Back Cover Blurb!

[Herman Munster]

They asked for 300 word synopsis for the back cover plus an author bio.
1] I am boring,
2] I use a pseudonym, even worse
3] I want them in the book, not into me.

I wrote 337 word synopsis and from the best I can read it, fine print, lousy eyes, they never edited it. What do you guys think of this for my back cover??

******************

Words 337

Even amongst specials, they call us SPECIAL!

[Back cover word synopsis]

T1 covert spec ops team is as perfect as they get. They have a history that exceeds seven years of being together. During that time they have never failed to complete a mission, nor have they been forced to call for assistance for the extraction on completion. There are always several ways in and several ways out. Not today, they get to the plane at the designated time, or they miss out and have to cross country home again.

There have been times when all the intel they were given has not turned out to be correct and the victim, whoops, target, is not in the right place, at the right time or some other parameter was not valid. In these rare cases, our team has stayed to intel gather and rejig plans so that the next team who comes through will have a better chance to complete with much better data.

This time their insertion is unconventional to say the least. In an attempt to have them arrive without other countries and secret services noticing, they are parachuted in. This has to be done well above commercial air space limits, 45,000 feet, much higher in fact. The ‘space suits’ they are given were a rush job and two things are very special about them. They have astonishingly low air resistance assisting them to plummet towards earth at 400 mph, but also they have virtually no metal on them so conventional radar cannot see them. Here’s hoping.

In position to assassinate the Lieutenant Colonel who is imminently due to commence a coup d’etat, not everything goes as planned. Another contracting team is in town and doesn’t the fur and bullets fly over that.

We leave town, head due south, as the vulture flies, to an old airstrip ten degrees east of due south. Never leave your windows down when you are pursued and attacked by Spotted Hyena.

You would think that making it to the airstrip before their pickup plane arrives would work out perfectly, wouldn’t you?

[Herman Munster]

I want to paste my cover in here to get opinions and crits on the three diff cover versions.
Two are PDF format. Can I upload these to the thread? If so, how? Duh! Mr Green here. I use the PDF tool Foxit but have yet get the hang of it. I cna read destructions but have yet to see and
The third cover is a simple jpg cover file, same deal, can I post it to the thread and if so, how so?

I am sure you kind folks out there WILL tell me where to go and what to do, I have no idea, clearly. If the PDF has to be converted to get it displayed in a thread here, I need detail instructions on how to do that. Currently I can't even open if for editing purposes, let alone display. Any and all assistance would be greatly appreciated.

The above post is the 300 word syn for the back cover. It is 337 words. They never complained nor edited any words in it. I am rather proud of the piece since it basically asks questions to follow but gives nothing away as to the true plot and action that is to follow.

Any and all comments on the 337 w0rds will be greatly appreciated as usual!

[Susan B]

Herman, I don't think it matters if it's a PDF or Jpeg file (I may be wrong?)

Just create a new album in your profile, upload the pic from your computer and then copy and paste the 'BB code' (displayed beneath the uploaded pic) into you post here.

Good luck with all this- very exciting stuff!

[Herman Munster]

Thank you kindly Susan. I am too dog tired to do so now, but I shall come and review the detail on the morrow and see if I can get it up and then proudly display them all here for a discussion. I am rather pleased with the final resault. Exactly what I wanted and we have achieve it. Dying to show all!

It will handle the JPG but can't handle the PDF, nevr mind1 I got one there in Pubic!

[Susan B]

They asked for 300 word synopsis for the back cover plus an author bio.
What do you guys think of this for my back cover??

Even amongst specials, they call us SPECIAL!

I would lose the exclamation point.

[Back cover word synopsis]

T1 covert spec ops team is as perfect as they get. They have a history that exceeds seven years of being together. During that time they have never failed to complete a mission, nor have they been forced to call for assistance for the extraction on completion. There are always several ways in and several ways out. Not today, they get to the plane at the designated time, or they miss out and have to cross country home again. I don't understand this line- what goes wrong today?

There have been times when all the intel they were given has not turned out to be correct and the victim, whoops, target, this is quite jokey and light-hearted- it seems out of place here because it doesn't seem like that kind of book to me- or am I wrong? is not in the right place, at the right time or some other parameter was not valid. In these rare cases, our team has stayed to intel gather and rejig plans so that the next team who comes through will have a better chance to complete with much better data. You've changes POV here.

This time their insertion is unconventional to say the least. ( I love this line!)In an attempt to have them arrive without other countries and secret services noticing, they are parachuted in. This has to be done well above commercial air space limits, 45,000 feet, much higher in fact. The ‘space suits’ they are given were a rush job and two things are very special about them. They have astonishingly low air resistance assisting them to plummet towards earth at 400 mph, but also they have virtually no metal on them so conventional radar cannot see them. Here’s hoping. ( These last few lines are starting to sound a bit like a manual, explaining too much. Are the suits an important part of the story? I would try and cut it a bit shorter...In a daring attempt at stealth, they parachute in from well above commercial air space limits, plummeting towards Earth at 400mph wearing experimental....la-di-da you get it. )

In position to assassinate the Lieutenant Colonel who is imminently due to commence a coup d’etat, not everything goes as planned. Another contracting team is in town and doesn’t the fur and bullets fly over that. I love this until the 'fur and bullets' bit. It gives it a casual, conversational tone, making me wonder whether this is a bit of a 'spoof' spec ops book. From all that you have said before, I don't think it is, so this is a little confusing.

We leave town, head due south, as the vulture flies, to an old airstrip ten degrees east of due south. Never leave your windows down when you are pursued and attacked by Spotted Hyena.

You would think that making it to the airstrip before their pickup plane arrives would work out perfectly, wouldn’t you?

Herman, just a few of my thoughts. You're well ahead of me so please feel free to ignore anything you like. Good luck!

[Herman Munster]

Susan, I don't want to ignore you in the least. I just love your compliments and see the value in your precise crits. I will revise and manage my natural humorous nature.

First: What goes wrong today? That is the climax to the book. The final scene at the airstrip carries a lot of action and devastation that may break a heart or two. Keeping the detail out of the SYN just gets the reader to read the book, hopefully.

Second: 'victim, whoops, target'.
Point taken, I will adjust that.

Third: POV, understood.

Fourth: The suits and insertion occupy the first four chapters of twelve and the suits, unique and custom built for each team member are not ideally set up for what the team actually has to do. Yes they are frictionless. Human body terminal velocity is 128 mph, these fly at 400 mph, head first straight down.

Fifth: 'fur and bullets' Okay, I will revise that, take it more serious, a new sentence after 'is in town'

Your thorts do 'show' me errors that now seem obvious. Thank you for the effort. I will revise over the next coupla days. Spent three days in hosp last week, two trips. Old war wounds acting up. Not really, but it sounds better than the dead pancreas playing hard to get along with!

[Herman Munster]

Gidday Susan,

“cross country home again. I don't understand this line- what goes wrong today?”
Sorry, I thought this was the whole point of teasers. They suggest stuff, under explain it and are supposed to suck the reader into the book.
You question here suggests to me that I am very much on the right track as you are curious. Have I done my job here?

“victim, whoops, target, this is quite jokey and light-hearted”
It is slightly inline with the internal humour of the MC. He does joke around, entirely within his head which you are privy to in 1st POV. Still, I don’t want to suggest this is semi humorous as it is not. I will adjust this out of it.

“You've changes POV here.”
Again, thanks. Will be adjusted.

“( I love this line!)”
You can say this stuff all day and night. Thank you.

“a bit like a manual,”
The suits and the jump are the first four chapters of 12. The MC has never parachute jumped before, as explained in the teaser line before chap 1. There is little I want to remove and mega I would like to insert. I strive for brevity here, sorry.

“I love this until the 'fur and bullets'”
Again, all day and night. The second bit is gone. Trying to be imaginative and descriptive, probably when I was tired.

“Herman, just a few of my thoughts. You're well ahead of me so please feel free to ignore anything you like.”
I am where I am. I don’t consider others as being ahead or behind, if anything, we are all equals.
Further, no matter if it is your first day or one millionth, you independent attitude and view, and most especially your willingness to publicly comment, is vital to the writer. Your opinion can never be right or wrong. Just so long as it is honest and firmly held, that is what is required in a crit.
Thank you for taking the time to read it, think about it, and comment on it. I value all feedback.

[Susan B]

Gidday Susan,

“cross country home again. I don't understand this line- what goes wrong today?”
Sorry, I thought this was the whole point of teasers. They suggest stuff, under explain it and are supposed to suck the reader into the book.
You question here suggests to me that I am very much on the right track as you are curious. Have I done my job here?

Reading through that line again, I think it may just be a punctuation issue. I get that something goes wrong and you're obviously not going to give it away here. You wrote:

'There are always several ways in and several ways out. Not today, they get to the plane at the designated time, or they miss out and have to cross country home again.'

I would consider:

'There are always several ways in and several ways out. Not today. They get to the plane on time, or they miss out. They have no choice but to make their way across country again.'

It's not perfect, but hopefully you see what I mean about changing the comma to a full stop. It's a bit more dramatic, I think.

[John Oberon]

What else should a cover or synopsis to the reader do? If they fully understand everything that is on that back cover and there are no questions, why would they read the book? All is asked and answered on the cover.

Questions are fine as long as they're along the line of "I wonder what happens next?" and not "What the heck does this mean?"

[Tanya Bell]

A back cover blurb is the hook to draw readers in. It should be relatively brief, very intriguing, and want to make them read the book to find out what happens.