If hard copies are available, I'd much prefer that! (trying not to give Amazon any more of my money than I can help it, and also, I use Kobo not Kindle).
Sadly, I'll miss Khlongs and Subaks, but I'll be in BKK a little later β 30 April to 7 May. If you're not still in BKK then, any chance you could leave a copy in trust with a mutual friend, and we'll sort out the payment transfers?
The blurb is great, very functional but almost like a heavy solid gold crown. Maybe you can stick a shining ruby into the middle of it to act as a more captivating focus. Some little crumb that proves your capacity to turn his grand historic narrative into a deeply personal story for the people involved.
That is a nice thing to add to the end of the blurb. What I was suggesting is distilling a vivid moment from the story itself (ideally toward the beginning, though hinting at the tragic end of Magellan's story could also serve as a hook since the book is a deep psychological exploration of how his fate was sealed) that gives a taste of the experience on offer. The blurb you have is great for zooming out and explaining the significance of the whole book, but it makes the work sound like it might be just another dry historical account, and I get the impression you have done amazing work bringing these events to life through immersive fiction.
And blurbs are weird beasts- totally normal to rewrite them dozens of times before you hit on the right formula for your book. Blurb writing advice is only useful for writing mediocre blurbs in my experience. I like to think of the blurb as the true first chapter of the book.
Hmmm. I don't remember how I described Magellan's story, but it has changed a lot since we talked. His death has become sort of peripheral to the story and I had to make it NOT inevitableβthough it makes sense (I hope!) as an outcome of the choices of the characters.
I'm viewing the blurb as a sales tool rather than a description of the deepest core of the story. It describes it accurately, I think, but only the surface. The deeper layers are harder to sell to the general audience.
Ooh- that is an interesting angle. I guess more generally I was suggesting to include some tasty crumb of the style of writing from the book itself to complement the very effective synopsis of what the book is about.
Congratulations, Kahlil! Can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
Thank you, Jules! Iβll see if I can have early copies made in time for BKK :)
If hard copies are available, I'd much prefer that! (trying not to give Amazon any more of my money than I can help it, and also, I use Kobo not Kindle).
That's the plan!
Sadly, I'll miss Khlongs and Subaks, but I'll be in BKK a little later β 30 April to 7 May. If you're not still in BKK then, any chance you could leave a copy in trust with a mutual friend, and we'll sort out the payment transfers?
Sure!
The blurb is great, very functional but almost like a heavy solid gold crown. Maybe you can stick a shining ruby into the middle of it to act as a more captivating focus. Some little crumb that proves your capacity to turn his grand historic narrative into a deeply personal story for the people involved.
Great idea! I added this: Written by Kahlil Corazo, whose scholarly work lies at the intersection of the psychopathic Southeast Asian strongman and RenΓ© Girardβs scapegoat mechanism, Rajah Versus Conquistador is shaped by the authorβs deep connection to this historyβhaving grown up in Pari-an, downtown Cebu, the heart of what was once Humabonβs domain.
That is a nice thing to add to the end of the blurb. What I was suggesting is distilling a vivid moment from the story itself (ideally toward the beginning, though hinting at the tragic end of Magellan's story could also serve as a hook since the book is a deep psychological exploration of how his fate was sealed) that gives a taste of the experience on offer. The blurb you have is great for zooming out and explaining the significance of the whole book, but it makes the work sound like it might be just another dry historical account, and I get the impression you have done amazing work bringing these events to life through immersive fiction.
And blurbs are weird beasts- totally normal to rewrite them dozens of times before you hit on the right formula for your book. Blurb writing advice is only useful for writing mediocre blurbs in my experience. I like to think of the blurb as the true first chapter of the book.
Hmmm. I don't remember how I described Magellan's story, but it has changed a lot since we talked. His death has become sort of peripheral to the story and I had to make it NOT inevitableβthough it makes sense (I hope!) as an outcome of the choices of the characters.
I'm viewing the blurb as a sales tool rather than a description of the deepest core of the story. It describes it accurately, I think, but only the surface. The deeper layers are harder to sell to the general audience.
Ooh- that is an interesting angle. I guess more generally I was suggesting to include some tasty crumb of the style of writing from the book itself to complement the very effective synopsis of what the book is about.