Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.
How to blurb a book
Published 2 days ago • 7 min read
The Manuscript Works Newsletter
Essential knowledge on scholarly book publishing that every author should have
Hello Manuscript Workers!
Do you know what a book blurb is? You've probably read countless blurbs even if you didn't know what they were called. A book blurb is essentially a very brief review or endorsement that is printed on a book's jacket or just inside it. Blurbs may also be included in promotional materials like publisher catalogs, webpages, and online retail sites.
As an author, you may be asked by your publisher to help secure blurbs for your book. You'll want to ask people whose opinions would carry weight with your intended readers. Even if they don't have a very well-known name, a blurber should have some credential that could quickly communicate their standing to comment on the value of your book. For example, I am sometimes asked to provide blurbs for books about scholarly writing, editing, and publishing (such as this one and this one). This is my area of expertise, but even if someone doesn't already know that about me, it's easily discernible from my byline, which usually reads something like "Laura Portwood-Stacer, author of The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors."
Authoring a book serves as proof of your expertise on a topic. For this reason, your invitations to blurb other books will likely increase after you publish your own.
If you find yourself needing to write a book blurb in the future, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Keep it short. There's not a lot of real estate on a book jacket or catalog page. I personally aim for 1-2 sentences in my blurbs.
Actually read the book if you can. You'll want to give an authentic, specific endorsement because vague or generic praise isn't likely to motivate potential readers. If you don't feel you can genuinely endorse the book after reading it, drop a quick note to the publisher as soon as possible so they can line someone else up.
Remember that the point of your blurb is to draw readers in, so think about what someone would want to know when deciding whether reading a book is worth their time. I always try to cover (1) who I think would most benefit from reading the book, (2) how the author approaches the subject matter, and (3) specific features that readers are likely to find valuable or unique within the book's contents.
Here's an example from a brand new book I was asked to blurb in 2025:
"With its honest and encouraging tone, creative exercises, and memorable takeaways based in the wisdom of Tiya Miles and her rich scholarly community, Camp Dissertation is not only a welcome resource for dissertation writers, but also a vibrant model of generous mentorship in the academy." -- Laura Portwood-Stacer, author of The Book Proposal Book and Make Your Manuscript Work
Camp Dissertation by Tiya Miles, National Book Award-winning author and the Michael Garvey Professor of History at Harvard University
If you're still working on your first book, you may not need to write a blurb for a while. Save this newsletter and come back to it when the time comes. Or, go ahead and get some practice now by using my blurb formula to write an Amazon review for a book you love. Online reviews are so important to help new readers discover a book. (If you'd like to practice on The Book Proposal Bookor Make Your Manuscript Work, I'd be exceedingly grateful!!)
I'd like to use the rest of this newsletter to celebrate many other new books that came out in 2025. Many of the books below are by scholars who have completed my Book Proposal Accelerator at some point in the last six years. I'm so proud to have supported these authors and see their books finally come into the world. Other titles here are by writers who have simply benefited from reading this newsletter or my books or attending one of my online workshops.
If you have a book coming out in 2026 that you'd like to see featured in this newsletter, shoot a message to support@manuscriptworks.com with your cover image and publisher website link. Bonus points if you share a sentence or two about which Manuscript Works resources helped you and how.
I hope you'll find this collection inspiring for your own publishing goals in 2026. And if you'd like some help along the way, you know where to find me.
2025 books by Manuscript Works clients and readers
Congratulations to all these authors on such a huge accomplishment in 2025!
And of course, I have to wrap up the list by sharing for the umpteenth time that my own new book, Make Your Manuscript Work came out this year. If you're currently working on a scholarly manuscript that you want to ensure is good enough to publish, do check it out. It also makes a great gift for a friend you want to support in achieving their publishing dreams or a frenemy you want to passive-aggressively remind that they haven't submitted their manuscript yet. Either way, I hope it helps!
This newsletter is coming to you from Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD, professional developmental editor and publishing consultant. I help scholarly writers navigate the book publishing process with more ease and agency.
I hope you'll stick around for practical tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book, but if you'd like to adjust your subscription settings, you can do that at the bottom of this message.
Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.