Blurb formulas

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I’ve been playing around with extracting blurb formulas from well crafted blurbs of published books and thought that maybe you’d like to play too.

The idea is, find a blurb that sounds interesting, then try to extract its formula by replacing the story-specific language with placeholders.

The goal is to later have a formula that you can use when brainstorming your own blurb. So it might be worth it for you to look up similar genres and story set ups to yours. Or you might want to just use your all time favorite books for this purpose. The results are always interesting. Just go for it.

So, let’s go.

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I’ll start.

Book: Lover at Last by JR Ward
Genre: Paranormal romance with a dual pov (actually these books have multiple povs but notice that only the main couple is mentioned in the blurb).

Blurb from Goodreads

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another…

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: it seems Qhuinn has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young. It’s hard for Blay to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. And Qhuinn needs to come to terms with some dark things before he can move forward…

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions… but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together… finally become one.

My formula

NAME1, descriptive trope, has a PERSONAL PROBLEM and a GOAL. Something good is happening in his life, but he yearns for someone else.

NAME2, has feelings for NAME1, but they can’t be together because of REASONS. NAME2 is feeling ANGST because of what is happening in NAME1‘s life.

As EXTERNAL STAKES are happening, BIG PROBLEM brings them together.

To use this type of blurb for yourself, write down the placeholders as a list and then fill them in with your story details and see what happens.

So for this formula, the list will be:

  • NAME1
  • DESCRIPTIVE TROPE
  • PERSONAL PROBLEM
  • GOAL
  • NAME2
  • REASONS why they’re not together
  • NAME2‘S ANGST
  • EXTERNAL STAKES
  • BIG PROBLEM
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Should I try to write this out? Okay, why not. Let’s see where it takes me.

I’ll use this formula on The Merlin Paradox vol. 1.
I just noticed, nowhere in JR Ward’s blurb does it say that those characters are vampires, only that they’re warriors. Interesting. I was going to leave out what my characters are, but I don’t know what else to use as the descriptive trope right now, so I’ll use that.

  • NAME1: Ruby
  • DESCRIPTIVE TROPE: teenage half-demon
  • PERSONAL PROBLEM: has amnesia and suspects that he was a subject of a lab experiment
  • GOAL: find out who he is and go home
  • NAME2: Seri
  • REASONS why they’re not together: Seri has lived a sheltered life. He’s not allowed to talk to strangers, let alone date them.
  • NAME2‘S ANGST: Ruby is eventually going to remember who he is, go home, and leave Seri all alone again.
  • EXTERNAL STAKES: Someone is looking for Ruby, the same person who’s allegedly responsible for his amnesia.
  • BIG PROBLEM: (I’m kinda stuck here. This story doesn’t have big external stakes. I’ll leave it out for now and see what happens)

The formula:

NAME1, DESCRIPTIVE TROPE, has a PERSONAL PROBLEM and a GOAL. Something good is happening in his life, but he yearns for someone else.
NAME2 has feelings for NAME1, but they can’t be together because of REASONS. NAME2 is feeling ANGST because of what is happening in NAME1‘s life.
As EXTERNAL STAKES are happening, BIG PROBLEM brings them together.

Let’s fill it in.

Blurb for The Merlin Paradox

Ruby, a teenage half-demon, has amnesia and suspects that he was a subject of a lab experiment. To escape the madman who experimented on him, he finds refuge in an abandoned house, which turns out to have a hermit resident, Seri, who’s excited to have a visitor and graciously allows him to stay. Ruby only bides his time in the derelict house with his strange host while he’s waiting for his memories to return so he can go home.

Seri immediately likes Ruby—a lot—and he’s beyond happy to make a new friend, but he lives a sheltered life fully controlled by his adoptive aunt. He’s not allowed to talk to strangers, let alone date them. Besides, Ruby will eventually leave. Having a hot temporary roommate becomes his little secret.

Meanwhile, the people who experimented on Ruby are desperately looking for him. He’ll never be safe until he finds out who he is and what happened to him, but once he does, can he really leave Seri behind?

Not bad. Needs some work to smooth things out and needs a better hook in the last paragraph (I struggled with that one), but overall, it was a good formula.

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You are a saint! I was wondering how to do a blurb, and this is very helpful!
Thank you so very much!

@Akje: Hey, you gotta see this! :grin:

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Excellent idea! ( ˆ◡ˆ)۶ ٩(˘◡˘ )

Years ago I tried something similar. I used to make screencaps of book descriptions on Amazon and elsewhere for books I loved so I could figure out their formulas, but it was too much work for me. I’m so lazy! Then I found Michelle Schusterman’s formula on YouTube, so now I just use that:

[CHARACTER] was [STATUS QUO] until [INCITING INCIDENT] happens, and [HERE’S HOW THAT AFFECTS THE CHARACTER’S LIFE.] Now [CHARACTER] must [GOAL] despite [CONFLICT] or else [CONSEQUENCE].

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There are many templates to use when brainstorming. I think it’s worth trying out to have a starting point.

One blurb format doesn’t fit all stories, and honestly, I’m glad or otherwise all blurbs would read the same. Let’s keep it interesting.

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I’m on a hunt for a formula that will help me rewrite the blurb of my story. Let’s see how many I can get through tonight.

Scouring B&N.

Blurb for Birds in the Black Water by Kody Van Dusen

Genre: paranormal drama

“That was the second time in my life death lied to me. I wanted it to lie to me just once more.”

Neviah has seen the Other Side since she was a child, a dark world trapped somewhere between past and present where shadowy creatures ominously keep watch. Though she uses her connection with the supernatural to build a thriving counseling practice, she is racked with guilt over a professional decision that landed a former client, Martha, into protective custody almost ten years ago. When a little boy arrives alone at her clinic with a letter identifying himself as Martha’s son, Neviah has a chance to redeem herself. Having suffered enough loss for one lifetime, Neviah must locate the boy’s mother before time runs out and she loses the chance to right her wrongs once and for all-and before the shadowy creatures that have plagued her since childhood do more damage to her loved ones than they already have.

Birds in the Black Water is dark, paranormal drama at its finest. Van Dusen isn’t afraid to cross genre lines as she explores the intersection of mental health, maternal instinct, and grief.

Formula:

Tagline (cool line that suggests the genre.)

CHARACTER has a SUPERNATURAL GIFT. They use the gift for this PURPOSE. They feel guilty because of REASONS.
When INCITING INCIDENT happens, CHARACTER has a chance at redemption. CHARACTER must achieve GOAL before STAKES.

Ending notes praising the book, stating the genre and themes.

CHARACTER:
SUPERNATURAL GIFT:
PURPOSE how the gift is being used:
REASONS why they feel guilty:
INCITING INCIDENT:
GOAL:
STAKES:

This is clearly a redemption story. The formula will work very well for that story type. It won’t work for me.
BUT if we ignore the redemption part and try to generalize it more, then we have,

CHARACTER has a SUPERNATURAL GIFT. Their life looks like STATUS QUO.
When INCITING INCIDENT happens, CHARACTER has a chance to do what they always DESIRED. But they have to do it before STAKES happen.

CHARACTER:
SUPERNATURAL GIFT:
STATUS QUO:
DESIRE:
INCITING INCIDENT:
GOAL:
STAKES:

Hmm. That’s not bad. The problem with my story is that the inciting incident is a negative, not a positive. So I guess what my character desires is to go back to the status quo… I wonder… Okay, let’s give it a try.

CHARACTER: Ian
SUPERNATURAL GIFT: he sees what others don’t
STATUS QUO: he denies his gift and pretends that he’s ordinary
DESIRE: be normal
INCITING INCIDENT: tragedy upends his life, resulting in self-imposed isolation
GOAL: build a new life, recover from the limbo of grief
STAKES: be alone?

Yeah, you see, the problem I have here is that the inciting incident doesn’t have as much obvious with the supernatural gift (it kinda does but that’s a spoiler), so my blurb all goes downhill. I don’t think this is the right formula for me.

Okay. Let’s keep looking. Maybe I need to check out other genres.

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This is a doubtful candidate since it’s a murder mystery. Oh, well, let’s give it a go.

Amazon Blurb for Tuesday's Child: Psychic Visions Book 1

The visions could destroy her. But they might help him catch a killer…

Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can’t control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities. She lives on the fringes of society – until drawn out.

Against her will, she taps into a killer’s victims. Each woman’s murder, blow-by-blow, ravages her mind until their death finally releases her. Sam goes to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer want anything to do with her?

Detective Brandt Sutherland only trusts hard evidence. Yet Sam’s visions offer clues he needs. Desperately. He learns they come at a terrible price though. And the more he discovers about her abilities, the more worried he gets. Her visions threaten the killer.

Danger and desire collide. And now Brandt must play a deadly game he dare not lose. If he does, Sam won’t have a vision of the next murder.
She’ll be the victim…

Formula:

Tagline that’s actually a logline (actually, it’s a rather perfect logline. It describes everything that’s in the blurb. Interesting.). The GIFT has STAKES. But it can solve the MYSTERY.

CHARACTER endures PROBLEMS caused by GIFT.
CHARACTER has a chance to use the gift to solve a MYSTERY and tells CHARACTER2, TROPE, but will CHARACTER2 believe?
CHARACTER2 finds value in CHARACTER’S GIFT but is worried about STAKES.
They have to solve the MYSTERY before THE WORST STAKES happen.

CHARACTER:
GIFT:
PROBLEMS caused by the gift:
MYSTERY (external but connected to PROBLEMS):
CHARACTER2:
Character2‘s TROPE:
STAKES:
THE WORST STAKES:

Hmm. Let’s see if I can pose the mystery without spoilers but also without being too vague and confusing.

CHARACTER: Ian
GIFT: sees what others don’t
PROBLEMS caused by the gift: he’s isolated, he can’t trust anyone or be himself
MYSTERY (external but connected to PROBLEMS):

  1. How did Ian survived the accident? or
  2. Are the things Ian sees real?

CHARACTER2: Samantha
Character2‘s TROPE: a cute, down-to-earth girl, Ian’s love interest
STAKES: Samantha might think he’s crazy if she finds out he’s seeing things. So, he could lose his chance at love and normal life.
THE WORST STAKES:

  1. Everyone will find out that Ian is a freak. They’ll declare him delusional. He’ll become famous in his small town as the local nutjob. or
  2. If he’s deemed mentally unstable, he could lose the only family he has left.

Hmm. The crazy angle is a delicate one to put in the blurb, but from the options here, it seems to be the easiest one. Also, it is essentially what this book is about - Ian’s mental wellbeing. Okay, let’s try.

Blurb for Soul Survivor

Ian lives with a secret. He sees what others don’t, but he can’t tell anyone. They wouldn’t understand. After miraculously surviving a freak accident, he becomes the talk of the town. He further retreats to hide from the whispers and protect himself. His home becomes the perfect escape from the world that constantly judges his mental stability, but the price of peace is loneliness.

When Ian is set up with Samantha, a cute, down-to-earth girl, he thinks he’s found his ticket to the life he’s always wanted. Love and happiness is within reach.

While Ian is focused on his dream life, he forgets about his secret, which Samantha could uncover if she gets to know him enough. A secret which could expose the truth that Ian shouldn’t have survived that accident. So how did he?

For someone who sees the unseen, Ian never saw the truth coming.

Lol, the last line is fun.
Hmmm. What do you think? It’s not bad. Could use some more work, but I might be unto something. Maybe a mystery is the right angle to take. Does this blurb sound intriguing at all?

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I’ve got a new candidate. This one looks promising (it actually sounds really cool, I want to read it). Let’s see what I can get out of it.

Magician's Daughter by H. G. Parry

Genre: Fairytale fantasy, coming of age fiction

In the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between two worlds in H. G. Parry’s cozy tale of magic, miracles, and an adventure of a lifetime.

Off the coast of Ireland sits a legendary island hidden by magic. A place of ruins and ancient trees, sea salt air, and fairy lore, Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known. Washed up on its shore as a baby, Biddy lives a quiet life with her guardian, the mercurial magician Rowan. A life she finds increasingly stifling.

One night, Rowan fails to return from his mysterious travels. To find him, Biddy must venture into the outside world for the first time. But Rowan has powerful enemies—forces who have hoarded the world’s magic and have set their sights on the magician’s many secrets.

Biddy may be the key to stopping them. Yet the closer she gets to answers, the more she questions everything she’s ever believed about Rowan, her past, and the nature of magic itself.

Formula:

Tagline: In a TIME PERIOD/SETTING, CHARACTER TROPE is caught between two worlds in a ADJECTIVE tale of THEMES.

SETTING COOL FACTOR is the only home CHARACTER knows. Glimpse of BACKSTORY (hints that it’s not the whole truth). CHARACTER lives in STATUS QUO and longs for a change.

When INCITING INCIDENT happens, CHARACTER must venture outside of the SETTING for the first time. CHARACTER is up against ANTAGONISTIC FORCES.

CHARACTER is the key to stopping the ANTAGONIST, but as they learn answers to their BACKSTORY, the more they question STATUS QUO.

TIME PERIOD/SETTING (short description):
SETTING COOL FACTOR (longer description):
CHARACTER:
CHARACTER TROPE:
Descriptive book ADJECTIVE:
Story THEMES:
BACKSTORY (hints that it’s not the whole truth):
STATUS QUO:
INCITING INCIDENT:
ANTAGONISTIC FORCES:

I think this formula is very suitable for stories where the character discovers something about themselves. So it’s exactly what I need.
Okay, let’s have a go at it.

TIME PERIOD/SETTING (short description): Modern times. A valley town
SETTING COOL FACTOR (longer description): Eidolon Falls is a charming Adirondack town with scenic routes as beautiful as they are deadly. :wink:
CHARACTER: Ian
CHARACTER TROPE: eighteen year old young man. Or to be specific: a psychic medium in denial of his gift.
Descriptive book ADJECTIVE: touching, emotional,
Story THEMES: grief, mental wellness, love that transcends death, self-discovery
BACKSTORY (hints that it’s not the whole truth): From a young age, Ian learned that he couldn’t admit to seeing things nobody else could if he wanted to avoid the shrink’s office.
STATUS QUO: He’s denied his gift, convinced himself that it’s all in his head. He doesn’t open up to anyone for fear of his secret getting out.
INCITING INCIDENT: Ian miraculously survives a freak accident
ANTAGONISTIC FORCES: People’s judgment, Ian’s denial and limited awareness. His fear of his own gift.

Blurb for Soul Survivor

Tagline: In a small valley town, a young man is caught in the blurring lines of reality in this emotional tale of self-discovery and love that transcends death.

Eidolon Falls is a charming Adirondack town with scenic routes as beautiful as they are deadly.
It’s scattered enough that one can live in town and be isolated, but small enough for rumors to ruin someone’s life. Ian Donovan spent his whole life avoiding being the subject of such rumors. He can’t let anyone discover he’s never outgrown having imaginary friends, so, he’s mastered the art of secrets and denial.

When Ian miraculously survives a freak accident, he can no longer avoid being the talk of the town and the philosophy that’s protected him thus far only further isolates him from real life.
He can retreat to the safety of his home and forever isolate himself from the public opinion, or face the truth head on to live a full life.

It got away from the formula at the end but it’s not bad. It helped me brainstorm a bit.

In any case, I’ve built a few blurbs by now. I’m okay with what I’ve got at the moment. The only one I still need is a pitch to use in my trailer. I tried researching trailers and I’m not seeing too much of a formula at work. Really, the best trailer pitch I saw was an excerpt from the book.

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SETTING COOL FACTOR is the only home CHARACTER knows. Glimpse of BACKSTORY (hints that it’s not the whole truth). CHARACTER lives in STATUS QUO and longs for a change.

When INCITING INCIDENT happens, CHARACTER must venture outside of the SETTING for the first time. CHARACTER is up against ANTAGONISTIC FORCES.

CHARACTER is the key to stopping the ANTAGONIST, but as they learn answers to their BACKSTORY, the more they question STATUS QUO.

This sounds like what I could use for the story I’m rewriting now. I’m not ready to write a blurb yet, but I can tell it fits.

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This is good! I can use this for Between Roses.

Okay, I used it lightly. I’m wondering if it’s too long…

Between Roses: Attempt 1

Eryn is a normal school girl, trying to be popular, when suddenly her grandmother dies. In her late grandmother’s room, she finds an old bracelet that transports her to Underland. Upon arrival, two mad queens come after Eryn for a power she didn’t know she had. The manifestation of madness, the Jabberwocky, has turned them insane.

During her escape, Eryn cures an enemy of his madness without knowing it, and now Ace of Hearts and his soldiers promise to help her get home, but only if she helps them first, but she refuses. This isn’t her world, after all.

Then a prophecy foretells the lands will soon be destroyed if the Jabberwocky is not defeated. Those who tried before have failed, but Eryn’s power could save Underland. She is their only hope even if she can’t figure out how to use her power. Pushing aside most of her fears, Eryn decides to face whatever nonsense or danger comes her way.

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Between Roses: Attempt 2

Eryn’s at her grandmother’s funeral when she sees the true side of her high school “best friend” and begins to doubt their friendship. Later, in her grandmother’s room, she finds an old bracelet that transports her to a strange world called Underland. Upon arrival, a mad Red Queen comes after Eryn for a power she didn’t know she had. The manifestation of madness, the Jabberwocky, has turned her and many others insane, fueling battles and destruction.

During her escape, Eryn befriends a little boy with hare ears called Duxim, then frees an enemy from the Jabberwocky without knowing it. Ace of Hearts and his soldiers then promise to help her get home, but only if she helps them first by willing going into a coma. But comas are her biggest fear!

Out of the blue, a prophecy says Underland will soon be destroyed if the Jabberwocky is not defeated. Eryn’s power could be their only hope even if she can’t figure out how to use it. Fear gets ahold of her, but Eryn decides to help for Duxim, her new friend. She will face whatever nonsense or danger comes her way.

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It’s all good stuff.

My two cents.

Look for ways to shorten each paragraph.
For example, you don’t have to mention the prophecy, just say that she’s the key to defeating the big bad.

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This was good advice, and I tried.

Between Roses: Attempt 3

At her late grandmother’s house, Eryn finds an old bracelet which transports her to a strange world called Underland. A tantrum-throwing queen and another as cold as ice want Eryn for a power she didn’t know she had. Eryn must escape or be captured and put into a coma forever. But comas are her biggest fear! The Jabberwocky, the manifestation of madness, has turned many insane, fueling battles and destruction.

During her escape, Eryn befriends a little boy with hare ears called Duxim, then unknowingly frees an enemy from the Jabberwocky. Ace of Hearts promises to help her get home, but wants her to help him, too.

Eryn’s power is the only hope in defeating the Jabberwocky, freeing the land from madness and chaos, saving it from destruction. That means she will have to figure out how to use it or else. She decides to stay and help for Duxim, her new, sweet friend. Possibly also for Ace of Hearts? She will face whatever nonsense or danger comes her way.

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I like the third one best. This sounds like a really interesting retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Is it for ONC? ／(^ᆺ^=)＼

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Thank you!

It’s going to be self-published :wink:

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I’m thinking I might want to bookmark this thread. I shall return to it later in the story/as the story progresses.

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I’ve returned but I still need to come up with a plot for my second project.

I already know a bit on Project Merellien, in terms of plot.