blurbs

BSBBConnection now open to ALL genres of fiction!

Posted by Redhead on February 20, 2013
Posted in: blurbs, we love books!. 3 comments

Bookstore Bookblogger is now open to all genres of fiction!  Yes, it’s true!

If you roll over the Books tab near the top of the page you’ll see a handful of genres.  I’ll be going through our current library to see what needs to be moved, and all new submissions will go into a genre page. the genre list isn’t an end all be all, it was just came to mind while I was building the page.

If you visit the “I’m a Book Blogger!” page, you’ll find a new question asking you the genre of your book.  Most books fit into more than one (or two or three) genres, so just choose the best you can and don’t worry about it.  I’ve I got a bunch of Patrick Ness in YA/MG, and you select Scifi/fantasy, I’ll most likely put it with the other Ness titles.  the genre menu isn’t something to stress over.

allow me to say that again: don’t stress over the genre menu. it’s there because I needed to split things up in some way to make blurbs easier to find, not because I’m all for categorizing the YA scif-fantasy thriller romance you just finished.

why the change?  A handful of reasons, including:

  •  It was agreed we should make this service available to as many bookstores as possible, regardless of how many scifi/fantasy titles they have on the shelf
  • It was agreed we should invite as many bloggers to participate as possible, regardless of how many scifi/fantasy titles they review (or even enjoy)
  • the ladies who run BSBBConxn are lunatics and enjoy biting off more than they can chew.

that said, let’s get this BIGGER book blurb party started!

comments? questions? let us know!

A few updates & stats

Posted by Redhead on January 27, 2013
Posted in: blurbs, News, we love books!. 8 comments

Random stats:

We have over 50 participating bloggers.  that’s awesome, you guys rock my world!

We have over 400 blurbs for I have no idea how many titles.  I’d love to get to a thousand by this summer.

Our most blurb’d authors are Philip K. Dick and Brandon Sanderson.  Our most blurb’d titles are Redshirts, by John Scalzi, and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

 

 

Because I’m addicted to biting off more than I can chew, I’m thinking of opening this thing up to all fiction, not just Scifi/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction. what do ya’ll think. Should I do it?

 

Update:  Most of the  blurbs that are submitted are the perfect length – a few sentences or less. I’ve made a handful of shelftalkers, and really,  more than few sentences is all that’s gonna fit. Also, shorter is better.  If you submit a blurb that is too long for me to use, I reserve the right edit it down by using one or two complete sentences or uses elipses between fragments.  Also, if your blurb has any swear words in (yes, I know, that book really was fucking awesome!), I’ll probably use all sorts of fun characters to fix your  four letter #$&% words. These shelf talkers are gonna be in bookstores, and like, kids go there ‘n stuff.  Cool?

What makes a great blurb?

Posted by Redhead on September 30, 2012
Posted in: blurbs. Leave a Comment

Going through your reviews, looking for blurbable material? It ain’t easy.  A great blurb is like the perfect TV commercial – it’s got mere seconds to gain and keep your attention, and it’s designed to make you want to learn more.   Like and earworm, it gets in your brain and you can’t stop thinking about it.  A great blurb can be a fragment of a sentence, a full sentence, or even two fragments from different part of a paragraph, connected with ellipses.  The shorter the better, but it should still have some specific info about the book.

Here are but a few examples of some excellent blurbs we recently had submitted, they are short and sweet, and make me really want to read these books!   Click on the blog name under the blurb to visit their site and read the full review.

 

For The Skybound Sea, by Sam Sykes:

“From the truly amazing first chapter, to the glorious final battle that spans countless pages, the action and wittiness that is Sykes’ hallmark never lets up.”

Zcreed

For Tomorrow the Killing by Daniel Polansky

“Tomorrow the Killing is a vicious and bloody tale that grabs you by the throat and pulls you along for the ride. The world is dark, and the characters darker still. A must read that will have you hooked from page one; just remember to come up for air now and again”

Mithril Wisdom

For The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

“I read the last page and grinned at my paperback copy because the last few paragraphs fix everything and make me desperate to read the next in the series.”

AQs Reviews

For Miserere by Teresa Frohock

“A mesmerizing dark fantasy that showcases Frohock’s admirable talent as a writer, Miserere is an utterly compelling tale and pleasure to read. If you are a fan of dark, beautifully written fantasy, set in a fascinating world and featuring well developed characters, then I would suggest you get your hands on a copy of Frohock’s debut as soon as possible.”

The Ranting Dragon

 

For Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

“Good Omens is wonderfully written. Each sentence is beautifully crafted, dripping with a sense of humour that is as outrageously funny as it is intelligent.”

Green Paw-Paw

 

For Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

“Sarah Zettel is able to blend together the genres of fantasy and historical fiction to create a story that brings to life what it was like to grow up in the Dust Bowl and to experience racial tensions during that time. Her story is filled with magic and music, and is another perfect example of what YA literature should be.”

Books Without Any Pictures

For The Alchemist in the Shadows by Pierre Pevel

“Definitely hard to resist with its combination of action, dark magic, intrigue, a touch of humor and bloodshed all set in the decadent splendor of 17th century Paris.”

The Ranting Dragon