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Book Blurbs Unleashed: Advanced Publishing and Marketing Strategies for Indie Authors
Do you sell as many books as you want to?
A blurb is the hub around which all buying decisions revolve. People click to it from the cover. They click to it from ads. They click to it from other books. But how do you write one that turns views into sales?
Do you get conflicting advice on how to write a blurb from books, blogposts and internet comments? Have you tried gimmicks from blurb gurus only to see no difference in sales?
This book delivers methods that will work for you. It studies blurbs from a copywriting, neuroscience and artistic perspective.
Because a good blurb is all these things.
This book will dispel blurb myths, and explain effective tactics. Finally, it’ll deconstruct great blurbs so you see their moving parts.
Enter the cutting-edge world of advanced blurbs and
The neuroscience behind persuasionThe bad advice that’s killing your salesCopywriting super-hooks other than teasersHow blurbs really workDistilled here is decades of knowledge from a full-time author who used to be employed to persuade people.
You’ll never look at blurbs the same way again. Are you ready to unleash the power of yours?
What writers think about this series…
“This is, by far, the best indie how-to guide I have read.”
“Best advice I’ve seen yet.”
“Brilliant!”
“This author's expertise is truly awesome, as is his flair for communicating complex concepts painlessly.”
“This guy SO knows what he's talking about.”
“Wow, powerful stuff. Loving this series!”
“Game changer.”
A blurb is the hub around which all buying decisions revolve. People click to it from the cover. They click to it from ads. They click to it from other books. But how do you write one that turns views into sales?
Do you get conflicting advice on how to write a blurb from books, blogposts and internet comments? Have you tried gimmicks from blurb gurus only to see no difference in sales?
This book delivers methods that will work for you. It studies blurbs from a copywriting, neuroscience and artistic perspective.
Because a good blurb is all these things.
This book will dispel blurb myths, and explain effective tactics. Finally, it’ll deconstruct great blurbs so you see their moving parts.
Enter the cutting-edge world of advanced blurbs and
The neuroscience behind persuasionThe bad advice that’s killing your salesCopywriting super-hooks other than teasersHow blurbs really workDistilled here is decades of knowledge from a full-time author who used to be employed to persuade people.
You’ll never look at blurbs the same way again. Are you ready to unleash the power of yours?
What writers think about this series…
“This is, by far, the best indie how-to guide I have read.”
“Best advice I’ve seen yet.”
“Brilliant!”
“This author's expertise is truly awesome, as is his flair for communicating complex concepts painlessly.”
“This guy SO knows what he's talking about.”
“Wow, powerful stuff. Loving this series!”
“Game changer.”
147 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2019
101 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
December 9, 2019
There are a lot of books out there marketed towards authors.
In part, because being an author means wearing not just a few but a seemingly infinite amount of hats.
Writing book blurbs is an entirely different set of skills from writing a novel and for a lot of us, the worst part of the whole ordeal. Robert's book takes a different approach than a lot of the other blurb books on the market. Instead of approaching blurbs from the perspective of an author with anecdotal evidence or their own research into copywriting, Robert was a copywriter who writes novels.
His insight can be revelatory or reaffirming, depending on your level of knowledge. He urges critical thinking and doing your own research, which is good.
My only qualms is that there perhaps were not enough solid examples of what good copywriting and good blurbs look like and he rejects taking an authoritative voice throughout the book. I understand the reasoning here, but at the same time, he's teaching copywriting and doing a pretty good job at it.
In part, because being an author means wearing not just a few but a seemingly infinite amount of hats.
Writing book blurbs is an entirely different set of skills from writing a novel and for a lot of us, the worst part of the whole ordeal. Robert's book takes a different approach than a lot of the other blurb books on the market. Instead of approaching blurbs from the perspective of an author with anecdotal evidence or their own research into copywriting, Robert was a copywriter who writes novels.
His insight can be revelatory or reaffirming, depending on your level of knowledge. He urges critical thinking and doing your own research, which is good.
My only qualms is that there perhaps were not enough solid examples of what good copywriting and good blurbs look like and he rejects taking an authoritative voice throughout the book. I understand the reasoning here, but at the same time, he's teaching copywriting and doing a pretty good job at it.
June 22, 2022
I'm about to write the blurb for my second book in a series, and this was very helpful! I definitely would like to read the other books in the "Unleashed" series! I do wish the author had included a few more concrete examples, BUT as an epic fantasy author the examples he did use were super relevant to my genre.
August 12, 2020
Great book about the secrets to write a good blurb. Don't get puzzled by the author's humbleness. He is a master of the subject.
March 2, 2020
Great information
After reading Book Burbs Unleashed, I feel better equipped to actually write effective book blurb. I intend to read this book again and again because it’s filled with useful information I haven’t seen elsewhere. Mr. Ryan delivers on his promises, and I appreciate it.
After reading Book Burbs Unleashed, I feel better equipped to actually write effective book blurb. I intend to read this book again and again because it’s filled with useful information I haven’t seen elsewhere. Mr. Ryan delivers on his promises, and I appreciate it.
March 11, 2020
Best book on book descriptions I’ve ever read
Loved this book. Loved the author’s other books. Question everything you think you know and dig deeper. The truth may be very different—or not, you’ll never know until you challenge your assumptions. Buy this book!
Loved this book. Loved the author’s other books. Question everything you think you know and dig deeper. The truth may be very different—or not, you’ll never know until you challenge your assumptions. Buy this book!
August 16, 2022
This book is incredibly dense. I bought this book first and went back to the first in the series after reading it, but the information in this work is very specific and detailed and requires you to have a previous knowledge of marketing to really wrap your head around some of it.
If you have the requisite knowledge (or don't mind researching as you go), this book has a tremendous amount of information in it that you can really use to fine-tune your book blurb work. It's a really excellent book with useful and actionable content.
That said, I did knock a star off because it was so difficult to follow at points due to the fact that it was using such dense jargon. I went to college for business management until I switched tracks (a few credits away from an Associate's), and even I struggled with it. I think the book would've benefited by taking a second to explain some of the jargon and define some of the acronyms used. It would've saved me a fair bit of research.
Not that I am opposed to research, but if I have to read a book in order to read a book, it's a problem!
If you have the requisite knowledge (or don't mind researching as you go), this book has a tremendous amount of information in it that you can really use to fine-tune your book blurb work. It's a really excellent book with useful and actionable content.
That said, I did knock a star off because it was so difficult to follow at points due to the fact that it was using such dense jargon. I went to college for business management until I switched tracks (a few credits away from an Associate's), and even I struggled with it. I think the book would've benefited by taking a second to explain some of the jargon and define some of the acronyms used. It would've saved me a fair bit of research.
Not that I am opposed to research, but if I have to read a book in order to read a book, it's a problem!
October 23, 2021
This is brilliant.
The second book of Robert's I've read and this one contains just as much gold as Ads Unleashed.
It's changed how I look at blurbs and I've spent the last 8 hours tweaking mine, with many to go.
Interesting, that after 77 books published, I thought I knew how to write a good blurb. With a reference like this, I can do so much better!
Thanks for a great reference.
The second book of Robert's I've read and this one contains just as much gold as Ads Unleashed.
It's changed how I look at blurbs and I've spent the last 8 hours tweaking mine, with many to go.
Interesting, that after 77 books published, I thought I knew how to write a good blurb. With a reference like this, I can do so much better!
Thanks for a great reference.
October 17, 2022
A great resource to hold on to. I read it through, marking up lots of sections. I'll re-read it again in a bit as I work on blurbs. Highly recommend for any author.
April 4, 2020
Great stuff!! Very insightful. A great read.
March 29, 2023
Great resource!
All agents, publicists, publishers, and authors (no matter how they publish) and genre should read this! Lots of interesting concepts.
All agents, publicists, publishers, and authors (no matter how they publish) and genre should read this! Lots of interesting concepts.
September 10, 2020
Excellent book, a lot of useful information about blurbs and copywriting in general. I would highly recommend this book, not just to indies.
May 1, 2020
Great advice that is well written and layed out
Great advice that is well written and backed up with science and the constant advice to not take anything at face value.
Great advice that is well written and backed up with science and the constant advice to not take anything at face value.
March 17, 2020
Wow. So much awesome information packed into such a small book. Absolutely no filler. I really appreciate that. I learned so much and managed to identify/correct some bad habits I'd picked up along the way.
Highly recommend this book before you pay any so-called "Blurb Doctors" to write or fix your blurb. Robert J. Ryan tells you why their methods don't work and gives you the tools you need to do it yourself.
Wish I'd read this years ago, but better late than never!
Highly recommend this book before you pay any so-called "Blurb Doctors" to write or fix your blurb. Robert J. Ryan tells you why their methods don't work and gives you the tools you need to do it yourself.
Wish I'd read this years ago, but better late than never!
June 8, 2025
The JLM Writing Books Book Club (https://storycoach.judylmohr.com/book...) reviewed this book in April 2025. In general, we found this book insightful on how ad copy and back-cover blurbs are constructed to garnish the best conversion rate, enticing readers to read the sample pages. However, we also felt that the book was lacking on the specificity of "how" to write book blurbs. That said, we're also not sure how one might approach the teaching of the "how to write blurbs" other than showing "how to dissect existing blurbs". Regardless, members of our group now feel more confident on giving it a go, attempting to write their blurbs for the first time.
January 29, 2020
The best book I've read so far on how to write engaging book blurbs.
Reading this book opened my eyes to what really copy-writing is about. There are so many tricks in this book I had never thought about, and once I applied author Robert J. Ryan's suggestions on how to make a blurb come to life, they did!
This is an excellent resource for indie authors who take their business of writing serious. So I'm now working my way through the rest of his books.
Reading this book opened my eyes to what really copy-writing is about. There are so many tricks in this book I had never thought about, and once I applied author Robert J. Ryan's suggestions on how to make a blurb come to life, they did!
This is an excellent resource for indie authors who take their business of writing serious. So I'm now working my way through the rest of his books.
March 22, 2020
I picked this up book because I wanted to write better book blurbs. This book really delivered. Add on top of that the facebook group the author has, where he offers critiques of blurbs and what you have is in an invaluable resource that will you writer better copy for your books. I can't recommend this book enough.
November 3, 2019
Everything I hoped for and more.
An excellent discussion of the art/science of blurb writing. My existing blurbs are about to receive a makeover, and my new blurbs are going to be sweated over, now that I have a clue.
An excellent discussion of the art/science of blurb writing. My existing blurbs are about to receive a makeover, and my new blurbs are going to be sweated over, now that I have a clue.
September 21, 2021
I learned a lot…
I’ve always found blurb writing very intimidating. This book really helps to break it down and explain why certain techniques work. I found it really helpful and am in the process of improving my blurbs, one series at a time.
Thanks for the tips, Robert J Ryan.
I’ve always found blurb writing very intimidating. This book really helps to break it down and explain why certain techniques work. I found it really helpful and am in the process of improving my blurbs, one series at a time.
Thanks for the tips, Robert J Ryan.
April 30, 2025
I wish I had this book when I was sweating my blurb. This one will be on top of my handy book pile when working on a project. I read many books that helped me in my writing, but a lot of them were, ah, cool, I get it, whatever.
When I wrote my blurb, I had a different guide. It looked so professional, but I had trouble transferring the know-how to the blurb. Then I posted it for feedback, and immediately, people noted the overt advertising, and it irked them. Now I know why. With Ryan's book, I wouldn't have made those mistakes. What's more, I wouldn't have spent so much time making it work.
This was a joy to read. I loved the writing style, light, concise, and to the point.
When I wrote my blurb, I had a different guide. It looked so professional, but I had trouble transferring the know-how to the blurb. Then I posted it for feedback, and immediately, people noted the overt advertising, and it irked them. Now I know why. With Ryan's book, I wouldn't have made those mistakes. What's more, I wouldn't have spent so much time making it work.
This was a joy to read. I loved the writing style, light, concise, and to the point.
November 12, 2024
By far the best book blurb I've read! A must for any author of any genre—indie or traditionally published.
Insightful and full of buyer behaviors and the neuroscience behind them. Written in a casual manner like you were talking to your own book marketing coach.
Just wish there was information on how to write a nonfiction book blurb. Ironic since this is a nonfiction book. :)
I highly recommend this book because it has so much valuable information, not just for book blurbs but for other strategies you can use in all your book marketing efforts.
Insightful and full of buyer behaviors and the neuroscience behind them. Written in a casual manner like you were talking to your own book marketing coach.
Just wish there was information on how to write a nonfiction book blurb. Ironic since this is a nonfiction book. :)
I highly recommend this book because it has so much valuable information, not just for book blurbs but for other strategies you can use in all your book marketing efforts.
May 26, 2020
So helpful!
At first, I was worried this book would only tell me what NOT to do. I was wrong. It explained WHY common practices don’t work in the real world and gave plenty of examples. That was helpful. But, after that...wow! There were so many helpful tips and ideas! This is what I have been looking for - how to use copywriting in specific ways (but not in an arrogant, authoritarian tone that touts rules just because) to emotionally reach a prospective reader.
At first, I was worried this book would only tell me what NOT to do. I was wrong. It explained WHY common practices don’t work in the real world and gave plenty of examples. That was helpful. But, after that...wow! There were so many helpful tips and ideas! This is what I have been looking for - how to use copywriting in specific ways (but not in an arrogant, authoritarian tone that touts rules just because) to emotionally reach a prospective reader.
October 7, 2020
The reason so many of those formula books work is because people just want something that works laid out for them. X+Y= a great blurb. But that is not what Ryan does here. He gives tips for great copywriting and recommendation and tosses out the conventions. I struggled with this as it isn't a clear cut thing. But he has a solid Facebook group for feedback to put his recommendations into practice so I appreciate that.
January 16, 2021
Does what it says on the tin...
Hey, it’s copywriting, couldn’t help myself. The book is clear, concise, unpadded and has taught me what I needed to know to write my own book blurbs.
There’s no “quick fix formula” here, although those are sampled, discussed and discarded with good reason in favour of the AIDA approach.
If you want to understand how a blurb works, read the book.
Hey, it’s copywriting, couldn’t help myself. The book is clear, concise, unpadded and has taught me what I needed to know to write my own book blurbs.
There’s no “quick fix formula” here, although those are sampled, discussed and discarded with good reason in favour of the AIDA approach.
If you want to understand how a blurb works, read the book.
March 24, 2021
This is an amazing book, and it was exactly what I needed when I was stuck with writing my blurb. I learned so much from it! And it’s also very easy to read, because it’s beautifully written. You don’t find yourself reading a paragraph over and over again, trying to comprehend what the author meant (which happens sometimes when you’re learning something that you are not familiar with at all). Highly recommend it!
November 10, 2021
Excellent Insights into Book Blurb Writing
Copywriting is a fairly nebulous topic, as far as I’m concerned. There are a lot of nuances to it and a lot to remember and try to pull together. The author does a great job of deconstructing what makes a good blurb. To the point that I felt I actually understand it. I loved the summary chapters at the end, where he pulls all the elements together.
Copywriting is a fairly nebulous topic, as far as I’m concerned. There are a lot of nuances to it and a lot to remember and try to pull together. The author does a great job of deconstructing what makes a good blurb. To the point that I felt I actually understand it. I loved the summary chapters at the end, where he pulls all the elements together.
December 23, 2021
A crucial book for authors
This book raises an important issue for authors who have finished a book and need to raise interest in that book. It is comprehensive in it's scope it shows practical examples and gives an insight into marketing. It is well written and we'll structured the only downside is that he calls readers 'prospects instead of readers. It is dehumanizing. On the whole, I would recommend this book to anyone who is embarking on publishing a book.
This book raises an important issue for authors who have finished a book and need to raise interest in that book. It is comprehensive in it's scope it shows practical examples and gives an insight into marketing. It is well written and we'll structured the only downside is that he calls readers 'prospects instead of readers. It is dehumanizing. On the whole, I would recommend this book to anyone who is embarking on publishing a book.
October 22, 2023
I’m enthused!
Writing blurbs has always been one of my least favourite writer tasks.During reading this book I revised all four of mine and can’t stop coming up with ideas on how to improve them. It’s like a mini version of my main writing process but backed now with the knowledge. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert yet, but the mists are clearing and I actually enjoy writing my blurbs now.
Writing blurbs has always been one of my least favourite writer tasks.During reading this book I revised all four of mine and can’t stop coming up with ideas on how to improve them. It’s like a mini version of my main writing process but backed now with the knowledge. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert yet, but the mists are clearing and I actually enjoy writing my blurbs now.
November 30, 2023
This IS the definitive guide
A clear, practical, step-by-step approach to guide authors on how to write an engaging blurb that will turn prospects into buyers and readers. Thank you, Robert Ryan. I look forward to also reading the next book re Unleashing Amazon Ads , because this material is the clear guidance that every indie author needs to create a successful writing career.
A clear, practical, step-by-step approach to guide authors on how to write an engaging blurb that will turn prospects into buyers and readers. Thank you, Robert Ryan. I look forward to also reading the next book re Unleashing Amazon Ads , because this material is the clear guidance that every indie author needs to create a successful writing career.
December 25, 2019
It was nice to see some different opinions expressed on the topic, and also to consider the absolute purpose of the blurb, because in the end it has only one job to do... Reminiscent of some of the great copywriting books, but a little light on some details. Absolutely worth reading if you want to sell more books? Why? It all starts with a story...
April 12, 2021
Brilliant and to the point. This books gives authors everything they need to understand what they need to write a blurb, from content to how to present it on Amazon. All authors should read it, but especially Indie authors. Highly recommend. I'll be refering to this a lot in the future until it is imprinted in my brain.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews