First, just in case any of you are blurry about this, I'll clarify what we're talking about. A pitch or blurb is basically the paragraph you have that entices the reader (agent/editor) to know more about your book. Technically, the pitch is the verbal delivery of this (at a conference, for example), while the blurb is the short written description which you'd find on the back of the book.

Blurbs for YA novels can be found in first and third person. The first person blurb is used to capture a distinct voice, even though the text is, generally, not directly taken from the first person narrative.

Example: 'The Sky is Everywhere,' by Jandy Nelson.

What's wrong with me?

What kind of girl wants to kiss every boy at a funeral, wants to maul a guy in a tree after making out with her (dead) sister's boyfriend the previous night? Speaking of which, what kind of girl makes out with her sister's boyfriend, at all? .

Lennie Walker - sisterless, lasagna maker, Heathcliff-obsessed and hopelessly in love...

A blurb may also start with a first person quote taken directly from the book, followed by the third person pitch.

However, if you're writing a blurb as part of your query letter to send to an agent, I'd probably avoid the first person. Otherwise, if you're posting your book on Wattpad or self-publishing, any of these three formats is a viable option.

So, whether you're writing your blurb in first person or third person, it needs to achieve several things. Firstly, you need to grab your reader's interest. The first couple of lines should give a clear idea of what the story's about as well as pointing to a strong source of conflict or tension.

Let's look at a few examples of the blurb opening lines taken from several best-selling YA novels.

'Forgotten' by Cat Patrick: 'Here's the thing about me: I can see my future in flashes, like memories. But my past is blank.'

We know straight away what the character's main source of conflict in this story is going to be. She can only remember her future, not her past. This is such a strong source of internal conflict it is immediately intriguing and makes us want to know more

'Twenty Boy Summer' by Sarah Ockler.

'For sixteen-year-olds Anna Reiley and Frankie Perino, their twenty day-long, minimally supervised California vacation will be the 'Absolute Best Summer Ever' and according to Frankie, if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance that Anna will get her first real boyfriend.'

In my opinion, this sentence is a bit long for the opening blurb line, but it does tell us straight away that this is going to be a story of teenage girls on vacation in California, with a large amount of freedom and a goal to meet boys. The main conflict is hinted in the idea that Frankie wants Anna to get her first real boyfriend. This is interpersonal conflict (i.e. between two people) because it suggests that maybe Ana doesn't want her first real boyfriend, or maybe she's already got/ had one and doesn't want Frankie to know.

'Perfect Chemistry', Simone Elkeles.

'When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created "perfect" life is about to unravel before her eyes.'

From this we know that Brittany has gone to a lot of effort to create a seemingly perfect appearance which is about to come crashing down. Definitely internal conflict!

'Incarceron', by Catherine Fish

'Imagine a living prison so vast that it contains corridors and forests, cities and seas.

An enormous, living prison is immediately intriguing and the conflict is innate. A prison implies prisoners, and a prisoner is going to want to escape.

So the opening line or two of your blurb needs to indicate what your story is going to be about and hint at the main conflict.

Another way you can think of this is to write a one/ two sentence mini pitch (or elevator pitch) that somehow expresses how everything in your story is not what it seems:

For example, if I was going to rewrite the opening sentence of the blurb for 'Twenty Boy Summer' showing that all is 'not what it seems,' I could go with this.

Anna's best friend Frankie is determined to get Anna her first boyfriend while they're on holiday this summer. But Ana never told Frankie that she's already had a serious boyfriend - Frankie's older brother, right before his tragic death last year.

Let's try this with the opening to the pitch for fantasy novel 'Incaceron':

For hundreds of centuries only one man has ever escaped the vast living prison of forests, cities and seas, known as Incaceron. But seventeen-year-old prisoner Finn, is convinced he came from the Outside.

A one or two sentence elevator pitch, may or may not be useful for the start of your blurb, but it can be a great way of helping to identify what is the main conflict of your story and how to start conveying it to your potential reader in a short space of time

Note: Avoid introducing more than two characters' names in your pitch. You will confuse your reader. (It's fine to use boyfriend, best friend, brother etc instead of a first name.)

Once you've hinted at the central conflict and direction of your story, your pitch needs to convey a sense of character, situation and more detail on the story's conflict. Let's break this down with Sarah Dessen's blurb for 'The Truth about Forever'.

First Line: On the outside, Macy Queen is cool and calm. On the inside, she's breaking.

This is a first line hook which you don't necessarily need, but it's pretty much the elevator pitch I was suggesting you try writing. It suggests the main conflict - Macy's state of mind and shows us all is not what it seems.

Line 2: Silently struggling with her dad's death, and spending the summer apart from her oh-so-perfect boyfriend, Macy is smiling her way through - she's 'fine'.

This line delves deeper into Macy's life - we learn more about what's wrong with her and why inside she's breaking. We get a sense of her character and the tone of the book with words like oh-so-perfect boyfriend and smiling her way through.

Line 3: It's only when she meets a group of new friends - and artistic, sexy Wes catches her eyes - that she realizes she can wear her heart on her sleeve sometimes.

This line introduces the inciting incident or catalyst that's going to propel the character into new territory and areas of conflict. There will be new friends and the gorgeous Wes to contend with. And she'll be changing, realizing she can be more open.

Line 4: Because life doesn't stop when someone disappears - and even though she's lost so much, can Macy see what she has to gain?

The final line shows us what's at stake for Macy. Can she move beyond her grief? What does she stand to lose if she doesn't resolve the things that are tearing her apart inside?

This is your classic blurb - Hook, Set-up introducing the main character and their situation, inciting incident that propels them into conflict and what will happen if they don't resolve the conflict.

Not all blurbs are quite as neat. Nor do they have to be to still work.

Let's Take a Look at Jandy Nelson's, 'The Sky is Everywhere.'

First Sentence: What's wrong with me?

This is an unusual way to grab the reader. The main character feels there's something wrong with her and we're going to read to find out what. It's also very relatable. I think I asked myself that question a million times when I was Lennie's age.

Second Line: What kind of girl wants to kiss every boy at a funeral, wants to maul a guy in a tree after making out with her (dead) sister's boyfriend the previous night?

Here we get more angst and conflict. This is a main character who is questioning herself, who is having a weird reaction to her grief and the loss of her sister, who feels guilty for kissing her dead sister's boyfriend, and confused - because she really wants a different guy. The set-up, the inciting incident and the growing complications and conflict are all mixed up. But in this line we have a strong sense of character, and a good idea of what the internal and external conflict are going be.

Line 3: Speaking of which, what kind of girl makes out with her sister's boyfriend, at all

This line doesn't actually give us any new plot information, at all. Instead it's all about the character's voice.

Line 4: Lennie Walker - sisterless, lasagna maker, Heathcliff-obsessed and hopelessly in love...

This blurb doesn't end with consequences or what Lennie stands to lose or gain. It sums up the conflicts - her sister's death, and her love-life - which we already know about. This last sentence is all about personality. We read between the lines to understand that Lennie's going to have to figure out how to live without her sister and accept her life still goes on. This blurb does not spell out that Lennie will have to chose between her darker, grieving relationship with the boy that in some ways is keeping her sister alive, and the brighter, healthier relationship with a boy that can help her move into the future.

And finally, here's the blurb for my wattpad YA fantasy, "Shadow Weaver". Blurbs for books set in the future or in fantasy worlds are often a little longer to include the world-building, but as a general rule I strongly recommend keeping your blurb under 250 words, even with the world-building!

Sixteen-year-old Mirra can see people's memories. She is a Shadow Weaver, one of the outlawed, glitter-eyed race feared in her land and forced into brutal slavery as children. (These first two sentences set-up the protagonist and her main conflict - she is an outlaw because of her special abilities. It also hints at the kind of world she lives in.)

She and her brother Kel have escaped their fate by hiding near the frozen mountains. (This sets up the situation.)

But when bounty hunters snatch Kel, Mirra injured and unable to track long distances will lose him unless she gives herself up to his captors. As a Shadow Weaver who's survived childhood and whose golden-flecked irises have faded, concealing her talent, Mirra's own value is priceless on the black-market. (Here we have the inciting incident in the first sentence, along with world building explanation in the second.)

Taken to a lawless town in the northern territories, Mirra's captors sell her to a mysterious young man destined for the same province as the officer who has bought her brother. The young man is the Kingdom's missing Prince, feared dead after his escort was attacked on an expedition. He has been in hiding, waiting for a Shadow Weaver whose skill he can use to discover who ordered his assassination. (These three sentences show increasing conflict - Mirra won't just be a slave, but a slave to a Prince someone is trying to kill, and it's going to be up to her to find out who... a dangerous situation to be put in.)

But before he (the Prince) will risk breaking his father's law and taking Mirra to the royal court, he must test her talent and her ability to hide it. If Mirra fails, her hopes of seeing her brother again will be cut by the noose around her neck. (Here we have Mirra facing a test and the deadly consequences of what will happen if she fails.)

As you can see, my fantasy blurb focuses on external conflict, rather than internal conflict. This is often the case with fantasy and sci-fi stories where including the world-building you may find (like me) you just don't have the space to introduce the main character's internal conflict. However, the more types of conflict your blurb can show, (without confusing your reader) the better!

Your blurb is a great tool for making sure the foundations of your book are holding together. It can (and probably should) be written and rewritten during the drafting and revising process. Your blurb is something you're going to need no matter whether you're looking to find readers on Wattpad, self-publish or get an agent. It's worth spending time on. Read the blurbs on the back of your favourite books. Break down what they're doing. Let them inspire you. Don't let your blurb sit around on its backside doing nothing to entice readers to your story!

Hope this helps!

Got a question? Please leave it in the comments and I'll answer you ASAP.

PLEASE NOTE: All of my examples are from YA novels because this is what I write and what I read a lot of. Other genres may have different trends, but the basic principles are the same.

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THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO JESSGIRL93 BECAUSE HER STORY THE BAD BOY'S GIRL WAS THE FIRST STORY I READ ON WATTPAD AND GOT ADDICTED TO!