What say you of this blurb?

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Technically that is the description and not the blurb.
If you're actually talking blurb for the back of the book, try to trim it down to maybe 150 words, and even then be aware that only about 75 will will appear on Amazon without clicking the 'see more' button. So, you have to get enough of a hook in the first seventy or so words that your potential reader will want to read more blurb, or open the sample and get stuck in.
E-books don't really have blurbs. The description can be quite a bit longer; however you are correct that the first 150 words are what show before hitting the see more button, so make it count.
For the paper volumes the blurbs show up as an image choice between cover and back.
 
Technically that is the description and not the blurb.

E-books don't really have blurbs. The description can be quite a bit longer; however you are correct that the first 150 words are what show before hitting the see more button, so make it count.
For the paper volumes the blurbs show up as an image choice between cover and back.
Speaking strictly as an outreach/marketing person, if you have 150 words above the "see more" fold, you are absolutely right that every one needs to count. I would honestly recommend going for 250-300 words in such a setting, but have the blurb only take up 75-100 words, then put your best review quote (or two if it is short) next to take up almost the remainder of the space, with a paragraph divider and the first 3-5 words of the next review before the "see more". That way, they have the complete description before the fold, and know they have it before the fold, but can be drawn in to read the other nice things people have said about the story.

Again, though, take this suggestion with a grain of salt, as it is strictly from the perspective of a marketer, not a person who is presently selling books. There may be other best practices I am unaware of. But, what I am saying does seem (at least to me) to make sense according to broad marketing principles.
 
"After a millennia on Volterra …"

Oh gods, I promised myself I wasn't going to do this, it's not the way to win friends and influence people—but I think you must mean: "After millennia on Volterra …", since millennia is plural.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, I know "grammar Nazis" are the worst. It's just that I'm a little bit OCD and I teach ESL.
 
Oh gods, I promised myself I wasn't going to do this, it's not the way to win friends and influence people—but I think you must mean: "After millennia on Volterra …", since millennia is plural.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, I know "grammar Nazis" are the worst. It's just that I'm a little bit OCD and I teach ESL.
No worries; like I said, it was off the cuff and needed polish. And, of course, you are right about millennium/millenia. Quite frankly, it was an editing oversight on my part, as originally it read as you suggest. Then, I thought it was more accurate to the backstory to say "a millennium" but the second word evaded the grammar Nazi in me.

In all sincerity, thank you for pointing that out. I am the sort that bought the special edition of Eats, Shoots and Leaves with the giant punctuation stickers, so the fact that I missed that in my once over edit is far more agitating than someone pointing it out to me.
 
Thanks, people—you're pure class. Only … don't get me started on subjunctive mode. :mad:
Hey now, don't start picking on my pet grammatical anachronism... or the Oxford Comma. Sacred cows, they are... Now, my prolific use of ellipses to denote sarcasm and humor is fair game, but subjunctives are legitimate grammar! *plugs ears and starts singing loudly, which causes widespread otic damage and at least one whale to respond as though it were a mating call*
 
You've misunderstood, Joshua—I am a defender of the subjunctive mode. Also the Oxford comma. And semicolons.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
 
You've misunderstood, Joshua—I am a defender of the subjunctive mode. Also the Oxford comma. And semicolons.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Indeed it may! Although, at the moment, I apparently have a date with a whale, so we may have to postpone our inaugural pub visit...

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how Joshua got the idea for his next New Weird short.
 
As has been said, this is far too long. In general terms, a blurb should state who's inside, what they are doing, and what their problems are. Everything else is relatively immaterial, because those are your hooks.

Now, if you can also pepper it with a few buzz words, a few terms that get people wondering what it all means, you're onto a winner.

As a (related) aside, I went through the exercise myself and started with four lengthy paragraphs. Given that the book was the first of four volumes, and that on its own, it ran for 230,000 words, I thought I was being succinct and sparing with the detail. However, after being smacked around the head untold times by the wife, I ended up with this...

'Lady Jennifer Anncy, a young woman stripped of family and home, struggling to master a vast power that she never asked for. Kenza Vorchi, a thief and assassin, the fate of the Landless in his hands. Arlin Leatherwing, a Cloud Rider torn from his own world and cast adrift in a realm both unfamiliar and perilous. Joined by a company of eternal warriors, these three find themselves at the centre of the battle for all existence. The Bard’eth Vaan have returned, bent on ravaging the realms, whilst in the shadows, a mad god tests his chains, determined to rain vengeance down on those who bound him. Hunted by both, Jenn must place her trust in her friends and allies…unaware that one of them is duty-bound to betray her.'
 
You’re trying to condense the novel into 400 words. But what’s exciting about a synopsis? You’ve lost sight of what a blurb does, Its singular task is to make the potential reader turn to page one and begin reading.

So forget the history lesson. The story takes place in the world as the protagonist perceives it in the moment he calls “now.” And it’s the nature of stories that his life, good or bad, is predictable, until what we call the inciting incident boots him out of his comfort zone, ands keeps him there no matter how hard he tries to fix the problem. And it’s that struggle that makes up the story. So that’s that you comment on in the blurb.

Your reader wants to know what the problem is. They want to know why your protagonist is uniquely qualified to solve it. They want to know what happens should the protagonist fail, and why s/he has no choice but to try. In other words, the “big ticket” emotional items.

So as with all stories, the protagonist’s world has gone to hell and is getting worse. There is no hope, and our protagonist knows that. But still, s/he has no choice but to try.

Use that as your basis and write what amounts to the voice-over for the theatrical trailer for the film version of your story.

Hope this helps.
 
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