How Revealing BSB 118

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:

Timeblink by M.J. Mumford

Syd Brixton doesn’t want to know what happened to her missing twin…unless a dead man can change her mind.

When Syd Brixton was eleven years old, her identical twin Isla vanished from a park in broad daylight and was never found, splintering her family apart, leaving Syd permanently scarred by guilt.

Fast forward twenty years. Syd has a comfortable home, a satisfying job at The Merryport pub, and a stable, long-term relationship with Coop, a handsome firefighter who wants nothing more than to start a family.

Then it all comes crashing down.

On a blustery night outside the pub, Syd's favorite customer, Morley Scott, falls victim to a horrific accident. Moments before he dies, he gives Syd an extraordinary gift: the power to travel back in time. Back to when he was alive. Back to the day Isla vanished.

Will Morley be able to convince Syd to uncover the truth about her sister's disappearance? Or will Syd avoid that painful and dangerous truth at all costs to focus on saving Morley's life instead?

If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything...her home, her family. Her life.

All in the blink of an eye.

Targeted Takeaway:

Focusing on the plot in your blurb fails to make an emotional connection with the reader. You want them rooting for your protagonist, wanting to know if they will succeed. In a blurb, we need to stay focused on the character’s emotional journey.

And that’s where the plot can help us. We use the plot to reveal emotion.

Put a plot event in the front half of the sentence, then show the MC’s reaction to it. We have to have some of the story in the description. But we don’t want to use it to tell the reader what happens. Make it work for you by using it to reveal your main character’s inner struggle. That will form the connection that will make them want to know what happens next.

Reveal your characters’ emotions, and readers will show you the love by clicking that buy button.