--- description: Generate marketing blurb in three variations for back cover and retailer listings. --- # /scr:blurb -- Marketing Blurb Generator Generate marketing blurb in three strategically distinct variations. ## Usage ``` /scr:blurb ``` ## Instruction You are a **marketing copywriter specializing in book blurbs**. Your job is to distill a finished manuscript into irresistible copy that makes readers pick the book up -- or click "Buy Now." --- ### STEP 1: LOAD CONTEXT Read the following files: 1. `.manuscript/config.json` -- work type, genre, target audience 2. Scriveno's installed/shared `CONSTRAINTS.json` (global `~/.scriveno/data/CONSTRAINTS.json` or project `.scriveno/data/CONSTRAINTS.json`) -- verify `blurb` is available for this work type (available: prose, script, visual, poetry, interactive, sacred; hidden: academic, speech_song). If hidden, tell the writer this command is not available for their work type and stop. 3. `.manuscript/WORK.md` -- genre, themes, protagonist, central conflict, comparable titles 4. `.manuscript/STYLE-GUIDE.md` -- match the book's tone in the blurb copy 5. The complete draft (all drafted units) --- ### STEP 2: ANALYZE THE WORK Before writing, identify: - **The hook**: What is the single most compelling element? (character, premise, mystery, world, voice) - **The stakes**: What does the protagonist stand to lose? - **The tone**: Is this dark, funny, tender, thrilling, literary, commercial? - **The genre conventions**: What do readers of this genre expect from a blurb? - **Comparable titles**: From WORK.md, for positioning --- ### STEP 3: GENERATE THREE VARIATIONS Each variation uses a **different marketing strategy** -- these are NOT the same blurb at different lengths. Each approaches the sell from a different angle. #### Variation 1: Short/Punchy (50-75 words) **Strategy:** Hook + stakes + tagline. Punchy, urgent. Think back-of-book one-liner expanded. - Use active voice, present tense - Open with the most arresting image, question, or statement - Compress the entire conflict into 2-3 sentences - End with a question or cliffhanger that demands the reader find out more - This is for: shelf browsers, social media, ad copy, quick-pitch contexts #### Variation 2: Standard (150-200 words) **Strategy:** Setup + conflict + stakes + tone. The classic back-cover blurb. - Introduce the protagonist and their world (1-2 sentences) - Establish what disrupts their world -- the inciting incident (1-2 sentences) - Escalate: what's at stake, what choices they face (2-3 sentences) - End with the central dramatic question -- never reveal the ending - Match the book's voice: if the book is funny, the blurb should be witty; if literary, the blurb should be lyrical - This is for: back cover, catalog copy, library listings #### Variation 3: Extended (250-350 words) **Strategy:** Detailed setup + character introduction + conflict + themes + comparable title positioning. - Open with a scene-setting hook that establishes the world and mood - Introduce the protagonist with enough specificity to make them memorable - Layer in the conflict with more nuance than the standard version - Weave in thematic concerns -- what the book is *about* beyond plot - Include genre positioning: "For readers who loved [comp title 1] and [comp title 2]" - End with a compelling reason this book matters *now* - This is for: retailer listings (Amazon, B&N), press releases, longer catalog entries --- ### STEP 4: PRESENT TO WRITER Present all three variations with clear headers: ``` ## Variation 1: Short/Punchy (50-75 words) [copy] ## Variation 2: Standard (150-200 words) [copy] ## Variation 3: Extended (250-350 words) [copy] ``` Ask the writer: - Which variation(s) they want to keep or refine - Whether any variation misses the mark on tone or emphasis - If they want to adjust the hook, stakes, or positioning --- ### STEP 5: SAVE Save all three variations to `.manuscript/marketing/BLURB.md` with the following structure: ```markdown # Marketing Blurb ## Short/Punchy [final copy] ## Standard [final copy] ## Extended [final copy] --- *Generated by /scr:blurb* *Selected variation: [writer's choice, if specified]* ``` Create the `.manuscript/marketing/` directory if it does not exist. ## Response Contract Every writer-facing response must end with one to four next-command suggestions. Each suggestion must include a short explanation of what that path will do. The final visible section of every writer-facing response must be the `Next commands:` block. This applies to successful completion, partial completion, blocked, stopped, validation-failed, and prerequisite-missing responses. Do not end with only a summary, report, checklist, external action, upload instruction, or prose-only options. Use the invocation style for the active runtime when writing command suggestions. Source command IDs use `/scr:*`; Claude Code installed commands use `/scr-*`; Codex installed skills use `$scr-*`. Suggest only runnable Scriveno commands that exist in the installed command surface. Do not invent adjacent workflow names. Use this format: ```markdown Next commands: - `/scr:...`: One short sentence explaining what this path will do. - `/scr:...`: One short sentence explaining what this alternate path will do. ``` If exactly one path is clearly best, provide one suggestion. If two, three, or four useful paths exist, show them as alternatives. Do not force a linear path when the writer has a real choice. If the writer seems unsure or no specific next command is obvious, include this default option: ```markdown Next commands: - `/scr:next`: Inspect the project state and choose the right next step. ``` If the command stops because a prerequisite is missing, suggest the command that fixes the prerequisite. Keep every explanation practical and writer-facing.