Really appreciate you saying what hasn’t felt sayable, Leigh: Getting rid of blurbs won’t hurt people who don’t need blurbs. It does have the potential to hurt those who need them or might need them.
Hi Leigh, great title. I agree we all need buddies in all phases of launching books. But I think the issue with blurbs, is the same information overload that has mired every advertising/promotion copy ever created. After time, those tactics devalue themselves because no one believes them. The trust has be broken by 30 years of gaming the system, starting with the idea that individual reviews unleashed by Amazon. Every time something obviously is broken, there’s an effort to fix it and “this time it will be different.”
Social proof is a tactic that once meant something, but if an algorithm out there is busy being gamed by a tech bro so that his buddies, startup will buy 10,000 copies of a book using 10,000 fake profiles for a fee, then who needs a blurb?
Also speaking as a consumer, I find blurbs give me useful information about what's inside of the book. And this determines whether I'll buy it or get it from (lowers voice) the...library.
I am always looking for genuinely funny books and if all the blurbers (whose names I never recognize) say the book is "laugh out loud funny" I will likely buy it or at least investigate further.
Are you suggesting that TikTok recs aren’t gamed? ;) I think one of the charming things about TikTok is that you can follow someone who posts stuff that clearly provides a ton of evidence that you may align on humor, philosophical issues, politics, culture etc. So I think a Tik Tok clip about a book, movie, song (creative work) carries more weight than a review because there’s context there. I’ve always found that the downside to gatekeeper critiques, was that they all hit some rarefied cloud of thought. WIth the exception of Roger Ebert, who was a pretty awesome movie reviewer.
I like to joke that I could lead tours through bookstores just by explaining all the relationships that blurbers have to the authors: "Same agent, same agent, same agent, same MFA, dated in the 90s, have beach houses on the same block, dated in the 2000s, same agent, same agent, same editor, same editor, having an affair, same editor, same editor, same MFA, same MFA, same MFA, both commute on the F Train, at Breadloaf the same time, Yaddo same time, Breadloaf, Yaddo, Yaddo, Breadloaf, Iowa, Iowa, Iowa, Harvard, Harvard, Harvard, Iowa, dated in the 80s, live two blocks apart in Williamsburg, same editor, same editor, same MFA, Yaddo, Breadloaf, still dating, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, and the most pressure-filled blurb of all: They don't know each other but they share a particular identity."
all true (and funny) as of 2010! I would make a guess that as digital media collapsed, and more writers begrudgingly accepted the fact that they'd have to use social media, more of these connections are happening online now than at AWP
Excellent post, Leigh. I agree with your sentiments and, as I've said many times now, I'm so grateful for writers like yourself who took time to provide me with a blurb on my debut when we really had no connection. It's a gift that opened up doors and that I'm intent on repaying for other writers now that I'm in a position to do so. That community, and hold the door open for others, aspect of blurbing is important. And to pretend like people don't need that--especially people who don't already have connections--is sort of silly.
Leigh, I really appreciated this post and perspective. As a querying author, the blurb I received from one of my early readers, who happens to have been shortlisted for a national book award (and read my entire manuscript before I began querying), meant the world to me. I am a non-MFA, debut author and this is a relationship I have cultivated over time. So I was very proud to ask for and receive the blurb, which I ended up putting in my proposal and felt it spoke to the depth with which I engage my community (who the author is a part of), as well as my commitment to learning the craft of writing. I honestly don't know if my blurb will mean a lot to an agent or editor, but it does mean a lot to me. Thanks for speaking in favor of this tradition. I do think we need a more balanced perspective when it comes to how this topic applies to emerging authors.
In my country (Sweden) blurbs are never used. Probably because it’s such a small market (10 million people total) so just the publisher signals what kind of book it is. However, reviews from previous books are commonly used in for example paperback or in the sleeve. But NEVER blurbs. Also, this came in my mailbox today from this business coach I listen to sometimes for variety (only available for 24h): https://dd.darrenhardy.com/the-billion-dollar-offer-i-rejected
Might be a good argument in this discussion. Of having some non-negtotionalbles. Like blurb writing… seen Rebecca Solnit have this policy as well
Yeah, there are a lot of famous authors who just have a no blurb policy! Cheryl Strayed, too. And then there are famous writers like Stephen King who still help up-and-coming writers (he blurbed My Dark Vanessa); Ann Patchett supported debut author Lindsay Lynch while she was on tour for Tom Lake (Lindsay was a bookseller at Ann's bookstore Parnassus).
This is so interesting. To be honest, as a reader, I've never understood the point of blurbs, especially since they replaced a description of the book on the back cover, and then fill the first 3 or 4 pages of the book. I've mostly found them frustrating.
I've never read them because they don't really tell me anything (ie, any sense of what the story is about) that helps me decide whether I want to buy and read the book.
But viewing them as interpersonal currency does make sense, even though I still don't want to have to wade through them to try to figure out what the book is actually about.
I don't think you're alone—I've heard other readers say blurbs don't make a difference when they're purchasing a book! I'm trying to make the case for blurbs as one form of leverage a writer has when they're trying to sell a project (to an agent or a book editor), when they're up against a lot of competition.
Really appreciate you saying what hasn’t felt sayable, Leigh: Getting rid of blurbs won’t hurt people who don’t need blurbs. It does have the potential to hurt those who need them or might need them.
THIS
I stand by my statement that Leigh’s memoir is so good! How do we get it into reprints?!?
😭
I think about that line in Margot's Got Money Troubles all the time. I'd really like to read your memoir. Is it still available?
aw thanks! It’s out of print but you might be able to find a used copy…
there’s one left on Amazon, quick go grab it !
Hi Leigh, great title. I agree we all need buddies in all phases of launching books. But I think the issue with blurbs, is the same information overload that has mired every advertising/promotion copy ever created. After time, those tactics devalue themselves because no one believes them. The trust has be broken by 30 years of gaming the system, starting with the idea that individual reviews unleashed by Amazon. Every time something obviously is broken, there’s an effort to fix it and “this time it will be different.”
Social proof is a tactic that once meant something, but if an algorithm out there is busy being gamed by a tech bro so that his buddies, startup will buy 10,000 copies of a book using 10,000 fake profiles for a fee, then who needs a blurb?
Social proof still works on me as a consumer! I buy books all the time because of TikTok recommendations
Also speaking as a consumer, I find blurbs give me useful information about what's inside of the book. And this determines whether I'll buy it or get it from (lowers voice) the...library.
I am always looking for genuinely funny books and if all the blurbers (whose names I never recognize) say the book is "laugh out loud funny" I will likely buy it or at least investigate further.
For some reason, I'm never sent funny books to blurb... I just get all the novels about the wellness industry lol
Are you suggesting that TikTok recs aren’t gamed? ;) I think one of the charming things about TikTok is that you can follow someone who posts stuff that clearly provides a ton of evidence that you may align on humor, philosophical issues, politics, culture etc. So I think a Tik Tok clip about a book, movie, song (creative work) carries more weight than a review because there’s context there. I’ve always found that the downside to gatekeeper critiques, was that they all hit some rarefied cloud of thought. WIth the exception of Roger Ebert, who was a pretty awesome movie reviewer.
"how to turn a Substack newsletter into a nonfiction book" = appointment zooming!
I would write a blurb for 5k 😂😂😂.
This post is worth 10k. Best advice and analysis of log rolling in our time.
Betsy 😂
I like to joke that I could lead tours through bookstores just by explaining all the relationships that blurbers have to the authors: "Same agent, same agent, same agent, same MFA, dated in the 90s, have beach houses on the same block, dated in the 2000s, same agent, same agent, same editor, same editor, having an affair, same editor, same editor, same MFA, same MFA, same MFA, both commute on the F Train, at Breadloaf the same time, Yaddo same time, Breadloaf, Yaddo, Yaddo, Breadloaf, Iowa, Iowa, Iowa, Harvard, Harvard, Harvard, Iowa, dated in the 80s, live two blocks apart in Williamsburg, same editor, same editor, same MFA, Yaddo, Breadloaf, still dating, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, AWP, and the most pressure-filled blurb of all: They don't know each other but they share a particular identity."
all true (and funny) as of 2010! I would make a guess that as digital media collapsed, and more writers begrudgingly accepted the fact that they'd have to use social media, more of these connections are happening online now than at AWP
Ha! I'm old! I carried huge stacks of paper plane tickets during my first book tours!
Excellent post, Leigh. I agree with your sentiments and, as I've said many times now, I'm so grateful for writers like yourself who took time to provide me with a blurb on my debut when we really had no connection. It's a gift that opened up doors and that I'm intent on repaying for other writers now that I'm in a position to do so. That community, and hold the door open for others, aspect of blurbing is important. And to pretend like people don't need that--especially people who don't already have connections--is sort of silly.
thank you for saying this!
Leigh, I really appreciated this post and perspective. As a querying author, the blurb I received from one of my early readers, who happens to have been shortlisted for a national book award (and read my entire manuscript before I began querying), meant the world to me. I am a non-MFA, debut author and this is a relationship I have cultivated over time. So I was very proud to ask for and receive the blurb, which I ended up putting in my proposal and felt it spoke to the depth with which I engage my community (who the author is a part of), as well as my commitment to learning the craft of writing. I honestly don't know if my blurb will mean a lot to an agent or editor, but it does mean a lot to me. Thanks for speaking in favor of this tradition. I do think we need a more balanced perspective when it comes to how this topic applies to emerging authors.
This is a huge deal, congratulations!
Thank you! It meant a lot.
In my country (Sweden) blurbs are never used. Probably because it’s such a small market (10 million people total) so just the publisher signals what kind of book it is. However, reviews from previous books are commonly used in for example paperback or in the sleeve. But NEVER blurbs. Also, this came in my mailbox today from this business coach I listen to sometimes for variety (only available for 24h): https://dd.darrenhardy.com/the-billion-dollar-offer-i-rejected
Might be a good argument in this discussion. Of having some non-negtotionalbles. Like blurb writing… seen Rebecca Solnit have this policy as well
Yeah, there are a lot of famous authors who just have a no blurb policy! Cheryl Strayed, too. And then there are famous writers like Stephen King who still help up-and-coming writers (he blurbed My Dark Vanessa); Ann Patchett supported debut author Lindsay Lynch while she was on tour for Tom Lake (Lindsay was a bookseller at Ann's bookstore Parnassus).
Hi, buddy !
HI
This is so interesting. To be honest, as a reader, I've never understood the point of blurbs, especially since they replaced a description of the book on the back cover, and then fill the first 3 or 4 pages of the book. I've mostly found them frustrating.
I've never read them because they don't really tell me anything (ie, any sense of what the story is about) that helps me decide whether I want to buy and read the book.
But viewing them as interpersonal currency does make sense, even though I still don't want to have to wade through them to try to figure out what the book is actually about.
I don't think you're alone—I've heard other readers say blurbs don't make a difference when they're purchasing a book! I'm trying to make the case for blurbs as one form of leverage a writer has when they're trying to sell a project (to an agent or a book editor), when they're up against a lot of competition.
Blurbs as leverage makes sense, for sure!
Great post, see you on the zoom tomorrow
see you there
Thank you for addressing pre-endorsements, in light of what Kara said last week.