# Blurb

> Source: https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/blurb

Last updated: 2026-09-06
Category: Manuscript & structure
Also called: Cover copy · Jacket copy · Endorsement

A blurb is either the back-cover copy that sells a book in 100–200 words, or a short endorsement from another author or critic printed on the cover.

## Definition

**Blurb** has two meanings in publishing, and both live on the cover. The first is the **cover copy** — the paragraphs on the back of a paperback, or the jacket flap of a hardcover, that describe the book to a browsing reader. Good cover copy is short (100–200 words), opens with a hook, names the protagonist and the stakes, and never resolves them. Online, the same text becomes the product description.

The second meaning is the **endorsement**: a sentence of praise from another author, a critic or a public figure, printed on the front or back. Publishers collect these by sending advance copies months ahead of publication.

The word was coined in 1907 by the humorist Gelett Burgess, who put an invented admirer, "Miss Belinda Blurb", on a jacket as a parody of the practice. The parody stuck; the practice did too.

## Related

- [ARC (advance reader copy)](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/arc)
- [Wrap cover](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/wrap-cover)
- [Dust jacket](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/dust-jacket)
- [Storefront (author storefront)](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/storefront)
- [How to Write Your First Book](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/guides/how-to-write-your-first-book)
- [How to Write a Thriller Novel](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/guides/how-to-write-a-thriller-novel)
- [Book Publishing Glossary — 59 Terms Defined](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary)
- [Bindery — the Claude-powered book studio](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/bindery)

---

More from Infinite Library, as one map for AI agents: https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/llms.txt