The blurb is often one of the last things we do when putting the finishing touches on our novels, but we should never forget just how important they are. Along with the cover design, the blurb is one of the very first things a reader sees of your book, and it can often sway their decision over whether or not to buy the book.

With this in mind, here are some top tips for writing a blurb.

Make it relevant. You don’t have long to grab a reader’s attention and persuade them to buy, so make sure you get all your salient points in. Don’t waffle.
Make it brief. See above. You need to give the reader enough that they feel they can make an informed decision over whether or not they’ll enjoy the book, but not so much they don’t bother to read through it properly in the first place.
Make it easy to read. This doesn’t just mean in terms of the content – it refers to the look of the blurb as well. Take care over your font and spacing.
Ask someone to write one for you. You don’t have to use what they come up with, but this can be a good exercise to see which points of your book they choose to include in their blurb.
Give the readers some information about the plot. If the story revolves around a key event, mention it. But don’t give too much away.
Highlight your main characters. You don’t need a full cast list in your blurb but a mention for your main characters makes sense.
Include the setting to give the blurb some context and a sense of place.
Leave the reader wanting more. Finish the blurb with a question or a suggestion of mystery to make readers want to carry on and find out more.

What are your tips for writing a blurb for your book?