doing bare bones marketing:  I have a blog.  I’ve done the Amazon Author Page.  I think my second greatest marketing idea is the link within each of your books that leads to your other books (which I still need to do).  Having other books to offer your readers is the greatest marketing idea of all (which I am already doing).  Keep writing great books!

My first two nonfiction books were uploaded March 26, 2011.  My first royalty check was received May 27, 2011.  My third nonfiction book was uploaded June 8, 2011.  I received two more royalty checks by the time this blog posted.  My debut novel is slated for uploading November 2011.

I did this while working a “day job” to supplement my freelance corporate copyediting work as I penned my novels.  I’m working easily eighty-hours-a-week.  But loving my new career and all the possibilities!  What I gave up cannot compare to what I have.

I did it.  So can you.  Go for it!