Pamela K. Kinney, NAIWE’s Paranormal Writing Expert

We wanted to get to know Pamela K. Kinney (NAIWE’s Paranormal Writing Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

How did you learn to write a book blurb?

For my first book I went with the publisher Schiffer Publishing, and at that time, they looked to the authors to write their own book blurbs. The publisher edited the authors’ blurbs into the format needed while educating the authors. The next blurb I wrote was for my own self-published novel, How the Vortex Changed My Life.

 

What is the normal length of a book blurb?

100–200 words. Any more than that, readers will be catching the quickest ride off your page . . . by jumping to another author’s page and buying their book instead. You only have 7 seconds to impress a reader, especially one reading it online.

 

Are book blurbs written differently for different formats?

When it comes to writing book blurbs, each genre has a different style. I know how to write for nonfiction ghost books and horror, science fiction, and fantasy. In the long run, writing a synopsis/blurb for a book is selling your story/article/nonfiction book to a reader, tempting them to read your book.

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I had to learn to write the book blurbs for my nonfiction ghost books. When self-publishing my urban fantasy/horror novel, I wrote the blurb for the back of my book. Since then, I have continued writing blurbs for my books, including for my latest, a YA dark fantasy novel.

Readers check out the cover first, then they read the blurb. It is all about selling your book, capturing readers’ interests with that blurb. In this webinar, writers will learn how they can write effective blurbs.

You can join in this conversation on September 30 at 2:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on writing marketing material for your books. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!

 

Pamela K. Kinney gave up long ago ignoring the demanding voices in her head and has been writing ever since. Her horror short story, “Bottled Spirits,” was runner-up for the 2013 WSFA Small Press Award and considered one of the seven best genre short fiction for that year. Pamela has various short stories and poems published in fiction and nonfiction anthologies, magazines, and online zines, a science fiction novella, an urban fantasy novel, five nonfiction ghost books, and a nonfiction cryptid book. Her horror poem, “Dementia,” got her mentioned in Best Horror of the Year, Volume Thirteen. Pamela has stories and poems in two horror anthologies to be released in 2024, plus a YA dark fantasy novel, Demon Memories, the first book in the Moon Ridge trilogy.