Every novel or non-fiction book will need a blurb and synopsis. This blog post explains what these two pieces of marketing text are and whether an editor can write a blurb and synopsis for their clients.
First, let’s define these two terms—blurb vs synopsis—as they are often muddled.
Blurb
A blurb is the piece of text you’ll find on the back of a book. It’s the book description that will also accompany the thumbnail book cover online in stores such as Amazon and Booktopia.
A blurb is not a synopsis because it does not reveal the full plot or the ending. It hints at the story without giving spoilers.
A blurb is a sales pitch. This is the writer’s biggest (and often only) chance to lure a reader into buying the book. The blurb must describe the setting, the main character, the central conflict and the hook. A blurb must answer the question: what if?
A blurb often ends on a question. ‘Can Elsie solve the mystery before…?’ ‘Can Brent find the cure before…?’ ‘Will Brent and Elsie find love despite…?’
A blurb is usually around 120–180 words, so each word must be there for a reason. These can make the difference between a sale and a scroll past once the book cover has enticed someone to click through to the sales page.
Blurb hot tip
Who should write a book blurb? In the first instance, the author should write a first draft. If you cannot afford to pay a professional, such as your editor or a copywriter, then I have found using AI can help turn a mediocre blurb into a much hookier, more sales-focused version. I don’t recommend using it to create the blurb from scratch—after all, it hasn’t read your book. I would also avoid using exactly what it produces. However, I often find it can generate a couple of strong sentences or highlight what needs improvement.
Synopsis
The synopsis serves a very different purpose from a blurb. This piece of text stays very much behind the scenes, yet it is also a powerful tool that can change the course of an author’s career.
The synopsis is a full breakdown and summary of the plot of a novel or the structure of a non-fiction book. It gives a summary of the characters and the storyline, including the ending. The synopsis needs to showcase not only the plot but also the author’s voice.
A synopsis is used for pitching to literary agents or publishing houses. Agents need a neat and concise breakdown of a book in order to assess its suitability for their list. A literary agent does not have time to read an entire manuscript on first contact, so the synopsis does the heavy lifting.
So can an editor write a blurb or synopsis?
Many authors ask, can an editor write a blurb and synopsis? Writing a blurb and synopsis can be one of the hardest things to do. A writer has poured months or years into a story and then has to condense it down to its bare bones—or even worse, around 160 words! Which bits do you leave out? There are too many good characters to include them all.
Not all editors are writers or copywriters, so they may not offer this professional service. However, an editor is a master of words and has been intimately involved in every word of your manuscript. They are also an objective pair of eyes and are not as emotionally invested as the author. This makes them an ideal person to craft a blurb and a synopsis. They can even précis each chapter as they work through the manuscript and use this as the basis of the synopsis.
Contact me at Red Feather Publishing to chat about my book blurb writing service.
