Blurbs - Introduction to writing better sales copy

[Quantum]

Many writers have trouble writing sales copy for their book blurbs. That's because we conflate a book blurb with a book description or, even worse, a book synopsis; whereas, in fact, a book blurb is sales copy (and as such a form of direct marketing), albeit a specialized form of sales copy. For example, I think that the book cover is equivalent to the product image that is used in sales copy; the title in sales copy is equivalent to the book title (although, sometimes, the blurb does have a title). Many times, the call to action is often omitted from the blurb because it is assumed to be implicit, but perhaps it should be included in a way that emphasizes how the story would satisfy the consumer.

I was referred to this website from Jane Friedman's book, Publishing 101. Although all of the articles are worth reading, so far, the most relevant points for writing a blurb are:

http://www.copyblogger.com/copywritin...
#4: Do your research
#5: Find your starving crowd (then listen to them)

http://www.copyblogger.com/good-copyw...
2. Storytelling copy

http://www.copyblogger.com/beyond-the...
1. Read your customer’s mind (and put it on the page)
2. Focus on the point past the sale

What are your thoughts on these articles?

[Justin]

Great info Alex, I'll check the links out later and give my thoughts.

[Nik]

Greatly summarized, Alex.
Additionally, I think places like goodreads are ideal for getting some feedback on blurbs, covers and other stuff that doesn't require a lot of effort from a respondent