Blurbs are the bane of publishing (among a long list of banes). A friend and I both had books out last fall and decided to write the exact same blurb for each of our books and we did and no one noticed. This might be the first time either of us has admitted it publicly.
I am quite glad to know that Roth, Didion, and Irving are considered attractive, although the bar is probably a little lower for writers than movie stars.
I agree blurbs have had their day. They may help a writer feel good before the harrowing moment of hanging. I mean publication. But for me the reader they do not mean much. A few years ago I encountered my sometime publisher behind the table at a book fare. He’s also a writer so of course I purchased his short story collection and got it signed, also praised the cover. He gave me a $5 discount. I felt pretty special until a bit later I turned it over and saw I’d written a pretty powerful blurb. My first thought: damn, time to read this book!!!
Loved this wonderfully wonky look at the backside of books! (My blurb) . . . The Steven King title 'You Like it Darker' has to be an homage to, or a theft of, Leonard Cohen's final studio album title, You Want It Darker. I can't recall Leonard ever blurbing anything.
The most discouraging lines I found again and again on the back of fiction books are "If you liked [Gone with the Wind/ Pride and Prejudice/ Odyssey/ The Three Musketeers/ War and Peace], you will like this one."
It is a cruel betrayal of the book recommended: the silly claim pushes one compare the new book to the suggested "twin" all the time with the inevitable result of finding the newcomer very thin broth. What worthwhile book has ever needed to lean on someone else's popularity?
In a world [cue dramatic movie trailer voice] where meaningful book media—reviews, profiles, and other coverage—has all but disappeared, publishers are constantly searching for ways to create promotional "bait" for a book. Whether it’s on the cover or in the metadata, blurbs have become an essential part of the publishing process.
Frankly, I’m baffled by the cynicism or criticism aimed at publishers, authors, or blurbers for using blurbs to support books. With meaningful attention harder to secure before a book’s release, blurbs remain one of the few tools we have to generate excitement and inject some joy into the promotional process.
Circle jerk or not, there are countless other challenges in the book publishing industry far more deserving of scrutiny. Let blurbers blurb! 😉
I read a lot of books year in and year out and get references from podcasts and emails (Princeton University Press is the best - be like them!). Once in a long while I will notice that a very famous or interesting author blurbed a book I already have. I can confidently say I have never bought a book based on blurbs. Front cover and title, absolutely.
Considering how nearly all of my books sell electronically (either through Amazon or publishers' websites), I doubt more than 2% of my buyers even see the back covers before the purchase. Sure, the Amazon landing page content provides a similar function, but its logistics are very different.
I myself haven't been inside a physical bookstore for years (am I allowed to say that here?).
"A massive circle jerk", indeed. It's a kind of gatekeeping, too. I've heard that being an MFA grad helps to get you in the club. I don't mean to sound cynical. Many industries have their own version of blurb reciprocity. Shrug...If your looking for opinions, nothing turns me off more than a huge author photo on the back cover. Even a young John Irving.
Blurbs are the bane of publishing (among a long list of banes). A friend and I both had books out last fall and decided to write the exact same blurb for each of our books and we did and no one noticed. This might be the first time either of us has admitted it publicly.
That's hilarious, Arjun!
Back cover of both. My friend’s publisher even used it for promotional purposes.
I am quite glad to know that Roth, Didion, and Irving are considered attractive, although the bar is probably a little lower for writers than movie stars.
They say about certain faces that they possess " a beauty not disfigured by intellect". I suppose, writers' faces are not in that category.
I agree blurbs have had their day. They may help a writer feel good before the harrowing moment of hanging. I mean publication. But for me the reader they do not mean much. A few years ago I encountered my sometime publisher behind the table at a book fare. He’s also a writer so of course I purchased his short story collection and got it signed, also praised the cover. He gave me a $5 discount. I felt pretty special until a bit later I turned it over and saw I’d written a pretty powerful blurb. My first thought: damn, time to read this book!!!
Book fair.
Loved this wonderfully wonky look at the backside of books! (My blurb) . . . The Steven King title 'You Like it Darker' has to be an homage to, or a theft of, Leonard Cohen's final studio album title, You Want It Darker. I can't recall Leonard ever blurbing anything.
The most discouraging lines I found again and again on the back of fiction books are "If you liked [Gone with the Wind/ Pride and Prejudice/ Odyssey/ The Three Musketeers/ War and Peace], you will like this one."
It is a cruel betrayal of the book recommended: the silly claim pushes one compare the new book to the suggested "twin" all the time with the inevitable result of finding the newcomer very thin broth. What worthwhile book has ever needed to lean on someone else's popularity?
In a world [cue dramatic movie trailer voice] where meaningful book media—reviews, profiles, and other coverage—has all but disappeared, publishers are constantly searching for ways to create promotional "bait" for a book. Whether it’s on the cover or in the metadata, blurbs have become an essential part of the publishing process.
Frankly, I’m baffled by the cynicism or criticism aimed at publishers, authors, or blurbers for using blurbs to support books. With meaningful attention harder to secure before a book’s release, blurbs remain one of the few tools we have to generate excitement and inject some joy into the promotional process.
Circle jerk or not, there are countless other challenges in the book publishing industry far more deserving of scrutiny. Let blurbers blurb! 😉
I read a lot of books year in and year out and get references from podcasts and emails (Princeton University Press is the best - be like them!). Once in a long while I will notice that a very famous or interesting author blurbed a book I already have. I can confidently say I have never bought a book based on blurbs. Front cover and title, absolutely.
Considering how nearly all of my books sell electronically (either through Amazon or publishers' websites), I doubt more than 2% of my buyers even see the back covers before the purchase. Sure, the Amazon landing page content provides a similar function, but its logistics are very different.
I myself haven't been inside a physical bookstore for years (am I allowed to say that here?).
"A massive circle jerk", indeed. It's a kind of gatekeeping, too. I've heard that being an MFA grad helps to get you in the club. I don't mean to sound cynical. Many industries have their own version of blurb reciprocity. Shrug...If your looking for opinions, nothing turns me off more than a huge author photo on the back cover. Even a young John Irving.
Spy Magazine used to have a feature called "Log Rolling" in which they'd print the burbs which two writers provided for each other's books.
Eek. I see "your" should be "you're". Apologies.