Tolkiens childrens book classic, the hobbit, before watching the upcoming film trilogy by peter jackson with a first film premiere on december th, 2012. From the authors of the new york times bestselling parody the hunger pains, this fresh take on j. To each genre their own, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to writing book. Twelve top tips for writing an academic book blurb helen. The submitted blurbs will be judged by our team of query letter writers based on how effectively they hook readers, taking into account the writing style and the overall impression. My 4step process for writing a nonfiction book blurb that.
While tolkien is not my favorite writer by any means, this is my favorite novel of all times. Sep 21, 2017 and tolkiens writing does have its problems. But the poems are part of a story, the autobiography of frodo quixote, a wandering hobbit descended from days of old living in america. Twelve top tips for writing an academic book blurb helen kara. Are you an advisor whos thought about writing a book. How to write a back cover blurb for nonfiction pages. Start by studying some blurbs of books in your field.
Tolkien 18921973 was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing the hobbit, the lord of the rings and the silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. The vehicle which is going to take our reader on their blurb ride is usually the protagonist of our story. Bilbo baggins, an unambitious hobbit is unwillingly recruited as a burglar by a party of dwarves and sent on a most extraordinary adventure. While a fascinating book title is just half the battle of attracting a potential reader, an interesting blurb is a must. The book made me realize that i am too a very home person as bilbo at first is but, i.
One of the things short story writers dread is writing a blurb for a collection. Formatting your book blurb for amazon self publishing on. The hobbit is a tale of adventure, courage and camaraderie which is sure to delight readers of all ages. Here is the blurb from the back of the hobbit by j. One line of thought is that a wellwritten blurb will inspire the author to write a better book one that lives up to the hype of the back cover blurb, fulfilling the promise made to the reader. R tolkiens first published work, which was to be followed, over a decade later, by its sequel, the lord of the rings. It might include a phrase from the book with the voice of the main character. Keep in mind these ten key questions when crafting your blurb, and youll be well on the way to writing stellar copy that will have your readers hooked on your book before theyve even opened the cover. Tolkiens own children, the hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. You never know which reader, in which part of the world, will lay. The writing styles of each book are quite different. It was published on 21 september 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the carnegie medal and awarded a prize from the new york herald tribune for best juvenile fiction. Jan 10, 2020 a book blurb, or the book jacket description, summarizes the best part of your book in only 150 words yep.
An introduction to and summary of the novel the hobbit by j. My father read the book to me aloud, and i still remember laughing about the silly trolls who. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. On his 111th birthday he gives it to his cousin frodo. A well mannered hobbit named bilbo baggins, embarks upon a journey to take back a kingdom, and a very important jewel,with twelve dwarves, and a wizard named gandalf the grey. Mid book test hard final test hard quiztest generator.
It should introduce your main characters, give an insight on conflict, depict genre and arouse interest. A creative, easy method for students to cover the common core standard requiring narrative writing. If you think you have a book inside you, this is what you need to know. If youre an entrepreneur who has been through the ringer in life or business and willing to share, selfpublishing can be powerful. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat. Capturing the essence of your novel in a few short paragraphs is always going to be a challenge. The blurb should be in the same style as the rest of the book, for example.
Ten things you need to know about writing your book blurb. Jan 14, 2019 the blurb is a promotional description, found on the back of the book. Even so, it can be enjoyed by children of all ages. Can someone please give me a blurb for the book the hobbit. These are a good way of heightening the parts that would persuade the viewer. As the landscape becomes less hospitable and the group faces hunger, bad weather, and attacks from hostile creatures, bilbo often thinks fondly of home and questions his decision to come on this journey. He made the one ring its power it great, but the ring was taken away from him. Seldom has any book been so widely read and loved as j. You may be inspired to turn your blurb into a novel of your own one day. Authors will often just write a little miniversion of their book, outlining the story, rather than write a proper description that includes a real hook for pulling. Last week, i blogged about why i wrote and selfpublished my book write the crap out of it. Every single one of my blurbs includes a tag line, nonnegotiable. Simple and elegantly told with splendid narration you can almost hear tolkien reading this to his children from an old book, the hobbit is a timeless and jovial light read. This week, im going to tell you how i wrote the blurb for the book.
I do not lay claim to ownership of wattpad or any of its subsidiaries, this is only for educational purposes. Whether its your first or twentieth book, enticing a reader to buy your book relies on an eyecatching cover image as well as an intriguing blurb. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust jacket of a book, and are now found on web portals and news websites. Fiction book blurbs and nonfiction book blurbs congratulations. Aug 11, 2020 the project blurb starting september 22nd, 2012 will host a series of articles from experts, artists and fans why you should read j. My english isnt that good and it would be nice to have some help in writing this blurb for my book report. Tolkiens childrens adventure story would later become the natural prequel to his masterpiece the lord of the rings and the two works have become some what intertwined. Bilbo baggins is a hobbit, a halfling who lives in the shire, content with smoking his pipe, eating meals and lots of them, and peace and quiet. How to write the perfect blurb examples, formula, opening. The hobbit is the story of bilbos maturing from a seeker of warmth and comforts to a fighter, however humble, for the greater good. How to write a book blurb for fiction that sells not just. We know the marketing techniques that go into writing exceptional sales copy to sell your work.
Tolkiens childrens adventure story would later become the natural. During the preparations for the birthday party at the beginning of the lord of the rings. Either fortunately or unfortunately, theres no single correct way. Jul 17, 2019 topicbased blurbs include an authors bio that convinces the reader that the author is uniquely qualified to write the book. Although william shakespeare did not write actual books, he wrote 38 plays during his career as a playwright. The sequel to the parody of the sequel to the prequel to the lord of the rings. Buy more and save more with our book blurb writing volume discount that is designed to save you money. Twelve top tips for writing an academic book blurb. How to write a book blurb in 4 steps the opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic, says editor rebecca heyman for a lot of firsttime authors, i think theres an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the book s universe before the beginning of the actual story. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by smaug the. Writing the back cover blurb isnt the end of the world.
Its also optional in biography, quotation and anecdote collections, and sometimes lyric essay. The final paragraph usually sums up the book as a product. Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his entire life. Bilbo baggins lives a quiet, peaceful life in his comfortable hole at bag end.
The selfpublishing boom in 2010 influenced her decision to focus on editing, blurb work, and her own creative writing. Simple tips for formatting book blurb on kdp dashboard for. Chapters 2 through 10 depict bilbo, gandalf, and the dwarves traveling out of the hobbit lands toward the lonely mountain far to the east. Although it stemmed from stories he had been writing about his fictional world, middle earth, for a decade, the hobbit was j. One of the most iconic, beloved, and bestselling books of our time. On back covers of books there is usually a summary which attempts to get the reader interested.
Tolkien had used gnome in his earlier writing to refer to the second kindred of the high elvesthe noldor or deep. Tolkien this set of lesson plans consists of approximately 194 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other teaching materials. His earliest written plays included although william shakespeare did not write actual books, he wrote 38 plays during his career a. Though older readers may find that the book steers toward safety. Being able to write a good blurb for your book is an important skill to have, whether its for your website, a query to an editor or agent, or for your selfpublishing book. An impossible to resist, i want to read more book blurb designed to convert browsers to readers. People are like sea glass, the longer and harder they are tossed around, the more beautiful they are. Jul 25, 2020 whether you are writing for an online audience or trying to sell your book in a store, its important to entice your audience to read your story. The five s of blurb writing check these 5 awesome tips. Jrr tolkien describes the moment he was inspired to write the opening line of his middle earth saga in this 1968 interview, with footage showing. The authors bio is optional in memoir and autobiography since uniquely qualified is implicit. Each day, start to begin writing a book, first create an outline that clearly lays out the beginning.
Apr 01, 2020 often referred to as a book description, a blurb is a short piece, around 150 words, to promote your novel. The fellowship of the ring 2001, the elderly bilbo baggins is writing a memoir. The hobbit is the story of bilbo baggins, a hobbit who lives in hobbiton. You should have the following goals and ideas in mind. Before bilbo is really able to improve upon the situation, gandalf has invited himself to tea and when he arrives, he comes with a company of dwarves led by thorin. The hobbit was adapted in various forms, notably as an animated television movie 1977 and as a series of liveaction films 2012, 20 helmed by.
It shows us the ancient history to which characters in the lord of the rings look back, talk, rhyme and sing about. Bilbo lives in a hole because he is a hobbit one of a race of small, plump people about half the size of humans, with furry toes and a great love of good food and drink. A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. You find blurbs on the back cover of paperbacks, the inside back cover of a hardback, and on book description pages in online stores. Early rate through december 4 at least a few times a week i receive messages from people asking me how to write a book. Bilbo is quite content at bag end, near the bustling hobbit village of hobbiton, but one day his comfort is shattered by the arrival of the old wizard gandalf, who persuades.
Esme floyd hall is a writer who lives and works in brighton. These are a good way of heightening the parts that would persuade the. If you have a story youre itching to tell but dont feel confident in your writing, check out this guide to improving your writing. The hobbit book, by itself, woumore i personally really enjoyed the films and the extrapolations they took from tolkiens other works, besides the hobbit. An effective blurb is about more than just recounting a book s contents. I like to think of the hobbit as a childrens book written for adults.
His books have been translated into over 50 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide. When writing a novel, there are few selling tools as important as a solidly written book blurb. The silmarillion is actually tolkiens first book and also his last. The hobbit, or there and back again is a childrens fantasy novel by english author j. Small groups are provided with teacher selected artwork. The fellowship of the ring tells about the young hobbit s adventure to protect the ring at any cost. The book remains popular and is recognized as a classic in childrens literature. When a teacher or anyone else asks you to write a book summary, he or she is requesting that you read a book and write a short account that explains the main plot points, characters and any other important information in your own words. Formatting your book blurb for amazon self publishing on a. The hobbit or there and back again, is a very well written book following the adventures of bilbo baggins. Tolkien, a professor at oxford university at the time he began writing the book, said that it began from a single senseless sentence in a. Halfway throughout the journey, bilbo embarks upon a magic golden ring, which he stole, or earned from gollum. He enjoys a peaceful and pastoral life but his life is interrupted by a surprise visit by the wizard gandalf.
This wandering hobbit has become a surfer and a hard hit on the head during a wipeout sends him to a far away land and he embarks on the strange journey back to his home and the beach he came from. Sep 10, 2019 the book blurb, or the book description, is one of the most important marketing issues an author needs to address. Movies do this incredibly well in their trailers and descriptions, so it may be an idea to look at some popular movies and see how they do it. Twelve top tips for writing an academic book blurb impact. The hobbit was a brilliant written book with a great sense of adventure. It can actually be a good exercise as you write the book. But, if you have caught a potential readers attention, the blurb is what will sell your book and convert readers. How to write a blurb definition, examples, and more. Since its first publication in 1937 it has remained in print to delight each new generation of readers all over the world, and its hero, bilbo baggins, has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of fiction. If youre wondering how to do that and where to start, it involves penning multiple drafts, lots of cutting, losing your sanity, and planning your blurb with the help of these steps. The hobbit was originally intended for the pleasure of children and was, i understand, created with that purpose in mind. The hobbit summary the hobbit is the story of bilbo baggins, a hobbit who lives in hobbiton. Introduce the situation and characters in the case of a memoir, you are likely to be the main character. Tolkiens the hobbit is a hilarious sendup of middleearth, publishing just in time for the major motion picture release of the hobbit.
Bilbo baggins enjoys a comfortable life, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit hole in bag end. This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and. Tolkien the hobbit, or there and back again is a fantasy novel by english author j. Other specific plot elements and features in the hobbit that show similarities to beowulf include the title thief. Any submissions found to contain plagiarism will be disqualified. The hobbit is a wondrous tale of adventure and heroism set in the fantasy realm of middleearth. Aug 01, 2014 in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Some professionals advise writing the back cover blurb before even writing your. What the hobbit taught me about writing the write practice. To order presentationready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit. In this post we tell you how to write a book blurb for your short story collection. The dwarves are ruled by thror jeffrey thomas, the.
How to write a book blurb for your short story collection. This set of lesson plans consists of approximately 194 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other teaching materials. To begin writing a book, first create an outline that clearly lays out the beginning, middle and end, including chapter breaks if possible. Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout. He describes the fabulously wealthy dwarven kingdom of erebor and its relations with the human kingdom of dale and the wood elves ruled by thranduil. How to write a dazzling blurb for your childrens book. Each group is to work together to create a book blurb using their assigned artwork as the cover and this sheet of directions, suggestions, an. Bilbo is quite content at bag end, near the bustling hobbit village of hobbiton, but one day his comfort is shattered by the arrival of the old wizard gandalf, who persuades bilbo to set out on an adventure with a group of thirteen. Oct 18, 2018 writing a nonfiction book blurb isnt as difficult as some people make it out to be, but to write one that will sell your book, you must follow a proven system. Glenna offers writing workshops and is the creator of mastering the art of writing the catchy fiction book blurb for indieself published authors. R tolkien this blurb shows a clear blurb with text.
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