The way I learned to write blurbs was by looking at the blurbs for bestsellers. Clearly these people are doing something right! I think it is good to end a blurb with a cliffhanger or a question to pique the reader’s curiosity.

The house example is a good analogy. I find writing blurbs–condensing 40,000, 50,000 or 100,000 words into several sentences–takes a different mindset than when I’m writing the book itself. It’s almost better if I write several at the same time, so I get in the rhythm of writing short and using sentences that entice readers to want more. Sometimes it’s great to brainstorm these with someone who knows a bit about your story, like critique partners or beta readers, if you have them.

Greg, how do you write your blurbs? And how about everyone else? Do you ask someone to help?