A Writer's Journey to Finding the Perfect Back Cover Blurb

How I learned to stop overthinking and trust my character's voice

Fellow writers, can we talk about blurbs for a moment? You know, that seemingly simple paragraph on the back of your book that's supposed to capture the essence of your 80,000-word + novel and make readers desperate to buy it? Yeah, that one. The one that looks so effortless when you read it on other books but feels impossible when you're staring at a blank page, trying to distill your soul into marketing copy.

I've been working on my fantasy romance Moonborn for years now. I've crafted a complex magic system, I've built an entire world, developed characters with deep psychological arcs, and somehow managed to weave together themes of trauma, healing, and spiritual awakening into what I hope is a compelling story. But the blurb? The blurb nearly defeated me.

The Perfectionist's Trap

It started innocently enough. My cover designer, Carmen Di Mauro, needed the back cover copy. Simple request, right? Just write a few paragraphs about your book. How hard could it be?

Spoiler alert: Very hard.

I must have written twenty different versions. Maybe thirty. I tried every angle I could think of:

• The mysterious, atmospheric approach

• The action-packed, high-stakes version

• The romantic, swoon-worthy angle

• The philosophical, theme-heavy approach

Each time, something felt off. Too generic. Too revealing. Not me enough. Not Moonborn enough.

The problem wasn't that I didn't know my story—I knew it intimately. The problem was that I was trying to translate something deeply personal into marketing language. It felt like trying to capture the ocean in a teacup.

The Voice That Changed Everything

After countless drafts and more than a few moments of wanting to give up entirely, I had a breakthrough when a fellow indie-author suggested: What if you stop trying to write about Laïna and start letting her tell her own story? That shift from third person to first person changed everything:"She was property" became "I am property. That's all I've ever been" Suddenly, the blurb had a heartbeat. It had Laïna's voice—raw, honest, determined. It wasn't marketing copy anymore; it was her truth.

So, here's what I learned through this process: sometimes the best marketing isn't marketing at all. It's authenticity. When I stopped trying to sound like other fantasy books and started sounding like Moonborn, everything clicked. The blurb that finally worked wasn't the most polished or the most clever—it was the most true.

Your story has its own voice. Your characters have their own way of speaking. Trust that. Trust them. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is get out of your own way and let your story speak for itself.

For My Fellow Writers

If you're struggling with your blurb right now, here's my advice:

• Stop trying to include everything. Focus on the emotional core.

• Don't worry about hitting every marketing beat. Worry about capturing the essence.

• Try writing in your protagonist's voice. See what happens.

• Remember that "good enough" that feels authentic is better than "perfect" that feels hollow.

The blurb is just the doorway, Your story is the house. Readers who are meant to find your book will recognize something in whatever you write—even if it doesn't feel perfect to you.

The Final Version

After all that struggle, here's where I landed:

...

Some dreams are memories. Some loves span lifetimes. And some truths require the courage to shatter everything you thought you knew about yourself.

I am property. That's all I've ever been. Born in chains. Worthless. Powerless. Invisible. In Bronich, darkness reigns, and even the barest whisper of magic is punishable by death. So, I've learned to stay quiet. To expect nothing. Survive. Until I saw something I wasn't supposed to see. A murder that forced me to flee. Right into the forgotten world of Reā.

Here, I thought I'd be free. Instead, I find every truth I know to be a lie; my soul is tethered; my dreams are not my own. At night, I live through the eyes of a woman I've never seen, love with a heart that isn't mine, and awaken with the phantom touch of hands that know my body better than I know myself.

Everyone I meet seems determined to keep me from learning why. But I'm done being powerless. Done being invisible. I will reclaim what was stolen from me.

Moonborn, book one, is a spellbinding fantasy romance of stolen souls, found family, and discovering that the greatest freedom lies in choosing your own destiny.

...

Is it perfect? Probably not. Does it capture the soul of Moonborn? I believe it does. And sometimes, that's enough. The blurb that nearly broke me taught me something valuable about both writing and life: authenticity will always triumph over perfection. Trust your voice. Trust your story. Trust that the right readers will find you.

What's your biggest writing struggle right now? Share in the comments—I'd love to hear about your journey and maybe we can help each other through the tough moments.

Annaïa xx