The Blurb and Me
Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 10:24AM I have some news to share, and I hope I can open a conversation with it. And I hope other authors—and readers—will comment. Please do tell me what you think.
I’m completely stepping out of the blurb game. That is, I’m no longer going to write endorsements of other authors’ books. This is not because I don’t want to help other authors succeed, and find a wider audience. I very much do. As a result, this has been a difficult decision. But two incidents brought it to a head.
A couple of months ago, I picked up some tweets to and from a blogger I very much like, respect and trust. (He is one of the bloggers I interviewed for my Blogger Wednesday series.) In other words, someone tweeted to him, and he tweeted back, and I saw the conversation because I follow both of the people involved. It was a little bit like being a fly on the wall. The gist of the conversation was that he was being asked to make time in a very busy schedule to read and review a book…because I had endorsed it. I had no idea which book, and I immediately ran through all my recent endorsements in my head, with a sick feeling in my gut—because, if I am to be absolutely honest with you and with myself, not all of them were books I would feel great about putting into his unusually busy and discerning hands.
Yes, a lot of the blurbs I’ve done have been along the lines of wanting to help the author. Someone, almost always a stranger, wrote to me asking for help. And I wanted to help. And the book was good. Enough. Certainly would be enjoyed by many. And the words I said about the book were true enough. But the offering of the blurb was done as a favor.
Now. I will clarify that statement very carefully. I don’t mean “favor” as in giving something of value in return for something else for myself. I never benefitted in any way. I never did that favor because someone else had done a favor for me. I never blurbed a book I didn’t like. Just some that didn’t so blow me out of the water that I would be proud for the vast majority of people I know to take time out of a busy schedule to read it based on my endorsement alone. And even if I loved the book, which in many cases I did, who am I to suggest that you will?
And…if I did, would you believe me anyway?
Most of you know that there has been quite a scandal going on in the book world surrounding reviews. Paying for reviews, trading reviews. Authors opening accounts under false identities to praise their own books and slam those by “competing” authors. None of which I have ever done, or ever would do. But one more point was raised during this debate. The idea that blurbs are widely seen as favors, therefore nobody takes them very seriously.
Now, the use of the word “favors” in the above paragraph is much stronger than the way I used it above. They meant a quid pro quo resulting in false endorsements. Which I never did. Yet it brought my growing discomfort with the blurb system to the level of a fever breaking. Yes, every blurb I ever offered was extremely honest compared to the complaints set forth during this controversy. But if a new author writes to me, needing help, and I understand how they feel, and I want them to succeed, is that enough to sway my opinion even slightly? I’m just concerned enough about the answer to draw a stronger line for the sake of integrity.
I will no longer write blurbs, because I no longer feel right attempting to sway the sales of some books over others, based on my opinions.
Now I’ll take it a step further than that. I would like to propose that the system of author endorsements is broken, and we should perhaps move beyond it. More and more new authors are being told to aggressively gather blurbs, at the same time as the reputation of the blurb as a whole is more tainted—as the blurbs are less and less likely to do any good. Blurbs are becoming, I’m afraid, the loose equivalent of that glowing 5-star Amazon reader review from someone you suspect has ties to the author. I think we can find better ways to choose our books, and I’m open to suggestions. The system of honest, thoughtful book bloggers (who tell you exactly why they did or did not like a book, helping the reader choose in a way the blurb does not) seems the best thing we currently have.
Meanwhile I will continue to explore new and different ways to help new authors. I do want to help. I just don’t want to prop up a system that seems to be in a state of increasing decay.
So…comment section below. Please discuss with me. What are your thoughts on author blurbs? Am I making the right decision?
Reader Comments (15)
A very thoughtful post, Catherine. I agree with you and I think you are making the right decision. I personally know that you do A LOT to help aspiring authors. There are many other ways to be supportive and you do them all the time.
Thanks, Valerie. I'm counting on the fact that those who know me know I try to help new authors when I can. Otherwise I'm afraid this might come off as selfish or stingy. That's why I explained the decision at such length. Appreciate your feedback.
Thank you for posting this. As a reader, I don't look at blurbs unless I'm trying to find new authors in a genre I buy a lot. I admit to being disappointed by some of the results. It would be great if the system encouraged unsolicited blurbs. As a writer, it makes my toes curl to think about begging for blurbs. It's such a huge favor to ask a stranger - spend hours reading, then crafting the lines, then putting their own reputation on the table. I'm not a master at self-promotion and it would make me feel all used car salesman to try and twist somebody's arm.
Thanks for weighing in, Heather. I wanted to mention the idea of unsolicited blurbs, but I wasn't sure how it would work. It would be great as an author if I could read a really wonderful book and offer my thoughts, unsolicited, to the author or publisher. But the system of asking, making it feel hard for the more established author to deliver bad news, has some false notes.
Before I reviewed I actually read blurbs quite a bit, but even then I noticed a continuing theme...they all pretty much said the same thing. Of course there was a bit of variation, but who's going to put a negative or overly descriptive blurb on the back of a book? No one. So, in a way they're not very useful to begin with and now that I'm a reviewer they've become more troublesome than they're worth.
I've actually had some authors contact me because of the very reason you listed in your first paragraph (none were blurbs by you). They feel as though because I liked said author's book and the author now likes their book then it should be a given that I'd review it immediately. Of course, the fact that what the author liked to read was completely different from what I liked to read and review (completely) didn't ever cross this "newer" authors mind. They were just desperate for a review and attention.
Not doing blurbs is completely fine with me. In the eyes of many readers blurbs do look like overwhelming endorsements, even at one or two sentences. And in light of the recent review & sock puppet controversy I think it's good to avoid even the appearance of "evil". It is too bad though because I understand why you'd want to offer the blurb and how much you love helping authors, but you really have to be so careful anymore.
Honestly, I take blurbs the same way I take any other written opinion...as an opinion of one person. No matter who the reader is, everyone has different tastes and just because an I author I like/admire/read likes something doesn't mean I will. I like Twitter blubs because it might get me to look into a title I might not have otherwise looked at, but it doesn't really sway my decision to actually read something.
The blurb system has been around since the invention of the book jacket and I don't think they've ever been 100% "honest". In the old days, better-known authors at a particular house were expected to blurb the up-and-comers. If the newest dime detective story said "Mickey Spillane says 'it's a tough-guy action-thriller" then the reader would know this was a Mickey-Spillane type of book. Mr. Spillane probably never wrote any of them. But his name on the cover was shorthand for genre and a stamp of approval from the master.
Or so long-time-publishing insiders tell me. Does this make the system OK? No. But the blurb system has never been any different,so it's not exactly "broken."
But when it's a personal choice, not something expected by your publisher, should you give blurbs? Jane Friedman said in a recent thread on Porter Anderson's post on the review scandal that blurbs have always been a way for established authors to offer help to newer authors--if they want to. (And never for money!)
Personally, I have refused all the authors who have asked me because 1) I'm such a slow reader and my TBR list is a couple of 100 books behind 2) They usually don't write in a genre I read. Quite frankly, an endorsement from me of a zombie novel wouldn't help sales anyway. Can you imagine an E. L. James endorsement on the latest literary debut novel? Authors who don't do their homework shouldn't expect favors.
And I agree with your first statement--a "favor" should NEVER imply a quid pro quo. My dictionary defines favor as something done "out of kindness, not for remuneration."
If you don't feel like doing them, don't. If your publisher doesn't require it, you have no obligation. Nobody should give you a guilt trip. Simply not having the time is a perfectly good reason.
This is an outstanding post...and aligns with thoughts I've been having lately in reading the myriad blurbs written for one author by another. Do I read them? On occasion. But I'll usually scan the list and find the authors whom I actually know, admire, and respect, and trust them not to lead me astray. But so many of them seem 'phoned in' any more. There doesn't seem to be any real emotion or motivation other than someone asked them to write a blurb for this book or that author. To me, blurbs are akin to leaving the television on in the background to simply create some kind of noise. In other words, blurbs, to me, are merely background noise. They rarely if ever sway me to purchase a book. I purchase a book based on the writing, the story, and the author's ability to transport me into their creation, if only for a few hours. Writers who do not do that, do not get a second chance. And sometimes, if the story is horrid enough, I'll (jokingly, and in my head) look at who would dare write a positive blurb for such a dog-awful piece of writing and vow never to read THEIR books again, either. So, as both reader and writer, respect your decision.
I really thank the people who have taken the time to weigh in so far with their specific and thoughtful comments. This was a hard decision for me, and I had no idea how people would hear it.
Danielle, your thoughts mean a lot as a blogger of great integrity. You're right, part of the decision stems from having to bend over backwards to show not even a whiff of the appearance of impropriety. And then there's that whole subject of huge differences between book and audience. (Anne made this point as well.) I've tried to keep my blurbing down by specifying that it must be a good match for my readership, but the soliciting authors just tend to find overlaps because they want to find them. A blanket policy is feeling like a better fit.
Alyssa, I appreciate your thoughts on how influential blurbs are or are not. This is what I keep hearing. That they don't influence people much. So I wonder why the industry puts more and more pressure on authors to get them. It's overburdening an already weak (IMO) system.
Anne, thoughtful and informative as always. You're right. I should not say the system is broken, because it hasn't changed shape all that much. I should say it's overburdened, as I did above. I think the changes came in when the reader review experience began to fall apart. People became much more suspicious of raves. And I really do feel that the new author is under far more pressure to solicit them. So, more and more blurbs flowing into the system as fewer and fewer are taken very seriously. It feels like it's becoming an untenable system. To me, anyway.
And good to hear from you, Christian (as always) and thanks for your thoughts. You raise a good point. If an author blurbs a book you hate, it colors your sense of that author a bit. So I think authors take a risk when they suggest that readers buy a book. I still like the idea of doing so unsolicited, and in a larger format in which you can say what you did and did not like (giving the reader a chance to see whether they think they would agree).
You might be interested that Passive Guy mentions how blurbs have always been dishonest in a comment today on Customer reviews "I also tend to regard cover blurbs solicited by trad publishers as falling into the same category as Amazon reviews from people who haven’t read the book," Link is here http://www.thepassivevoice.com/09/2012/do-consumer-reviews-have-a-future-why-amazons-sock-puppet-scandal-is-bigger-than-it-appears/#comments
Thanks, Anne. I might not have seen that without your tip, though I love Passive Guy. He and I made much the same point, conflating many blurbs with the slightly suspect 5-star reader review.
As sad as the loss of a genuine blurb from someone whose work you (Catherine) might have read, an up and coming author's efforts over its evolution into published work.I agree that this is the way to go.
My reasoning: I have to say in light of the reviews I've been seeing on Amazon, Goodreads & B & N lately for indie works and small press offerings- where the 'Look inside' excerpts pages show none of the hyperbole that those 5 stars promised, I have to say that stepping away - it's a wise decision.
Touting a new author's work in any other way seems the way to go for now. If you believe in them you still have a way to show it - as a guest blogger on their or your site, an excerpt post or Q & A with the author, tweets mentioning their new works, or where they may be reading next.
Just my two cents as a new author.
(full disclosure - I've known Catherine more than a dozen years, and did receive a blurb from my request just last year.)
And, full disclosure, Eve...yours was the book that had been recommended to this blogger. And when he told me the title, I was much relieved, because I think your book is worth his time. I don't know if he took it on for review or not. I didn't ask.
You gave me a very good idea. If I like a book and a new author, I can feature them on my blog. We can talk about the book, characterize it in a way that will help readers know if it's for them or not. I think that would be more honest and useful.
I was about to say that I don't think I've ever been swayed by a blurb by an author I like... but then I remembered I picked up a book earlier this year based very much on the fact that Jim Butcher was quoted as saying the book was excellent (I did however go on to read the synopsis, just to make sure it was something I'd enjoy).
If you're not comfortable in writing blurbs, then your decision is correct. There's plenty of other ways to help up & coming authors.
The whole sock-puppet/author/review controversy began in July with Stephen Leather at e-book panel at Theakston's Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate with Stephen. I was there and I had no idea how big it would get... I don't think anyone did.
Good to hear from you, Nikki. I have a great new idea for a blog feature series to help new authors. So, you see, if we're willing to admit that the old system isn't working, new ways of doing things come about. Maybe that will happen on a larger level with this paid/sockpuppeted review controversy. It's been wrong for a long time. Maybe it's best to drag it out into the light.