The best quote I have heard about writing a query blub is: "A good blurb is like a skirt. Long enough to cover everything, short enough to keep it exciting."
I think this may be the most helpful video you have done yet for me, and I have learned SO much from all your videos! Thank you so much for this viewpoint!
Thanks for another great video! One thing to mention in addition, every writer is different. Sometimes writers just can't plot or write a blurb ahead of discovering the story. Two greats (and there are many more) are Kate DiCamillo and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I think it's good for new writers to know there are many different ways of writing a story and you have to find out what works best for you.
I learn so much from your videos. Thanks! Even though my book wasn't accepted by BookEnds, two of you gave me nice letters in return. I'm not giving up. Thanks again.
Thanks so much to both of you. All your videos are great. Please forgive me for asking this question: How do you feel about reading a books blurbs that comes from different cultures that is away from Western and European? Do the authors, need to change or adapt their writing styles to be accepted by agents or publishers?
Hi James and Jessica. I intend to send you a query - thanks for the great suggestions on how to format it. I've seen/heard a lot of different opinions, but I like yours best. Question: I've created a successful YT page all by myself by creating an audiobook production of my novel. Would you consider that a self-publish? My intention was to create a buzz to attract a publishing agent. So far so very good. How do you as literary agents feel about that? Do those kind of analytics give the book more credibility in your eyes?
Hello! Thank you for this and all other videos that you've made! I have a question for you. If I am not an English native speaker, but I do write in English, will literary agents be interested in reading at least my query letter? Is there any chance for a non-native English speaker to catch their attention? I've heard that a lot of literary agents usually don't care if you are a citizen of English speaking country, and the plot is all that matters for them. But I'm just curious and happy to have an opportunity to ask you about it! Maybe someday I'll send you my query letter~ Thank you!
Do you want to include this info in your query? If not, chances are the agent won't even understand you aren't a native speaker. In this case, only the story will matter
I'm in the same situation. I decided to include the info in the query letter, because it's an essential detail they should know about, should they decide to work with me. But it's your choice if you want to include it or not!
@@christyush I think so, I want to include it because if an agent will choose my story to work with, he should know that I'm not a native speaker and this can cause some problems~ By the way, я носитель Русского, как и вы, полагаю~~
@@SiiKei I think it's right to include this information~ Because it's a business and agent should know such an important information about the person with whom he may decide to work with.
We usually recommend writing a query blurb as if it were the copy on the back of a book. So if your comps/other memoirs use third person, you might want to also do that!
Great videos, thank you! Question: do you prefer when submitting authors have an email address made specifically for their writing, or are personal email addresses acceptable? Best wishes for a great day!
Great advice as usual. 😊 Can a novel have two couples who fall in love or not? My newest novel which I 'm still brainstorming has a couple in one situation who will end up together, but there's also another couple who will fall in love too. The first couple are the main characters and the second couple also play an important role in the story.,.😊
I would like some advice on something I'm considering with how to market my book in my query. I'm a first-time author, about to finish a 180,000ish word dark/epic fantasy (could be classified as either genre), that is the first of a series of probably 3-4 books. As I'm finishing up my second draft and preparing it for beta readers, I've realized I have a perfect break around the 90,000 word mark (which I could easily stretch to 100k if necessary). I could potentially market this as either two separate books (which would fit the dark fantasy length requirement), or one larger book (which would fit epic fantasy length). Is it prudent to market the book this way in the query, in effect giving the agent the option? I know it's easier as a first-time author to get published with a smaller book, because it requires less of a commitment from a publisher. In addition, if the first smaller book does well, the second one is basically ready to go immediately. What do you guys think?
You may already have an answer to this, but in case not....If the entire story is necessary to the bigger story line, cut it in half, make sure each half stands alone (i.e., has a complete plot arc and complete character arcs, even if the plot and characters aren't at their final point), and pitch the first one only as the opening to a series. 180k is actually too long for a debut epic fantasy by about 60k-70k words. See their other video about word counts. :) th-cam.com/video/vUIDgekFqVE/w-d-xo.html
Hi, I've heard your question being answered on another channel. Unfortunately, I cant think who said it at the moment. Anyway, that person said when you have a huge cast, pick the one that effects the story the most or has the most appearances (mindset) throughout your story. In the story I'm writing, I have 3 main characters. I made a tally mark of how many times I wrote in thier mindset. I saw I wrote one character mindset a few more chapters than my other 2. I hope this answers your question. Happy writing!
Hey! I've also heard this discussed a few times by authors, agents, and editors (at writing conferences mostly). There's effectively two answers I've heard regularly: 1. "You probably have one main character and a bunch of side characters and just don't realize it." This answer always sounds a little snobby to me (it implies that you don't know your own book) but there's something to be considered there nonetheless. If you have 9 characters who share equal "screen time" but two of them are mostly comic relief, one of them is a wise mentor character, and the other four are paired off into "important but sparring with each other for various forms of moral/physical superiority" then...well, you've basically rewritten the Lord of the Rings character dynamic, and the main characters of that were Frodo with Sam coming a close second (or the other way around, depending on personal opinion). 2. "If you actually have multiple main characters, focus your query on introducing one or two who are closely tied to the primary plot and discuss the others as unnamed companions." This is probably the route most people want to go (although it is not always the correct route). This means if you have (for example) a fantasy story about a D&D party (generally made up of 5-ish people with different skill sets who are all equally important to completion of the mission) you'll pick the one or two members of the party who are best representatives of why the party is going on their quest and say something like "Joe the Warrior has Goal X because Backstory Y, but Bob the Cleric has Conflicting Goal Z. When their longstanding band of adventurers is forced to combat Plot Problem A..." Except, you know, with something approaching original writing style. :) Hope that helps!
Chelsea & Jes make some good points. That said, there are other ways to approach this. I'd suggest you find a similar book with many main characters & read its blurb. From the back cover of The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley as an example: All of them are friends. One of them is a killer. During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they've chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands--the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves. They arrive on December 30, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world. Two days later, on New Year's Day, one of them is dead. The trip began innocently enough: admiration of the stunning, if foreboding, scenery; champagne in front of a crackling fire; and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group's tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year's Eve, the cord holding them together snaps. Now one of them is dead . . . and another one of them did it. Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close? *** Note the words 'group' and 'friends'? This is another approach. Good luck.
I have a similar problem, a novel with 5 characters crucial to the plot, with three that deserved to be named. My story had one main character who set off a bunch of other characters, each on their own arc that had nothing to do with his, until they all came together at the end. I never could create a query hook for it, even though it was eventually published by a small press (that trusted me enough to never demand a query letter from me). I'm revising it now to be self-published, and I decided to write a different blurb for the back cover. That's where I determined that only three characters really needed a name The blurb can't be too long. One source you might check out about writing multi-character hooks is a book called Gotta Read It, by Libbie Hawker. Not very long, it mostly deals with how to write single character hooks, but towards the end it discusses techniques for stories with multiple protagonists. If your story is linear, the way most agents and publishers seem to prefer (given the way they describe the structure of the hook), it might work for you. Good luck.
Let’s say an author (it’s me) wrote her blurb and query and has submitted it, and received a few “Unfortunatelys” she is fine to revise her query and blurb for further submissions?
Hi! Yes, if you undertake major revisions to the blurb/query/manuscript (if the agent passed on the sample/partial/full) then you are almost always welcome to resubmit to the agents who passed!
I have 2 novels published and I was of the understanding that what was written on the back cover was my synopsis. My publisher never said anything about a back cover copy being a blurb. Now, how's that for being so poorly informed?! Jesus! How did I ever manage to write a trilogy?!?!
It can be confusing! A lot of words get mistakenly used interchangeably! But a synopsis is a full point-by-point summary of everything that happens in the book from beginning to end, and a blurb can refer to either: 1. the back cover-copy type summary, which only tells you the main details and the conflict to draw you in, or 2. a quote from another professional used on the covers of the book to advertise it (you might hear some authors say that they will "blurb" other authors' books, and this is what they are referring to!)
Like Still Knife Painting's blurb. As you say, it's on point. Learning from covers is good advice. Can't stomach the cover though. It looks amateurish & outdated. If that makes me a superficial Australian then so be it.
I love these presentations. But, I hope what I am about to say is not creepy. Jessica, whatever lighting you are using in your home office should be replicated in your work-place video setting. I have never seen you look so healthy as in the current videos. Perhaps you are more relaxed or the lighting is not so harsh, but your skin, your eyes and general appearance is very healthy looking. For some, this might seem an odd thing to point out, but this is like the difference between an okay book cover and one that elicits a response in the those who see it. I love the blurb information, it is one of the hardest things to write for most people. It is right up there with the hook. Both should be easy, but writer's have this overwhelming compulsion to write, write, write and that is not what a blurb or a hook is about.
@@christyush I select with Genre mostly, sometimes reviews and when I have nothing specific in mind I ask the book seller to select for me. I stopped reading the back of the book after several disappointments. The blurb would be really good and the story would just be Meh. I also never select a book by its cover.
@@dollypop2022 I see! Though you're bound to learn something about the plot while reading reviews. True... Recently that's happened to me. Read the blurb of "Wilder Girls" and it was sooo enticing I wanted to read it right away. In my opinion, the blurb is better than the actual book by far :( There's nothing wrong with selecting books by their cover, though :D Pretty covers catch your eye
Have you ever talked about when authors should realize they are not a good writer? Sounds terrible I know but when should we realize this isn’t our career 🤦🏼♀️🤪🙏🏻
The best quote I have heard about writing a query blub is: "A good blurb is like a skirt. Long enough to cover everything, short enough to keep it exciting."
Thank you for sharing - I needed to write that down to keep in mind when setting out to write my blurb.
I woke up this morning and a blurb fell straight out of my heart I’m so excited.
I love the idea to supplement your book into another's blurb just to get the feel of the flow. What a great, practical example. Thanks for the tips!
I think this may be the most helpful video you have done yet for me, and I have learned SO much from all your videos! Thank you so much for this viewpoint!
Just wrote my blurb for my novel set in Sweden today. I love writing blurbs.
I found it helps to look at the blurbs from comp books.
Was tweaking my query and just happened to have this video playing at the same time. So helpful! Amazingly helpful with guidance.
Great technical advice. Both of them are extremely helpful.
Thanks for all your help, I got a denial request from Jessica. She is Awesome, her letter made my day, when I am going through a tough time!
I am just getting started, and WOW! You guys are giving so much information on things I must learn about. Thank you so very much!
Thank you so much for these videos. A little bit of normal amidst a world in turmoil.
Thanks for another great video! One thing to mention in addition, every writer is different. Sometimes writers just can't plot or write a blurb ahead of discovering the story. Two greats (and there are many more) are Kate DiCamillo and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I think it's good for new writers to know there are many different ways of writing a story and you have to find out what works best for you.
This is very true. I grow my stories, I don't plot them, so I have no idea what I've got until after it's done, and sometimes not even then.
Very helpful video. Can’t wait to query Bookends soon!
I learn so much from your videos. Thanks! Even though my book wasn't accepted by BookEnds, two of you gave me nice letters in return. I'm not giving up. Thanks again.
First time listening, subscribed and enjoyed 👍
Great video. I was dreading this part of the work, but you make it sound fun and challenging (in a good way).
This is very informative and easy to follow! Thank you!
Very helpful information. Thanks so much!
Thanks so much to both of you. All your videos are great. Please forgive me for asking this question: How do you feel about reading a books blurbs that comes from different cultures that is away from Western and European? Do the authors, need to change or adapt their writing styles to be accepted by agents or publishers?
Thanks so much! And yes, feel free to write the query in your own style, so long as it has all the required info
This was very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Ok, now I want to read that cozy!
Hi James and Jessica. I intend to send you a query - thanks for the great suggestions on how to format it. I've seen/heard a lot of different opinions, but I like yours best. Question: I've created a successful YT page all by myself by creating an audiobook production of my novel. Would you consider that a self-publish? My intention was to create a buzz to attract a publishing agent. So far so very good. How do you as literary agents feel about that? Do those kind of analytics give the book more credibility in your eyes?
Another great video - thank you!
My scifi novel has the male & female protagonist plus this antagonist. Is that good for the query blurb?
Hello! Thank you for this and all other videos that you've made! I have a question for you. If I am not an English native speaker, but I do write in English, will literary agents be interested in reading at least my query letter? Is there any chance for a non-native English speaker to catch their attention? I've heard that a lot of literary agents usually don't care if you are a citizen of English speaking country, and the plot is all that matters for them. But I'm just curious and happy to have an opportunity to ask you about it! Maybe someday I'll send you my query letter~ Thank you!
Do you want to include this info in your query? If not, chances are the agent won't even understand you aren't a native speaker. In this case, only the story will matter
I'm in the same situation. I decided to include the info in the query letter, because it's an essential detail they should know about, should they decide to work with me. But it's your choice if you want to include it or not!
@@christyush I think so, I want to include it because if an agent will choose my story to work with, he should know that I'm not a native speaker and this can cause some problems~ By the way, я носитель Русского, как и вы, полагаю~~
@@SiiKei I think it's right to include this information~ Because it's a business and agent should know such an important information about the person with whom he may decide to work with.
@@aneulbi3754 дааа) приветик) я, наверное, не буду про это явно упоминать) только если намекнуть)
I have a question. If I use dialogue in my blurb, does it have to be a direct quote from the book?
Hey guys, should a memoir blurb be first person on a query or third person like the back of a book? What's the norm?
We usually recommend writing a query blurb as if it were the copy on the back of a book. So if your comps/other memoirs use third person, you might want to also do that!
Great videos, thank you! Question: do you prefer when submitting authors have an email address made specifically for their writing, or are personal email addresses acceptable? Best wishes for a great day!
Either will be fine.
Whichever email you prefer would work fine
Great advice as usual. 😊 Can a novel have two couples who fall in love or not? My newest novel which I 'm still brainstorming has a couple in one situation who will end up together, but there's also another couple who will fall in love too. The first couple are the main characters and the second couple also play an important role in the story.,.😊
Yes you can definitely have two couples!
@@BookEndsLiteraryGreat. Thanks.
My YA manuscript has violence and sexual references, should that be mentioned in the query? Thank you.
I would like some advice on something I'm considering with how to market my book in my query. I'm a first-time author, about to finish a 180,000ish word dark/epic fantasy (could be classified as either genre), that is the first of a series of probably 3-4 books. As I'm finishing up my second draft and preparing it for beta readers, I've realized I have a perfect break around the 90,000 word mark (which I could easily stretch to 100k if necessary). I could potentially market this as either two separate books (which would fit the dark fantasy length requirement), or one larger book (which would fit epic fantasy length). Is it prudent to market the book this way in the query, in effect giving the agent the option? I know it's easier as a first-time author to get published with a smaller book, because it requires less of a commitment from a publisher. In addition, if the first smaller book does well, the second one is basically ready to go immediately. What do you guys think?
You may already have an answer to this, but in case not....If the entire story is necessary to the bigger story line, cut it in half, make sure each half stands alone (i.e., has a complete plot arc and complete character arcs, even if the plot and characters aren't at their final point), and pitch the first one only as the opening to a series. 180k is actually too long for a debut epic fantasy by about 60k-70k words. See their other video about word counts. :) th-cam.com/video/vUIDgekFqVE/w-d-xo.html
What if you have 5 or more characters equally sharing the lead role?
Hi, I've heard your question being answered on another channel. Unfortunately, I cant think who said it at the moment. Anyway, that person said when you have a huge cast, pick the one that effects the story the most or has the most appearances (mindset) throughout your story. In the story I'm writing, I have 3 main characters. I made a tally mark of how many times I wrote in thier mindset. I saw I wrote one character mindset a few more chapters than my other 2. I hope this answers your question. Happy writing!
Hey! I've also heard this discussed a few times by authors, agents, and editors (at writing conferences mostly). There's effectively two answers I've heard regularly:
1. "You probably have one main character and a bunch of side characters and just don't realize it." This answer always sounds a little snobby to me (it implies that you don't know your own book) but there's something to be considered there nonetheless. If you have 9 characters who share equal "screen time" but two of them are mostly comic relief, one of them is a wise mentor character, and the other four are paired off into "important but sparring with each other for various forms of moral/physical superiority" then...well, you've basically rewritten the Lord of the Rings character dynamic, and the main characters of that were Frodo with Sam coming a close second (or the other way around, depending on personal opinion).
2. "If you actually have multiple main characters, focus your query on introducing one or two who are closely tied to the primary plot and discuss the others as unnamed companions." This is probably the route most people want to go (although it is not always the correct route). This means if you have (for example) a fantasy story about a D&D party (generally made up of 5-ish people with different skill sets who are all equally important to completion of the mission) you'll pick the one or two members of the party who are best representatives of why the party is going on their quest and say something like "Joe the Warrior has Goal X because Backstory Y, but Bob the Cleric has Conflicting Goal Z. When their longstanding band of adventurers is forced to combat Plot Problem A..." Except, you know, with something approaching original writing style. :)
Hope that helps!
Chelsea & Jes make some good points.
That said, there are other ways to approach this.
I'd suggest you find a similar book with many main characters & read its blurb.
From the back cover of The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley as an example:
All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they've chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands--the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.
They arrive on December 30, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.
Two days later, on New Year's Day, one of them is dead.
The trip began innocently enough: admiration of the stunning, if foreboding, scenery; champagne in front of a crackling fire; and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group's tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year's Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.
Now one of them is dead . . . and another one of them did it.
Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?
***
Note the words 'group' and 'friends'? This is another approach. Good luck.
I have a similar problem, a novel with 5 characters crucial to the plot, with three that deserved to be named. My story had one main character who set off a bunch of other characters, each on their own arc that had nothing to do with his, until they all came together at the end. I never could create a query hook for it, even though it was eventually published by a small press (that trusted me enough to never demand a query letter from me). I'm revising it now to be self-published, and I decided to write a different blurb for the back cover. That's where I determined that only three characters really needed a name The blurb can't be too long.
One source you might check out about writing multi-character hooks is a book called Gotta Read It, by Libbie Hawker. Not very long, it mostly deals with how to write single character hooks, but towards the end it discusses techniques for stories with multiple protagonists. If your story is linear, the way most agents and publishers seem to prefer (given the way they describe the structure of the hook), it might work for you. Good luck.
Let’s say an author (it’s me) wrote her blurb and query and has submitted it, and received a few “Unfortunatelys” she is fine to revise her query and blurb for further submissions?
Hi! Yes, if you undertake major revisions to the blurb/query/manuscript (if the agent passed on the sample/partial/full) then you are almost always welcome to resubmit to the agents who passed!
@@BookEndsLiterary perfect, thank you.
Do you guys critique query letters?
not usually, although occasionally some of our agents may offer query critiques for various reasons!
I have 2 novels published and I was of the understanding that what was written on the back cover was my synopsis. My publisher never said anything about a back cover copy being a blurb. Now, how's that for being so poorly informed?! Jesus! How did I ever manage to write a trilogy?!?!
It can be confusing! A lot of words get mistakenly used interchangeably! But a synopsis is a full point-by-point summary of everything that happens in the book from beginning to end, and a blurb can refer to either: 1. the back cover-copy type summary, which only tells you the main details and the conflict to draw you in, or 2. a quote from another professional used on the covers of the book to advertise it (you might hear some authors say that they will "blurb" other authors' books, and this is what they are referring to!)
It would have been more helpful if you'd read a couple of good examples that illustrated the points you covered.
What does a blurb taste like?
"Perfect Blurb"
Like Still Knife Painting's blurb. As you say, it's on point. Learning from covers is good advice.
Can't stomach the cover though. It looks amateurish & outdated. If that makes me a superficial Australian then so be it.
Writing is my favorite thing exists, but the querying process makes me want to die.
I hate synopses (Synopsi?) but blurbs are worse.
I love these presentations. But, I hope what I am about to say is not creepy. Jessica, whatever lighting you are using in your home office should be replicated in your work-place video setting. I have never seen you look so healthy as in the current videos. Perhaps you are more relaxed or the lighting is not so harsh, but your skin, your eyes and general appearance is very healthy looking. For some, this might seem an odd thing to point out, but this is like the difference between an okay book cover and one that elicits a response in the those who see it.
I love the blurb information, it is one of the hardest things to write for most people. It is right up there with the hook. Both should be easy, but writer's have this overwhelming compulsion to write, write, write and that is not what a blurb or a hook is about.
--cut to the chase and give examples.
I never read the back of the book before buying it. I like to be surprised, so I select randomly
LOL. Do you at least consider genre first?
so u just look at the cover?
I mean, I can't judge though, I do the same with movies :)
@@christyush I select with Genre mostly, sometimes reviews and when I have nothing specific in mind I ask the book seller to select for me. I stopped reading the back of the book after several disappointments. The blurb would be really good and the story would just be Meh. I also never select a book by its cover.
@@dollypop2022 I see! Though you're bound to learn something about the plot while reading reviews.
True... Recently that's happened to me. Read the blurb of "Wilder Girls" and it was sooo enticing I wanted to read it right away. In my opinion, the blurb is better than the actual book by far :(
There's nothing wrong with selecting books by their cover, though :D Pretty covers catch your eye
Have you ever talked about when authors should realize they are not a good writer? Sounds terrible I know but when should we realize this isn’t our career 🤦🏼♀️🤪🙏🏻