Escape the White Room BSB 123

Blurbs Sell Books

Today on the show, BPF trainer and writer John Phythyon and copywriting guru Abigail Dunard tackle an author-submitted blurb to dissect it and understand how to write killer sales copy.

To watch video of this episode, view it on Facebook at Best Page Forward.

Here are this episode’s read-along selections:

Blurb:

Liberty 2041 by Carolyn Feder Gold

A fighter, a force of nature seems to describe her best, but in reality, Jesica is anxious, insecure, and self-preoccupied. Her disguise, an inflated ego, is her worst enemy, except, of course, for the nefarious World Chancellor. Will she dare show her vulnerability to get rid of him, saving the world from a morass of toxicity or will she cave in and disappear into anonymity?

Targeted Takeaway:

Longtime listeners know we emphasize character development over plot. Readers identify with characters, not the stories surrounding them, and therefore a blurb needs to focus on that protagonist’s emotional arc through the early part of the novel. This helps readers identify with their problems and root for them to conquer them.

However, we do need to understand the world in which the person exists. For an emotional conflict to resonate, we must know why it matters to the character. In other words, we need stakes. Something has to be at risk for the MC, or your deep character study won’t matter. The protag simply exists in a white room – blank, featureless, isolated. We need to get them out of the White Room and into the world.

While we will always tell you the plot doesn’t matter, you have to give us enough of it that we understand the stakes for your protagonist. If readers see what your MC stands to lose, they’ll want to buy to find out what happens.

And that makes you the winner.