Tearing Apart the Book Blurb

A few weeks ago, I started working on my book blurb. Just in case you were wondering, the book blurb is the short summary on the back of the book. For the last several days I have been tearing apart the book blurb. Others call a book blurb as a recommendation or endorsement on the cover or back of your book by a famous or important person that does a small amount of marketing for your book. But that is not what I have been working on.

The Process

I first started by reading several other -back of book- summaries. This was helpful for me to see the length, style, and direction that I wanted to go. I took this and thought about it for a few days. The next step was to Youtube and I found several sites that really helped me start working on my blurb. These were helpful to see the content that is required.

I next wrote a blurb, changed it, wrote it some more, and changed it again. This back and forth went on for a few weeks. This process helped tighten some of the things I wanted to say. It also allowed me to change a few things. At first, as usual, I was too wordy.  I broke it down and rewrote it. It was a pretty fun process.

More recently, I posted on Facebook my blurb to allow it to be critiqued by others. That was awesome and had a lot of feedback. My last step will be to finalize my blurb and to get ready for the next step.

I am adding below by blurb. Feel free to critique it as well.

Book Blurb:

Magic has been Reawakened

Magic has been hidden and forgotten for centuries. But the Rivalry has begun, and a countdown to the release of the most vicious and evil demon threatens the world. Magic must return, and a young boy is chosen, but will he be strong enough to survive?

Nearly sixteen-year-old Jet Black wants nothing more than to be normal. Growing up after surviving a natural disaster that destroys most of his hometown casts an immense shadow. He feels relieved as he starts a boarding school hundreds of miles away, only to learn that many of his problems have followed him.

A hidden book is discovered that only opens at his touch. The words and spells inside change Jet forever. At first, the phrases sound more like a joke or a fable, but their consequences become life-shattering. Jet must choose to follow the Path of the Phoenix and discover his family’s secrets. He can’t foresee his ability to use magic. He can’t dare to hope that his friends will join him. And he can’t possibly realize how going home just might help him survive.