THE BLURB-(THE FIRST 30 SECONDS)

It would be wonderful as a writer if all that I had to do is write. If after the book was completed I could hand it off to a team of people to market the "best story ever written" all the way to the top. But alas, those are dreams because I'm not J.K Rowling who has her own story to tell.

I've read that a potential book buyer takes about 30 seconds or less to decide if they want to buy and read a book. I was also shocked to find (Total percentage of books started but not finished) 57%- www.statisticbrain.com/reading-statistics/

Truth be told, most writers are one man or woman shows. We do it all. Write, edit, write, edit, and then market, market, market. Imagine for a moment that you own a store with all of the merchandise in the back, nothing on the showroom floor.  Or everything on the floor is poorly displayed. 

Welcome to the blurb or 30 seconds to buy or bust. I recommend "How to Write a Sizzling Synopsis" by Bryan Cohen. It is a great tool for writers. It makes a writer think about their book which is their product. We become marketing people trying to softly persuade strangers that our product is entertaining. They will enjoy it. Why shouldn't they? We've only invested months or years of our lives. 

The reader, just like the moviegoer, is not interested in the behind the scenes nonsense. "Entertain me and damn it you better be good," they say.

Below is a sample of the blurb from THEY TRY TO THINK LIKE US, the original and then the re-write.

Tell me which you prefer.

                                                  #they try to think like,#writing a blurb,#the blurb,#bryan cohen,#robert stephen,#writing,#novelist,#write a book

---

1st.
Teresa, Larry, and Steve, three young people begin their careers at TechnoSunland, the fourth largest corporation in the US. However, for the millennials, it is not at all, what they expected. Soon they uncover a vicious scheme by the company's CEO, which will cost millions of people their lives. They also find out a secret he is not human. 

Scientists argue that machines would automatically know and care about human values, which would not pose a threat to man's well-being.

Others argue vehemently that Artificial Intelligence will want to wipe out the human race, either out of revenge or out of the core desire for survival. 

Teresa, Larry, and Steve must choose between the age-old question of survival- fight or flight.

Re-Write
Remember the first real job. With it came excitement, hope, high ideals. Imagine going to work for the fourth largest corporation in the United States only to find out it is all "smoke and mirrors."

What would you do if you discovered a plot that will cost millions of people their lives? If the people around you are not who you thought they were. Teresa, Larry, and Steve, young idealistic millennials, are catapulted into an "Alice in Wonderland," world. Nothing makes sense, but everything is deadly.

Scientists vehemently argue that Artificial Intelligence will know and care about human values. Others say AI will want to wipe out the human race.  

Teresa, Larry, and Steve must choose between the age-old question of survival. Fight or flight.