Sunday, March 29, 2015

Blurb or Excerpt?


I recently received a fantastic review for my first Malone mystery, Mixed Messages. The reviewer, Martha A. Cheves, author of several cookbooks including Stir, Laugh, Repeat, quoted a passage from the book at the beginning of her review. And, it got me thinking. Maybe that would be a better way to promote my books.
Traditionally, in the interest of keeping my post short when I’ve been a guest on another author’s blog, I’ve included the blurb from the back of the book but it never occurred to me to use an excerpt instead. So, I’ve decided to conduct a little experiment. Below, I’ve listed both the blurb and an excerpt from Mixed Messages and I would appreciate your opinion as to which of them is the most likely to entice you to read the book. Blurb or Excerpt?
Blurb:
It’s estimated that there are at least twenty to thirty active serial killers in the United States at any given time. There’s one on the loose on the west side of Cincinnati.

It’s the week of Halloween and Ann Kern struggles with several issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her west side neighborhood, is in jeopardy. Her husband is drinking heavily and his behavior toward her is erratic. One minute, he’s the kind, loving man she married and, the next minute, he’s cold and cruel.

Ann dismisses a psychic’s warning that she is in danger. But, when she receives a series of ominous biblical quotes, she grows nervous and suspicious of everyone, including her own husband.

As the bizarre and frightening events unfold, Ann discovers a handmade tombstone marked with her name, pushing her close to the edge. Will she be the Westwood Strangler’s next victim?

Excerpt:
“Ann went directly to her grandmother's grave and stooped down to clear away the debris that covered the inscription on the tombstone. She heard a noise behind her that sounded like light footsteps making their way through the dried leaves and twigs... But there was no one there.
It's probably your imagination, she said out loud but, when the sun went behind a cloud, she shivered. Then, she heard the noise again... All of a sudden, a black cat sprang from the woods... 
As she turned back toward her grandmother's grave, she noticed a mound of freshly dug earth a few feet away. Curious, she went over and looked down. Her eyes opened wide and her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a scream. There, printed in bold black paint on a large rock were the words, "FUTURE HOME OF ANN KERN."
 


18 comments:

  1. I have to say it's a toss up. The blurb gives more information, but the excerpt causes chills down the spine. Maybe switch them off from blog to blog? Both are terrific!
    Marja McGraw

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  2. I like them both and both would entice me to read the novel. But, if I had to choose between the two, I'd go with the excerpt. It not only tells me about the novel, but about how well you write as well.

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  3. Thanks, Kim! I've posted the blurb so many times on other sites that I guess I'm looking for a change. One good thing about using an excerpt is that I can use other excerpts too.

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  4. I'm just testing to see if this works. I've been having problems with my computer and changed some of the settings.

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  5. Okay, it worked! I think it's a tossup too, You could use either one, they're both great, but if you wanted to do something a little different, you could combine parts of both. As an example, after the words in the blurb: "suspicious of everyone, including her own husband." You could add, “Ann went directly to her grandmother's grave and stooped down to clear away the debris that covered the inscription on the tombstone. There, printed in bold black paint on a large rock were the words, "FUTURE HOME OF ANN KERN." This is just a suggestion, but I hope it gives you some ideas.

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    1. Wow, Evelyn! You definitely gave me some ideas. Thank you! And, thank you for giving my blog the old college try! I'm so glad it worked.

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  6. Both work, but I like Evelyn's suggestion of using the excerpt to expand on the blurb. I think it would increase the reader's curiosity and desire to know why someone left the message on the rock.

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  7. I agree, John. This is exactly why I asked for help. Thank you!

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  8. I agree with Evelyn and John. And would add, you never know what might work. I've used a book's preface as the book cover blurb a couple times.

    Great book, by the way. Also really like Martha Cheeves!

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  9. You're right, Madeline. You never know what might work. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, which is why I (and all of us) strive to come up with new and innovative ways to promote. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. You've gotten some excellent advice already. I'll just say that good reviews and blurbs are always valuable. But excerpts tend to draw readers into your book.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Jacqueline. I just read a post on another author's blog. The featured author included an excerpt from her book and it immediately grabbed my attention and made me want to read more. I've come to the conclusion that I definitely need to use excerpts from my books more often!

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  11. I think the excerpt gives the reader a flavor of your writing volice and may be more compelling for that reason.

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    1. Thanks, Lesley! I really like that excerpt too. I had chosen a different one but, thanks to Martha's review, I'm looking at excerpts in a whole new way.

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  13. I think the excerpt is a real grabber of your attention, and excites you to learn more, so I would use it. I don't think the blurb is very well written or interesting,
    but if it was I would use both.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Tami. I'm glad you liked the excerpt. Hmm. Not crazy about the blurb, huh? Have you read the book? If so, I'd be interested to hear any suggestions you have for a new blurb.

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