Blurbs!
Most times I don't need to know what the story is about per say. I am a genre reader. I know what tropes I want. So plaster that on your Blurb!
Lets see: An example.
What I key'd on. A underdog captain has to prove herself and get her crew home safe. Plus they made her mad. I am a sucker for the good guys knock out the baddies in the end. Weber's later books get verrrrry huge in terms of details and characters but those early books....cant go wrong.
Cause in Mil Sci Fi:
- Love the Underdog trope to Kickass Protag aspect
- This area is where I expect more give/take with the protags, like in the end, all these various groups form together to take down the big bad.
- I lean more optimistic as a bias. I'd rather have a superman knock off vs a watchmen knock off.
- If it has ID politics or Marvel Civil War type stuff, that's an automatic turn off.
- Protags who want to be superheroes. Unless its written well, I don't find as much fun with a passive and/or reluctant super.
- I will give something more of a chance, even if its more like "realism grit" marvel if it has tons of space aspects like GOTG DNA version or Green Lantern kinda setup.
- New Worlds to explore. Utopian Earth. I want to forget the 24 hr news cycle so if your stuff has that in it, Ill be much less likely to get it.
- Men and Women working together. I hate it when things go Anita Blake and everything becomes the "my way or the highway" sorta mindset.
- FLT, Star Ships, Star Ocean, the pulps, Rayguns everywhere!
Its why I'm making the cast pages and timeline thing. Its like an appendix for lore people like myself but its gonna be in the back of the books. So the main narrative remains snappy.
But back to more blurbs. Most whale readers like me watch lots of shows too. So if you have to, mention on your book, This is like Babylon 5, or Farscape x New BSG or DS9 meets Flash Gordon. That sort of thing. Whatever is really really big in your genre that fits the themes of your book the best.
I may hate Watchmen but some will auto pick the book if it says: This is watchmen meets warhammer 40k on steroids. You have to know what kind of audience you want to give french fries to.
- Make the blurb, short sweet and to the point.
- Add its like X Y or Z. To the genre reader, we will usually know what that means almost instantly.
- Mention KEYWORDS vital to your genre and audience. Is it sword and planet, go for the Barsoom References! Is it Space Opera? Go for the intergalactic references or a team against the stars! FTL, planets galore, high stakes battles, lazer swords! BIG EVIL BADGUYS! Ham that up.
- Ancient artifacts or dead races!
In that aspect, it serves the genre. Build up that Star Wars type Word Scroll.
Guess the biggest thing:
- Look at blurbs in your genre. What do you key in on when reading them?
- See what other genre enthusiasts read. Ask them. Are they one shot people or do they go for trilogies and series?
Blurbs Used:
Honor Harrington: Here
Scout Series: Here
Galaxy Ascendant: Here
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