Saturday, March 5, 2011

Escape From Undermountain: Back Cover Blurb

Writing the back cover copy is harder than writing the book. Many hours of labor have gone into this text, and it's only 137 words. Thing is, that's probably too long. I'm going to let it rest for a while, come back with fresh eyes.

The purpose of the back cover copy is to sell the book. It needs to say what the book is about, but not actually tell the story. It has to introduce our hero, spark interest with some conflict and then offer a combination of synopsis and hype. Like a movie trailer. Here's how it reads as of today:


It's day six of the expedition. Danny Michaelson and five other teenagers are deep in the Canadian Rockies. For Danny, the journey is an escape from the troubles of home and his mother's stupid boyfriend. He marvels at the snowy peaks, starry night skies and Breyona Lewis' smile. 
But fun becomes fear. Shriekers hunt Danny and his friends, the chase forcing them far from the trail. Exhausted, they turn to face death... and find salvation in the form of an eight foot tall legend.
Big foot. 
They're alive, but learning the secret of Bigfoot has a price: freedom. Carried to a hidden city, told they may never leave, the hikers must rely on each other to fight their way free. To get home, Danny will have to go farther from home than anyone has ever gone. 

Don't hold me to that. It will probably change.

I would have gotten a lot more written on book 2 today if I hadn't spent so much time on that. However, I exceeded my daily quota, so the progress bar has ticked up again.