Great publicity can make the difference between a customer taking out their wallet to buy your book or putting the book back on the shelf. Big advertisements sell books.

But what is an advertisement, exactly?

A blurb is the copy on the back cover of your book. After the cover, the blurb is the first thing a customer will look at when considering buying a book. It must hook, intrigue and catch the reader immediately.

“Book advertisements are attractive to the consumer,” says publicist Penny Sansevieri, founder of Author Marketing Experts.

Not just customers. A good blurb can also help you find a publisher or agent.

Last year I sent out dozens of inquiry letters in my search for an agent. As you probably know, most inquiry letters are made up of a book review (the hook), some information about the book (genre, word count, etc.), and a short author bio or ratings list. The agents who said responded “No thanks.” I’m not surprised. The blurb was as flat as a French crepe. One of these agents wrote me to say that she wasn’t particularly thrilled with my book, but she asked me if she had anything else to show her. At that time I had improved my propaganda and had a completely new version. I mentioned this to him and asked him to consider my edited blurb, which he did. His response was “Well, I have to admit that this is a pretty convincing blurb.” She asked for the first three chapters. To cut a long story short, she took me in based on the strength of those three chapters. In this case, my advertising was the key factor in getting the agent’s attention.

This is the blurb I first included in my inquiry letter:

Can a good man be persuaded to commit murder and still retain his goodness?

Lullaby is about the restless soul of an aborted baby who, in order to become powerful enough to be reborn, must tempt humans into evil deeds. Having temporarily assumed the form of a beautiful woman, this being plays mind games with the protagonist, bringing up memories of his tragic childhood. As deeply buried feelings of hatred and revenge surface, the protagonist must wrestle with his conscience to do what is right. But will he, when his own ideas of justice and the highest good tell him it’s right to kill?

Now compare it to the second you caught the agent’s eye:

In a fashionable Turkish tavern, on a Friday night, the astrophysicist Gabriel Díaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated to death by her physical perfection, as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next few days with her. However, after a while, he begins to notice something strange about her: her abnormally high skin temperature, her obsession with dairy products, her childish and strange behavior, as he seems to enjoy her playing with her conscience.

The young woman, Kamilah, invites him to Rize, Turkey, where she claims that her family owns a cabin in the woods. Despite her heavy workload and disturbing visions and nightmares about her sister’s soon-to-be-born baby, Gabriel agrees to go with her.

But nothing, not even the breathtaking beauty of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of its nature. In a place where death dwells and illusion and reality seem as one, Gabriel must now accept his own demons in order to save his sister’s unborn child and, ultimately, his own soul… .

Here are some guidelines to help you create great banner ads:

*Keep it short (100-250 words). The goal is to convey what makes the book unique in a small amount of space.

* It establishes the mood, the scene and the conflict or enigma.

*Must have mounting voltage. The beginning should have a “hint” to the conflict or threat, but still be fairly innocuous (see my blurb number two: boy meets girl in a tavern). At the end of the propaganda, the conflict or threat should be imminent (the protagonist must save his sister’s unborn child and his own soul).

*Think about the best angle to approach your story. Both of my ads describe what happens in my novel, but the second one sounds much more exciting.

*As with a good book review, never put “spoilers” in the blurb. You can do this in a book summary or synopsis, but never in a blurb. (Take another look at my blurb number one. In it I make the big mistake of revealing the nature of my “evil” female lead: she is the soul of an aborted baby. In blurb number two, you suspect something is wrong with her. , but you don’t know what. You are left with the doubt).

* Think about what makes your book different.

*Question marks can be used to leave the reader intrigued.

*Often an ellipsis is used at the end to leave the reader asking questions.

*Keep adverbs and adjectives to a minimum and use action verbs.

* It goes without saying that make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors.

*If your book is nonfiction, does it have special features like pictures or diagrams? What is the objective of the book? What are you trying to achieve? Teach something? How is this book different from others in the field?

*Remember that the publicity notes are not summaries! Don’t tell the whole story, just the exciting part so the reader wants to know more.

* Don’t exaggerate or sweeten it. To be professional.

*Study the advertising notes on your shelves, paying special attention to their style, language and content.

*Write and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Then show it to people who can offer honest feedback.

One last piece of advice:

You know that powerful, dramatic voice you hear in theaters during movie trailers? That seductive, often exaggerated voice that describes the movies? Well, read your own blurb with this voice in your mind, matching its tone and tone. You’ll be surprised how much it helps!