“Blurb” is author slang for the back cover copy on a book, a
plot summary tease that it’s hoped will prompt a reader who reads it to say,
“Hey, that sounds interesting. I think I’ll buy this book!” These BCCs (back
cover copies or “blurbs”) used to appear regularly on the back of paperback
books in particular, and they still do. But since e-books don’t have a back to
print these summaries on, these are now the descriptive summaries that appear
for all books (e-book and print) on a book’s page at online bookstores, like
Amazon and Barnes & Noble. They are important for helping potential buyers
understand what they are buying before they decide to make a purchase. They are
still generally called back cover copies, even for books that don’t have a back
cover, or simply slanged to “book blurb.”
In the past, I have written all my own BCCs, even, at the
request of my editor, for my traditionally published books. But when it came to
writing a BCC for The Lady and the
Minstrel, I felt overwhelmed. This is my longest, most complicated book to
date and although I took a few stabs at it, I had difficulty deciding which
plot lines to emphasize over which other plot lines and still keep the BCC
short enough that it wouldn’t become a short novel in itself.
(How I felt after several failed attempts at writing a book blurb
for The Lady and the Minstrel)
That’s when a friend recommended author Julie Coulton Bellon
to me. Julie, it appeared, wrote BCCs for other authors for a very reasonable
fee, alongside her personal, award winning suspense novels. (Visit her website
here.) I couldn’t comprehend how someone who hadn’t read my book
could come up with an effective BCC that actually reflected my book’s contents,
but I was getting desperate with
The Lady
and the Minstrel, so I decided to contact Julie and give her a try.
Julie had me send her a 2 page, double-spaced synopsis of my
story. With great difficulty I managed to boil L&M down to two
double-spaced pages and sent it off. Approximately a week later, Julie came up
with a perfectly splendid BCC! The only problem was, it didn’t accurately
reflect some of the events in my story. And whose fault was that? Mine! Because
I had inadvertently planted all sorts of false leads in my synopsis that she
had drawn together into the following first BCC attempt:
Love.
Betrayal. Sacrifice
As a lowly commoner forced into near
slavery, Robert Marcel dreams of freedom. He makes a daring escape and is
nearly caught, but a young girl helps him slip away from his cruel master.
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound
liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at the
betrothal banquet of the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face
with the girl he’s never forgotten---now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, fiancée
to the earl.
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the
young man she helped escape and her tender feelings for him quickly turn into
much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is
bound to marry another, a cruel Earl she does not love, and she longs to be
free to marry Robert. Since she once helped him gain his freedom, can he help
her now to do the same?
They have one chance to be together---if
Robert can stop an assassination plot that could threaten the balance of power
in England. With everything at stake, including his very life, Robert will stop
at nothing to claim the woman he loves. But can love truly conquer all?
Now if this had
only been the story I wrote, it would have been lovely! In many respects it was
very close, but some things were “off. The way I had phrased some things in my
synopsis had given Julie a false understanding of events. Julie told me from
the beginning that this would be a back-and-forth refining process until we
(mostly she!) came up with a version I was happy with. So in my email response,
I typed the following (my comments are in BLUE CAPS; some of my comments have been
edited for format and length):
Love.
Betrayal. Sacrifice I LOVE THE IDEA BEHIND THESE THREE WORDS, BUT I’M NOT
SURE “BETRAYAL” IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STORY. NEITHER OF MY CHARACTERS
ARE ACTUALLY BETRAYED, ALTHOUGH ROBERT IS SET UP AS BEING A BETRAYER OF THE
KING
As a lowly commoner forced into near
slavery THIS MAKES IT SOUND LIKE HE WAS FREE AND THEN FORCED INTO NEAR SLAVERY,
WHEN INSTEAD HE WAS BORN INTO THAT LIFE Robert Marcel dreams of freedom. He
makes a daring escape and is nearly caught, but a young girl helps him slip
away from his cruel master. I LIKE THESE TWO LINES. (MAYBE CHANGE THE
FIRST PHRASE TO SOMETHING LIKE, “As a lowborn serf in 13th Century
England, Robert Marcel dreams of freedom.”)
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound
liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at the
betrothal banquet of the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face
with the girl he’s never forgotten---now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, fiancée
to the earl. THESE LINES ARE GOOD.
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the
young man she helped escape and her tender feelings for him quickly turn into
much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is
bound to marry another, a cruel Earl she does not love, and she longs to be
free to marry Robert. Since she once helped him gain his freedom, can he help
her now to do the same. I THINK THIS WORKS. IT DOES FOLLOW SOME OF HER THOUGHT
PATTERNS.
They have one chance to be together---if
Robert can stop an assassination plot that could threaten the balance of power
in England. With everything at stake, including his very life, Robert will stop
at nothing to claim the woman he loves. But can love truly conquer all I’M NOT
SURE THESE LINES ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN THE STORY. I
PROBABLY DIDN’T GIVE YOU ENOUGH INFORMATION. THE CONFLICT HE HAS TO OVERCOME
ISN’T STOPPING THE ASSASSINATION — IT’S OVERCOMING THE PREJUDICE (FOR LACK
OF A BETTER WORD) THAT SAYS A SERF/VILLEIN CAN’T MARRY A LADY. (A LOWBORN
MINSTREL SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO MARRY A LADY, EITHER. :-) )
AFTER REREADING THE SUMMARY I SENT YOU,
I SEE THAT I DID MAKE IT SOUND LIKE ROBERT CAUGHT WIND OF THE PLOT AGAINST
GUNTHAR BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT - HE ACTUALLY PREEMPTS THE
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, AND THAT LEADS TO A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT GRADUALLY
UNRAVELS THE DETAILS OF THE PLOT - MY BAD FOR NOT MAKING THAT CLEAR!
After
reflecting further on this version, I realized I had left out something even
more important—that I had failed in my synopsis to make clear what the story of
The Lady and the Minstrel was really
“about.” So I sent a follow-up email to Julie, explaining in greater depth
those aspects of the story I should have emphasized in the synopsis but didn’t.
Armed with the
new information I had given her, Julie next came up with this version:
Prejudice.
Customs. Culture. Can love truly conquer all?
In 13th century England, Robert Marcel,
a common serf, chafes against the restrictions of his social class. In his
mind, everyone should be free to pursue his own happiness---serf or
nobleman---beholden to none Robert tries
to follow that dream and makes a daring escape. He’s nearly caught by his cruel
master, but a young girl helps him slip away.
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound
liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at the
betrothal banquet of the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face
with the girl he’s never forgotten---now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, fiancée
to the earl. And with her status as a noblewoman she is completely out of his
reach, no matter their history or how much he comes to love her. Is their love
lost before it even had a chance to blossom all because of the circumstance of
birth?
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the
young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much
more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is
expected to marry the Earl, a man she does not love. Her social status dictates
that she marry well, but she longs to be free to marry whom her heart chooses. Since
she once helped Robert gain his freedom, can he help her now to do the same?
This was so
very much closer! But being a bit (okay, maybe a lot!) of a nitpicker, I
tinkered with this version and responded to it thusly:
In King John’s
England, Robert Marcel chafes against the law that holds him bound as a serf on
his lord’s manor. [REASONS FOR CHANGE: “restrictions” SOUNDED A LITTLE TOO
MILD TO ME, MORE OF AN IRRITANT THAN A HEAVY, SUPPOSEDLY INESCAPABLE CONDITION
IMPOSED ON ONE. In his mind, everyone should be free to
pursue his own [happiness I’M AMBIVALENT ABOUT THE WORD “HAPPINESS”, BUT I’M
NOT SURE WHY - IT MIGHT BE OKAY - I LOVE THE REST OF THIS SENTENCE!]—serf
or nobleman—beholden to none. Robert tries to follow that dream and makes a
daring escape. He’s nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl helps
him slip away. I LOVE ALL OF THIS. :-)
Years pass and Robert uses his newfound
liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at a banquet for
the Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never
forgotten—Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, now
betrothed to the earl. [REASON FOR
CHANGE: THE TERM “FIANCEE” DIDN’T COME INTO USE UNTIL THE 1800s. NITPICKY,
I KNOW! BUT “BETROTHED” IS MORE MEDIEVAL AND WE CAN ONLY USE IT ONCE IN
THIS SENTENCE.] And with her status as a noblewoman she is completely
out of his reach, no matter their history or how much he comes to love her. Is
their love lost before it even had a chance to blossom all because of the
circumstance of birth?
Lady Marguerite has often thought of the
young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much
more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. But Marguerite is
expected to marry the Earl, a man she does not love. [Her
social status dictates that she marry well - IT’S
CONSIDERED A DUTY FOR HER TO MARRY WELL BECAUSE SHE IS HEIRESS TO VAST ESTATES
AND SHE IS EXPECTED TO MARRY A MAN WHOSE STATUS MATCHES HER OWN WHO CAN GOVERN
THESE ESTATES IN HER NAME (BECAUSE, OF COURSE, AS A WOMAN IN THE MIDDLE AGES, A
MAN IS EXPECTED TO DO THE ACTUAL PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE LAND) AND
ROBERT’S BIRTH WOULD PUT HIM OFF THE GRID OF POSSIBILITIES TO FULFILL THIS
ROLE. I DON’T EXPECT YOU TO ADD ALL OF THIS TO THE BLURB, JUST CAN YOU WORD IT
TO REFLECT MORE OF THE “DUTY” ASPECT OF HER MARRYING THE EARL, RATHER THAN
SIMPLY A SOCIAL STATUS THING? MAYBE THAT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL DISTINCTION, BUT
FULFILLING THE ROLE OF “DUTY” IS A MOTIVATING FACTOR IN MARGUERITE’S
BETROTHAL TO THE EARL. ALSO, I MISS THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EARL
BEING “CRUEL.” BUT YOU USE THE WORD “CRUEL” TO DESCRIBE ROBERT’S
MASTER, SO WE’D NEED A DIFFERENT WORD THAT IMPLIES THE SAME CHARACTERIZATION
FOR HIM. MAYBE THIS CHARACTERIZATION WOULD FIT BEST IN THE 2ND PARAGRAPH? BUT
IT’S YOUR CALL. :-), but she longs to be free to marry whom her heart
chooses. Since she once helped Robert gain his freedom, can he help her now to
do the same? I STILL LIKE THIS PART. :-)
Retrospectively
I also went back and added these comments to the lead-in: Prejudice.
Customs. Culture. Can love truly conquer all? I’M NOT SURE I LIKE “CUSTOMS” AND
“CULTURE,” BUT I DON’T HAVE ANY REPLACEMENT SUGGESTIONS. IT JUST GIVES ME THE
FEEL THAT A READER WILL EXPECT THE STORY TO BE ABOUT “CUSTOMS AND CULTURE” AND
WHILE THOSE ARE ASPECTS OF THE STORY, I DON’T WANT THE READER TO BE CONSCIOUSLY
THINKING, “I’M READING A BOOK ABOUT CUSTOMS AND CULTURE” WHILE HE/SHE IS
READING. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? (PROBABLY NOT! I’M NOT SURE HOW TO EXPLAIN IT
OTHER THAN I DON’T THINK THE 2ND TWO WORDS GRAB ME AND PULL ME INTO THE STORY.)
One would think
by now Julie was ready to throw my entire BCC against a wall in frustration,
but instead she remained endlessly pleasant and cheerful and kind. She came
back with this, which I accepted delightedly as the final version, for not only
did it capture the essence of the romance and its conflicts, but in ways I can
only ascribe to sheer inspiration, she also captured personality elements of my
hero and heroine that I had never fully shared with her.
Here, then, is
the BCC (or “blurb”) as it will appear on online book pages, as well as on a
future print version, of The Lady and the
Minstrel:
A
forbidden love and a past they can’t leave behind . . .
In 13th century England, Robert
Marcel chafes against the law that holds him bound as a villein on his lord’s
manor. In his mind, everyone should be free to live how they choose—villein or
nobleman—beholden to none Robert tries
to follow that dream and makes a daring escape. He’s nearly caught by his cruel
master, but a young girl helps him slip away.
Years pass and Robert uses his
newfound liberty to make something of himself as a minstrel. Invited to play at
a banquet for the notorious Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face
with the girl he’s never forgotten—now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, betrothed
to the earl. Her status as a noblewoman puts her completely out of his reach,
but Robert knows they are meant to be together. He vows to make her his wife no
matter what the cost.
Lady Marguerite has often
thought of the young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly
turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives, but
Marguerite has a duty to marry the Earl. She longs to be free to marry Robert,
the man she loves, but that will require her to sacrifice all she holds dear.
They are tested at every turn by
those bent on driving them apart and destroying what they have found together. Can
their love truly conquer all?
So
there it is. The essence of the story captured beautifully by a hugely gifted
woman who has never read the book, through what, in the end, was little more
than a handful of email exchanges.
If you
need help writing a BCC for a book of your own, I cannot recommend anyone more
highly than Julie Coulter Bellon. You can contact her at juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com for a price list. Tell her a
highly satisfied customer sent you. J
