The doubleday edition was illustrated by peter bailey and the arthur a. In this society, ordinary citizens have fallen into a passive stupor of complacency, blind to the insidious growth of a rampant, violent youth culture. Read on to find out how and why antony burgess based a clockwork oranges secret language, nasdat, on russian. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the books front cover. It features lengthy descriptions of heinous crimes, and theyre vivid descriptions, full of excitement. Compare yourself to other writers or your book to other books. Youll also find some useful links to websites with further information. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Focus on the most important aspects, but dont give away any twists or surprises. Kinnells landmark the book of nightmares was published in 1971. The 5 core elements of a book blurb and why you should know. May 23, 2012 a blurb is not a just the facts recitation of the highlights of your story.
Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dustjacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Did anyone else have serious trouble reading a clockwork. Clockwork philip pullman, author, leonid gore, illustrator, peter bailey, illustrator arthur a. Writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. Most run several paragraphs, but some publishers want them shorter or in a special format so be sure to check with your publishers guidelines before you begin work. Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Youre setting the expectation for the book in the blurb, so make sure that your themes, ideas, and issues match.
Levine books edition was illustrated by leonid gore. While many authors refer to their books description as their blurb, the established publishing industry uses book blurb when referring to a book testimonial or endorsement from someone who influences. One blurb, two blurb, three blurb, thirty blurbs poetry. Apr 02, 2012 clockwork angel, written by cassandra clare after having to bury her aunt harriet and sell everything including most of her wardrobe in order to do so, tessa grey leaves new york and sails to london. When you hear about authors being asked to blurb a book, its this endorsement theyve been asked to provide. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and nonfiction back cover blurbs. The book is partially written in a russianinfluenced. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading writing book blurbs and synopses. An taut and eerie original tale from philip pullman set in a small german village. Its a snowy winter night in the town, and a young apprentice clockmaker is in despair. It should introduce your main characters, give an insight on conflict, depict genre and arouse interest.
To write a good blurb, you have to make it short and exciting, yet relevant. An taut and eerie original tale from philip pullman set in a small german village once upon a time. For some reason, the page has the power to intimidate some people, with its small print and legalistic language, not to mention all those mysterious numbers. Im not going to deny here that the book contains violence. Your blurb will be an important part of your marketing.
May 17, 20 all of these are great ideas, but since they are wellemployed by major publishers and others, they really arent secrets. You know, the ones that readers use to choose the book they want to read next or throw on the pile beside the bed where, among the. By day, clumsy panda po works faithfully in his familys noodle shop, but by night he dreams of becoming a true master of the martial arts. A blurb is not a just the facts recitation of the highlights of your story. How to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. The key with fiction is to excite and engage your reader. The occult art of the poetry book blurb rachael mead. One of the most common questions i get from new selfpublishers is, what do i put on the page.
On taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. Blurb distinct from the back book cover blurb is this 12 line endorsement of a book by a celebrity or another author that sits on the book s front cover. For a lot of firsttime authors, i think theres an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the book s universe before the beginning of the actual story. This is one of the most important pieces of copy youll write, since it has a lot of work to do representing your book and showing people whats unique, interesting, or especially. Blurb definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Basically, the name of the game with a blurb is to entice readers to buy your book. Copyright page samples you can copy and paste into your book. Your book blurb must be wellwritten to get a readers attention. Instead it features nadsat, a made up language incorporating elements of cockney and russian spoken by the modern youth in the book. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry books overall success and reputation. Tradition holds that each apprentice, as a final test and rite of passage, must design and build a mechanical figure to be added to the towns impressive clockwork. The teenage protagonist, alex, narrates his violent exploits and his experiences with state authorities intent on reforming him. How to get awesome book cover blurbs build book buzz.
May 28, 2011 this adaptation of philip pullmans clockwork is a brilliantly contrived puppet show cum theatre piece but squeamish children would do well to stay away, writes clare brennan. When you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. Nadsat the cryptic language of a clockwork orange and. In anthony burgesss nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends social pathology. The clockwork three book trailer, interview, and website. The time out blurb on the cover stating every generation should discover this book.
She has arranged to meet her brother nate at the docks, but met the dark sisters instead. Magic is dangerousbut love is more dangerous still. Make sure you supply me with a general synopsis as well. Aug 02, 2017 read on to find out how and why antony burgess based a clockwork oranges secret language, nasdat, on russian. I did not read the book, look at a manuscript or pdf, or have any textual interaction beyond timmons explaining the project in an. He is a fulltime writer and parttime book blogger at 101 books, where he is currently blogging through time magazines top 100 englishspeaking novels.
This is the exact same process which occurs if you create a blurb book using the downloadable blurb booksmart application, rather than lightroom. Sometimes coming up with the right words for a book blurb can be more stressful than writing the ebook itself. While theres no perfect formula for writing the best blurb for your novel, there are some patterns worth noting. We had a book fair and i bought your book, the clockwork three. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. A book blurb should be a fair representation of the style of the book. A clockwork orange is one of those books which everyone has heard of but which few people have actually read mostly, i think, because it is preceded by a reputation of shocking ultraviolence. Click look inside or download free sample to see how this guide can help give your book the success it deserves. It was shortlisted for both the whitbread childrens book award. Clockwork by philip pullman, leonid gore, and peter bailey.
And by def mentor or red foment, i mean, of course, fred. Resource clockwork discussion guide from scholastic. She also recognises that we might be asked to do a short version of the blurb for press releases, book shop catalogues etc. In addition to the example provided in lesson one of a wellwritten book blurb, im including a few examples from bestselling memoirs which have their blurbs perfected. It uses twilight as an example, but dont hold that against me. A blurb is the description of the story found on the back cover of a book. She also recognises that we might be asked to do a short version of the blurb for press releases, bookshop catalogues etc. Oct 16, 2014 writing the blurb for your selfpublished book is one of the privileges of being an indie author. All you have to do is provide me with some information and i will write one undeniably catchy blurb. In sextons blurb, one cant help but hear an additional echo of plaths the blood jet is poetry. Jan 15, 2010 one of the most common questions i get from new selfpublishers is, what do i put on the page. It is set in a nearfuture society that has a youth subculture of extreme violence. Nonetheless, these ideas are very good for selfpublishing authors who dont have the benefits of a publishers staff of professional designers and copywriters.
Clockwork, or all wound up is an illustrated short childrens book by philip pullman, first published in the united kingdom in 1996 by doubleday, and in the united states by arthur a. Clockwork angel, written by cassandra clare after having to bury her aunt harriet and sell everything including most of her wardrobe in order to do so, tessa grey leaves new york and sails to london. And, like any good howto, marilynn includes some examples of what a good blurb looks like. The blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. This adaptation of philip pullmans clockwork is a brilliantly contrived puppet show cum theatre piece but squeamish children would do. A clockwork orange is the heart racing story of 15 year old alex and his friends. Feb 10, 2016 how to create a back book cover blurb that sells i just published a guest post which goes into this with some examples. Its briefno more than 100150 wordsand creates interest in the story without giving away major spoilers or the ending. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A clockwork orange is almost a foreignlanguage work. Figuring out what alex means with each term is a feat in itself, and it takes a few chapters for. Youve written your book, but now you have to publish it and kdp has a box that you dread. The protagonist of the story is alex, a fifteenyearold boy who narrates in a teenage. However, this task typically comes just when youre at your least able.
Nov 15, 2019 when you need to write a blurb for a movie, book, or other project, start by writing a clever and catchy hook that introduces some of the characters and setting of the topic. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a book s contents. The endorsement blurb recommends another writers book. Mixture of discussions, role plays and language activities. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, i will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. It matters not only what a blurb actually says but who said it and when.
Aug 08, 2009 examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom. Keep in mind at all times the blurb is what sells the book, so. A nightmare vision of the future told in its own fantastically inventive lexicon, it has since become a classic of modern literature and the basis for stanley kubricks oncebanned film, whose recent reissue has brought this revolutionary tale on modern civilization to an even. A clockwork orange takes place in a futuristic city governed by a repressive, totalitarian superstate.
Copywriting is a completely different skillset to creating fiction, and im here to help you get that blurb in tiptop shape. A blurb is the book description you find on the back of a book or online to describe a books contents. The original american edition of the book the one that omits the 21st chapter had a glossary of terms in the back of the book. Dont worry, in this article, well walk you through the important points to keep in mind while writing your book s blurb, as well as give you a simple blurb template that sells and some bestseller examples for different genres. For some reason, the page has the power to intimidate some people, with its small print and legalistic language, not to. How to write a book blurb in 4 steps the opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic, says editor rebecca heyman. Examples of blurbs to share in your primary classroom.
A clockwork orange is a dystopian satirical black comedy novel by english writer anthony burgess, published in 1962. In a nearfuturistic society, late teen alex delarge is the leader of a gang of thugs his droogs who commit acts of ultraviolence, often with sexual components, without any regard for their victims, and purely because it strikes their collective fancies. Children to write their own blurb and preface for the book. Stanley kubrick also does this masterfully in the movie in my mind, that is what makes this book one of the finest examples of twentieth century literature. The blurb is a product description for the books backcover and amazon page, designed to entice readers. The blurb should be written using the same tonevoice that you use in your storyso dont even think about getting someone else to do it for you. Its safe to say that a wellwritten blurb is absolutely essential to your poetry book s overall success and reputation.
Writing a book blurb is harder than you think, and is an excellent way of getting yourself noticed. A simple outline for writing a killer book blurb ink and. Blurbs are the second most important selling tool you have for your book, so. As i understand it, this was originally supposed to be a clockwork orang, meaning a mechanical orangutan.
Philip pullmans clockwork is a fairy tale set in germany in presumably the 19th century, in a world where clockwork devices can be made so intricately precise that they can, if constructed by a particularly ingenious clockmaker, pass for little boys. Clockwork angel book summary awesome book summaries. Then, write 12 additional sentences that explain the plot of the story in a general way. How to get awesome book cover blurbs posted on february 26, 2020 by sandra beckwith 21 comments affiliate disclosure. Jun 01, 2015 the occult art of the poetry book blurb on taking up writing it had not once occurred to me that one of the tasks of being a writer might be to come up with those concise, quippy phrases on the covers of books. A vicious fifteenyearold droog is the central character of this 1963 classic. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. I will pass the book along to someone i know will love it as much as i do. How to sell your manuscript to publishers and your indie book to readers writers craft 19 kindle edition by hall, rayne.
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