Book blurbs are strange territory for a writer: we go to other authors and solicit from them the time to read our (as yet unpublished) stories and the effort and marketing savvy to write a capable sales blurb for the book (which will go on the cover, inside the cover, or on the web).
You hate to even ask for blurbs because you’re forced to blacken your shame sensors with the heel of a boot just to get up the gumption to ask other authors (many of whom are writers you respect, even adore) to kind of become… advertising shills for your book.
They, as the authors granting blurbs, are ideally hoping to be curators in a way similar to (if also larger than) the retweet — the hope on Twitter is that someone retweets something because it’s content they find interesting and compelling, not because of some kind of back-scratching favor. And so it is with blurbs: you want that author not to provide a blurb to you or anybody else as a favor but because they actually want potential readers (including their own) to see that they have given it something of a seal of approval.
As a blurb writer it’s like, well, okay, I don’t just want to sound like a shill — “Better than Cats! I’ll read it again and again!” — and you want to put a little bit of your voice into it but not so much you’re sounding like you want to show off a fucking promotional blurb. It’s not all about you, right? And you certainly don’t want to put anything that could even sniff a little bit of negativity (“Brilliant book despite its poopy third act!”), nor do you want to cram it into a niche (“Canadian meth addicts will love it!”). You want to say something about the book without it sounding really generic (“It is a book that has many words put together in great sentences!”) but also don’t want to get specific (“ROSEBUD IS A FUCKING SLED”).
So, blurbs are weird. Asking for them. Writing them.
It gets even weirder when you consider that sometimes, authors don’t even write the blurbs. (Sometimes editors or agents will write them on behalf of authors who may or may not have even read the books.) And sometimes blurbs are culled from reviews or statements online. And, once in a blue moon, you see one of those blurbs from a mega-star author on a not-mega-star book (“This book was the holy tits!” — J.K. Rowling) and you’re like, how the hell did that happen? Did someone have incriminating evidence? Did they get J.K. Rowling really drunk one night on creme de menthe and they recorded whatever insane blurbs fell out of her mouth? Is there some other J.K. Rowling? Maybe some hair stylist from Reseda?
Anyway.
Couple questions, then.
Writers: what do you want in a blurb? And what do you aim for when you write one?
Readers: what do you like in a blurb? What catches your attention and sells the book? Further: are there any authors whose blurbs carry significant weight with you — and why?
Betsy says:
Generally, I skip right over the blurbs and flip through the content of the book.
May 27, 2013 — 1:12 AM
furrama says:
I don’t read blurbs. I flip to the back to see if that’s where the summary is. Next I look to see if it’s inside the jacket. I only ever read them if I’m in the bathroom and bored and I’ve already read the actual book.
May 27, 2013 — 1:17 AM
Jessa Slade says:
As an author, I feel getting my name printed on the front of someone else’s hard work is a pretty sweet deal. As a reader, I pause at the cover-perusing stage if I see an author I know and like recommending another book. But now, having seen the sordid underbelly of blurbing from the tripe side, I skip over generic-sounding blurbs. I want to know WHY the blurbing author liked this new-to-me author. “Great book!” does nothing for me, but a few snazzy adjectives tied together with tropes-I-like nouns and power verbs will catch my attention.
A good blurb can make me pause, but it’s still the opening pages that have to hook me.
May 27, 2013 — 2:14 AM
Indru says:
At first, I was a reader, so I will start with the reader POV. As a reader, when checking out blurbs, the first thing that catches the eye is the author of the blurb. Yes, I know, they are not all taken from the mouths of who they say they’re taken, but I still look into that. That’s how I got into Neil Gaiman, by reading a blurb by Stephen King. So there’s that. Conclusion: if one of my favorite writers says that’s good, that must be good. It matters less what exactly he/she says, but usually I can tell if it’s a genuine blurb or not judging by how it is written.
As a writer, I would like the blurbs on my book to be genuine (meaning Chuck Wendig saying my book is awesome to really be Chuck Wendig, not an agent or whatever), and evidently written by people who read the book, so they know what they’re talking about, not just paid authors doing a commercial deal.
Also, I think one blurb on the first cover (“Indru is the new King!” – Stephen K. ) and maximum two on the back (“The quality of the storytelling is purely magnificent, and the action is breathtaking” – Chuck W. and “OMFG! Dafuq is this crap?” – Justin B. ) should do it. 🙂
That being said, blurbs are useful and a must-have, but they should be genuine, definitely genuine!
May 27, 2013 — 3:02 AM
charlypriest says:
As a beginner reader the blurb that catch my eye was if it was an important magazine,newspaper or author who wrote the lines. Now as an avid reader and novice writer don´t matter that much. FACT: the word blurb was first coined in 1907 by an American humorist named Galett Burgess. INTERESTING FACT: Why would I even wikipedia the word blurb and second that name sounds everything but American. I don´t trust wikipedia.
May 27, 2013 — 3:57 AM
rangelicus says:
As a reader, I pay the most attention to blurbs from authors I at least know, but the ones that carry the most weight are those from authors I respect (Neil Gaiman, for example). And, though I don’t buy a book solely on the recommendation of a nice blurb, I like it when the blurb in question is specific in what it praises about the book. For instance, I have a copy of Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” in front of me, with a cover blurb from USA Today that reads, “Delightful…. Inventively horrific…. [It] draws equally from George Lucas, Monty Python, Doctor Who, and John Milton…. The chimerical stuff of nightmare and daydream.” Though I’m not about to go out and purchase any and every book USA Today recommends, the blurb places the book into the context of other works I am familiar with and adore already, so I’d say it makes me more intrigued, at the very least.
May 27, 2013 — 4:08 AM
Dave Higgins says:
Your article confused me for a while: my librarian mother (as opposed to the other one that I gained as a wedding present) and her colleagues always used blurb to mean the short description of the book that goes on/inside the cover, not the quotes that go with it. So, either usage has changed over the years or was always different abroad.
Addressing your questions:
I am at the stage of writing that having anyone prepared to put their reputation on my work is a good thing; even if someone famous hated my work there is fame in being the guy who X thinks writes terribly.
As a reader I do not consider quotes; I pick based on the summary and whether I have read other things by the writer. If someone I respected recommended a book on Twitter, &c. I would be more likely to seek out a copy, but would still ultimately decide on the summary whether to read it.
May 27, 2013 — 5:44 AM
Gaye Weekes says:
As a reader I only want to read the summary to decide whether the title is for me. One-liners from other authors don’t carry any weight. If the summary is written well it will already have made me interested to know more about the character(s)…..and I’m usually hooked by chapter 2! One thing that really pisses me off is when there is info/blurb about an earlier title on the back cover.
May 27, 2013 — 5:50 AM
Steen says:
Ever since I realized that the back-cover summary of Neuromancer was what happens in the first half of the first chapter, I’ve put far less weight on them.
June 1, 2013 — 5:42 AM
Jemima Pett says:
And here am I, didn’t even realise you could go and ask someone to give you a blurb :O As a reader I vaguely skip over them, and read the real blurb i.e. the summary thing. Most of which make me put the book down again, but are obviously the ones that sell. I’m not sure I actually believe what other authors would say about my books anyway – even if I could persuade Stephen Fry to do a couple of words for them 😀 So would my readers? I did include some excerpts from real unsolicited reviews though.
May 27, 2013 — 6:30 AM
jeffo says:
The blurb will only catch my eye if it’s from a favorite author of mine. And even then, I look for ellipses in the blurb and wonder what was left out. And why.
May 27, 2013 — 7:03 AM
Cassandra Page says:
I thought a blurb was the paragraphs on the back describing the book too, and my mother’s not a librarian. I didn’t know what those promo lines were called. Endorsements, maybe?
Anyway, I mostly ignore them. If I recognise the name it might give me pause, but not necessarily in a good way. I’ve put a book down before because it had an endorsement from a writer I don’t like. :p
May 27, 2013 — 7:54 AM
shannon says:
I don’t read the blurbs. If the Synopsis on the back doesn’t keep it in my hand the blurbs certainly won’t
May 27, 2013 — 8:24 AM
Lisa L. says:
As a writer, I opt for something that compels and intrigues, something that sells the sizzle and not the steak. As a reader, I suppose it would be hypocritical to be any different from my writing side. Give me a taste, wet my tongue, make me hungry for more but be too ambiguous and I’m gone.
Quotes and bits from review publications or other authors don’t impress me. What if I can’t stand JK Rowling? A thumbs up from her would turn me away rather than draw me in.
May 27, 2013 — 8:51 AM
bwtaylor75 says:
I believe Pat Rothfuss gives the best blurbs nowadays. For me, the only time another author’s endorsement matters is if it’s someone I respect, not only as a writer, but as a person as well. I know that if they took the time to endorse whatever book I hold, it must be good or they wouldn’t have attached their name to it. Despite what many other readers are saying in these comments, I bet, deep down, they feel the same way. Like with many things, endorsements will be subjective. Each person will have a different idea about what an endorsement should be and how it effects them. On the flip side, if they didn’t matter at all, why continue to have them? Endorsements matter. Endorsements still help sell books. They may not hold as much weight today as they did, say, ten to fifteen years ago. Readers typically know what they want before they pick up a book. But I believe a blurb from one of their favorite authors carries more weight than they let on, whether they’re conscious of it or not.
Just be yourself and trust your judgment. If you do that in all forms of endorsements, you can’t go wrong.
May 27, 2013 — 8:53 AM
Kathleen S. Allen (@kathleea) says:
I agree with Dave (Hi, Dave! *waves*). I read the summary and if it interests me I’ll do the “search inside” to peruse the first couple of pages (if it’s an eBook, of course) and if the writing grabs me, I’ll get it. I pay no attention whatsoever to blurbs, it’s the writing or nothing for me.
May 27, 2013 — 9:05 AM
Lyndon Riggall says:
If Stephen King or Neil Gaiman tell me to read a book, I read it. I’d love to be a writer that people have that kind of trust in when it comes to blurbs, but I’m terrified of what I might have to say to someone who is very close to me, but who asks me to blurb a book that I simply just didn’t like that much.
May 27, 2013 — 9:30 AM
sebthepeters says:
This is quite relevant at the moment as I’ve just been ‘poaching’ some blurbs for my soon-to-be released novel, and at times I’ve wondered whether it’s actually worth it. I mean, as a reader I do always look for blurbs, as if a writer I’m a fan of thinks it’s a good book, the likelihood is that I’m going to think something similar. On the other hand, the superficial ‘not really written by who it says it was’ kinda blurbs are rather disheartening.
But yeah, I like blurbs. I’ve got some positive feedback and some blurbs coming my way which is always nice, but I have picked up blurb-less books in the past and not been disappointed.
May 27, 2013 — 9:30 AM
mmtz says:
A blurb (or a tweet about a book) by a writer whose books I read will get my attention. I don’t pay that much attention to the actual blurb, but it will prompt me to examine the book more closely.
May 27, 2013 — 9:35 AM
Eliza J. says:
As a reader, I completely skip the blurbs because duh, of course they are all going to be positive. That said, I would definitely pay more attention if some crazy, funny ones (like your examples in paragraph 4) were mixed in, and I felt compelled to “find the fake blurb” in a sad literary game of “Where’s Waldo.”
May 27, 2013 — 9:38 AM
David Jón Fuller says:
As a reader, I want a blurb to tell me about a writer, even if not about the specific book. I keep thinking of Roger Zelazny’s quote that got blurbed on Steven Brust’s books: “Watch Steven Brust. He’s good. He moves fast. He surprises you.” — Even if I hadn’t already been reading Brust, that blurb from another author I loved would have sold me on him.
May 27, 2013 — 9:44 AM
Jessica says:
I definitely look at blurbs, not for the words, but for the writers. The collection of names on the back cover tell me something about who the book is aimed at and often gives me a better sense of whether I’d like it than the jacket copy.
May 27, 2013 — 10:17 AM
Aerin says:
Is this spinning off the “what makes you read a book” discussion? I know a lot of people mentioned blurbs there, but I think they were using that term to mean the back cover/front jacket synopsis of the book, rather than an endorsement from another writer. For me, if there’s a name on the cover that I recognize, even if it’s not the author, I’m going to be much more inclined to check it out. But mostly it’s a peripheral awareness; my mind processes it as extraneous advertising and filters it out.
May 27, 2013 — 10:22 AM
Miranda says:
Generally I think I only look at blurbs if I’m already interested enough to buy it (or – usually – after I’ve already read the book). I’m much more likely to look up a book online and see what readers have to say about it in their reviews. I’m also more likely to follow recommendations of authors, like on Twitter when someone says “You should follow/read so-and-so, s/he is the bee’s knees.”
May 27, 2013 — 10:23 AM
Miranda says:
Asking for blurbs sounds TERRIFYING, though. But I’m more or less terrified of every step of the process so far, so…
May 27, 2013 — 10:24 AM
Ainsley says:
As a reader, I take blurbs to imply a similarity between subgenres. Usually, at least for the ones on covers, that tends to be true. And if it’s an author I really like, I will tend to try reading a new-to-me book based on the blurb. I’ve found some of my favorite new authors this way, so it’s not the only hook, but when it works it works really well.
That said, I think the “underbelly” of it all is sort-of sad and highlights the business aspect of publishing, not just artists promoting other artists. Maybe that is what twitter is for? The process of asking (begging?) for a blurb as a newbie sounds a bit terrifying.
May 27, 2013 — 10:37 AM
astreabaldwin says:
As a reader, I wrinkle my nose at generic blurbs such as “It was a real page turner” or “it kept me up all night.” Those seem to be really saying, “I didn’t read it, but my second cousin’s agent asked me to do this, so I did.”
May 27, 2013 — 10:43 AM
Mike Douton (@NewGuyMike) says:
I do read them more now than I used to. The twitter comparison is spot on. I get much of my reading via recomendations from other authors. A blurb from an author I already like is a definate factor in book buying. Lack of that blurb isnt a negative though. I skim over blurbs from papers or review sites for the most part.
Examples of a good blurb off the top of my head… “Xmen meets Blackhawk Down” from Peter V Brett on Myke Cole’s book. Cole played it forward with a good blurb on Wes Chu’s Lives of Tao.
The single best blurb in existance “I do not wish Sam Sykes dead.” -John Scalzi in Tome of the Undergates.
May 27, 2013 — 10:45 AM
Richard Thomas says:
Great column, blurbs are really tricky, in every single aspect.
AS A READER: I don’t buy books based solely on blurbs, but if I see a name I recognize, it does carry some weight. Over time, I’ve found that certain blurbers work better for me than others. For example, while I’m a huge fan of Stephen King, we do NOT have the same taste in books. I can’t even count how many books I’ve read based on his blurb that I did not like. Or at least, did not love. I almost trust blurbs by people I KNOW better. But, it’s a mix of big name, references to other books I loved, and a description that sounds compelling. But I’ll always read the opening paragraphs of the book as well. It’s about the voice, really.
AS AN AUTHOR: What I love is something that shows me that they have read SOME part of my novel or short story collection. I don’t like getting really vague blurbs, but I do love colorful blurbs. You can tell when somebody puts their heart into a blurb. And I have no problem asking for a blurb, and yes, I’ve had people say no. If you work hard and they can see that, and it feels like a GOOD FIT (which is really important) then the blurb should be a good one. Don’t ask a romance author to blurb a horror novel, for instance. Aim for people that have similar styles. The bigger the author, the more likely you won’t get the blurb, unless you have the same agent or publisher.
AS A BLURBER: You’re right, it’s really tough to write blurbs. I’ve done maybe a half dozen to date. I try to get a sense of what the collection or novel is about, and I do read the synopsis, the dust jacket, any other blurbs and reviews I can find, trying to get a consensus of what people are saying. And then I try to write something concise, but clever, a little poetic or lyrical, something unique. I’ll sometimes add a comparison. “The bastard lovechild of Kurt Vonnegut and Chuck Palahniuk.” Often I’ll talk about the experience, calling the book terrifying and disturbing, or haunting yet touching, trying to explain the emotions of the book, what can be expected.
May 27, 2013 — 10:47 AM
Molly Dugger Brennan says:
Blurbs are truly worthless. They all sound suspiciously like they were written by either the author himself, the author’s agent, or worse, the author’s mother. “I laughed, I cried, it changed my life.”
Never read them and wouldn’t make a purchase decision because of them. In fact, lose the blurbs and give me a better story synopsis on the back cover. That would be helpful.
May 27, 2013 — 10:57 AM
Kay Camden says:
I agree with Molly.
And I think they clutter up the cover.
May 28, 2013 — 10:33 AM
Thom Marrion says:
If I am looking at a book by someone I had never heard of before, the blurbs are one of the things that will get me to buy it if they are by an author I already like. Introductions by other authors work the same way. This is how I discovered Martin Millar. Good Fairies of New York sounded like a the kind of thing I would enjoy, but what finally got me to buy it and then try his other work is the fact that Neil Gaiman was pimping the hell out of it with his blurb,
May 27, 2013 — 11:08 AM
Tia Kalla (@tiakall) says:
As a reader, I don’t care about author blurbs. I might adore an author and have read everything they ever wrote, but that doesn’t mean our reading tastes will be the same. The summary will be what makes or breaks the decision to buy for me.
As a writer, when I get to that stage, I am sure I will be terrified of asking for blurbs and would probably only be comfortable with asking authors that I have a personal relationship with (whose names may not carry huge amounts of weight). That combined with my personal preference of not using them will probably leave my books un-blurbed.
May 27, 2013 — 11:18 AM
Susan Stuckey says:
I never read “quotes” from others. I read “the blurb” (the brief summary on the back – that is what I was always taught was the blurb). If that is interesting, I scan the beginning and sometimes the ending of the book
May 27, 2013 — 11:53 AM
Puck says:
I am like many other commenters here that I only notice blurbs if they’re by writers or publications I know. I generally read the summary and the first few pages to see if I’ll like a book, but if there’s a comment by an author I admire, that’ll definitely push me further in the direction of reading the book (and acts kind of like a word-of-mouth recommendation). Comments by people I don’t know don’t affect me either way. Comments by writers I don’t like might push me away or might not, depending on what the comment says.
May 27, 2013 — 12:01 PM
Annie Carroll - Writer says:
You are using ‘blurb” in a way I did not immediately understand. What you are describing are actually mini-reviews or fellow author testimonials–and I never give them a ounce of credence. I always think of “blurb” as the description of the the book contents. That I do read, then jump right into the excerpt to read what the author really has written and try to decide if I want to read more.
May 27, 2013 — 12:38 PM
D. W. Coventry (@DWCoventry) says:
I don’t think I have ever once done more than glance over the blurbs as a reader; I think they mean much more to people inside the industry than the actual consumer.
If I had to create a pecking order for factors influencing consumption off the top of my head, it would probably be:
1. Past experiences with that writer’s material. I know this sucks for new writers. Sorry.
2. Buzz. Hey, I’m being honest here. I didn’t first pick up “Gone Girl” because of anything I read about in The New Yorker.
3. The almighty Amazon consumer preference algorithm.
3. Feedback from friends. Word of mouth is still immensely powerful.
4. Professional reviews. When my reading list is empty I’ll go out on a limb.
5. Covers. I mean hey, it’s something right?
6. Blurbs.
This flips on its head when I am trying to sell something. I’d step on my own grandmother to get an A-lister to say something nice about my manuscript. Just the nature of the business I suppose. It’s like sending a rocket into space: most of your energy is expended just getting off the ground.
May 27, 2013 — 1:49 PM
Michael says:
I can honestly say blurbs only have a negative effect on me, if any. Some people blurb so many things, it annoys me to see it. Also, if I don’t like the author’s work who blurbed something, or don’t trust their taste, it turns me off. Neil Gaiman comes to mind here.
May 27, 2013 — 3:26 PM
Charles Harvey says:
Blurbs from well known anybodies give a book a boost in my opinion. Maybe adds pedigree. If you’re a new unknown author, it can’t hurt. I’ve asked for some after sending samples out. I’m not sure that’s fair.
May 27, 2013 — 4:18 PM
Joanne Guidoccio says:
If I recognize the author, I may glance at the blurb. Other than that, I depend upon the synopsis provided on the back cover and the first page of the novel.
May 27, 2013 — 5:45 PM
T Mink says:
I use book cover blurbs to get a sense of both what style the book is likely to be, and what market the publisher is targeting. This is especially helpful if I have at least a little experience with an author and can sense a departure from their usual type of story.
On the other hand, the occasional WTF blurb will get me to open the book up for further consideration– Martha Stewart recommends some bosomy urban fantasy!? or an actual example of Paul Krugman blurbing a Charlie Stross novel.
May 27, 2013 — 7:20 PM
Sara Rose says:
When checking out a book by an author I’ve never heard of, those blurbs/recommendations/reviews/whatever by authors I love have really come in handy, and they’re often times the reason I give an unknown book a chance. And you know, it hasn’t failed me yet.
May 27, 2013 — 8:09 PM
g15hade says:
As a reader here is where blurbs have uitlity to me by way of an example…
Say Im looking at a new shiney book by an author I dont know yet… The book has an appealing cover and is in the genre I like since I already have it in hand…. say on the cover of this I see as blurb by, oh, say Chuck Wendig.
Now I have an expectation based on the fact his name is on the book. I expect it to be gritty, noirish, possibly dealing with issues of family and maybe influenced by thye old pulps. Blurbs sometimes tell me what to themeaticly expect from a book. Is say MK Hobson or Seanan McGuire I would have different expectations…
I’m sadly more likely to buy a book blurbed by and author I like…. or if they have been interviewed by an author I like (Chuck I’m looking at you and your ten questions….)
I think blurbs have their place but I’m not sure wether its a good cover or a pithy blurb that gets me to spend money faster but I’m aweful shallow sometimes….
Greg
May 27, 2013 — 9:03 PM
Reggie Lutz says:
Interesting question. As a reader, I’ll pay attention to blurbs if they are from writers I know or writers whose work I love. The same is true for music. If Tom Waits said something is good, he’s pretty much always right. (At least for me.)
As a writer, if asked to do a blurb, my goal is to say something insightful, succinct and true.
On receiving blurbs, I hope the person says something kind. But it’s been a really long time. Most of my published fiction is in anthologies, where the blurb-getting is not on my list of tasks.
May 27, 2013 — 9:12 PM
Chrisv says:
As a reader: blurbs? just extra words on the cover in the way of the art underneath it. Make it go away. Even if it’s an author I know and love, I don’t care. The summary on the back and the first line means way more to me than someone else’s glowing praise.
As a writer: I should be so lucky to ever have someone I love blurb my book. But will it matter? Because I don’t ever read them or give heed to them, so who cares, really? I have a book here with a David Farland blurb – just realized it, just read it. It’s thoughtful and nice and glowy praise. Didn’t affect how I felt about the book, though, which I thought was alright, but not awesome.
May 27, 2013 — 11:13 PM
J.R. McLemore says:
Blurbs used to carry weight in my buying decision. Especially blurbs by Stephen King. However, lately, I’ve started paying more attention to these blurbs and have come to the conclusion that they are available for a price (which, may or may not be true). Anyway, they mean nothing to me now since my idea of the blurb has become tainted. Now, I imagine the author sitting back with a rubber stamp while checking to make sure the check clears before doling out another blurb.
May 28, 2013 — 9:04 AM
Indru says:
I used to do the same regarding blurbs by Stephen King, until he had a blurb on the cover of The Hunger Games. After reading the book, I began not to trust blurbs in his name anymore. 😛
May 28, 2013 — 9:37 AM
danzierlea says:
Oh, I hate it when I can’t find the book I’m looking for!
There’s this book–a funny, christian-themed book–and I can’t recall the title. But the blurbs on the back were great! They were short and punchy, but truth told, it wasn’t the blurbs that made me want to read it. It was their presentation. Since I can’t find the book, I can’t directly quote them, but they went something like this:
–“A very compelling story.”– [small font] a man who reads [GIANT FONT] THE NEW YORK TIMES
–“Every Christian should read this book!”– [small font] someone who went to a [GIANT FONT] BILLY GRAHAM [small font] crusade
And so on, for about six of them. I laughed myself silly when I read them.
No, I’m not going to do that on my book. It’s a little too close to lying for my comfort, and besides, I’d rather have a blurb that says “She owes me tuition still!”–Chuck Wendig
May 28, 2013 — 9:07 AM
danzierlea says:
Oh, and for those of you who are looking at the inside-the-flap text: I can’t bring myself to trust it after I read one where they got the main character’s name wrong. I could pick out exactly what line of the text they based their jacket copy on, too–the only line in the whole book where the MC’s uncle is mentioned, and they misread that line.
I do end up reading selections of the text, too, but not the jacket copy.
May 28, 2013 — 9:15 AM