How to Love a Book Blurb
Book blurbs get a lot of flack, some of it deserved. Authors writing blurbs decry the expense of time and energy, authors and publishers fret over how to secure prestige endorsements, and at the end of the day, we all wonder if blurbs are even making a significant difference to the interest in or sales of a title.
(Why Do Some Authors Cross Out Their Name When Signing Books?)
In a recent article for Publishers Weekly, Sean Manning, the new publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint, explained why he won’t require any of their authors to have blurbs. He, in short, considers blurbs a waste of time, saying, “the solicited authors could be reading books they actually want to read that will benefit their work—rather than reading books they feel they have to read as a courtesy.” A valid criticism, surely, but one perhaps more reflective of a particular approach to writing blurbs than something innate to the process.
Manning also writes that, the “favor trading” of blurbing “creates an incestuous and unmeritocratic literary ecosystem that often rewards connections over talent.” Which, again, I would suggest is the result of a particular approach to blurbing that includes favoring the renown of the blurber over their real connection to or enthusiasm for a title. I would also add that ‘incestuous’ and ‘unmeritocratic’ are adjectives that describe many facets of contemporary book publishing, and blurbs are merely an outwardly visible indication. MFA programs, one could argue, do as much if not more than blurbs to promote this kind of ecosystem, but that’s a conversation for another day.
I’m going to be a contrarian: I like book blurbs. I truly delight in receiving them as an author. Sometimes I see a blurb on a book jacket and it manages to make the book sound more compelling than the official synopsis ever could. And, yes, I love writing a good book blurb. I think it’s an art form. Like any art form, we can all learn how to do it better. I offer the following as a guide for those in despair, with the caveat that there are other maps, and you may wish to seek them out or draw them yourself.
Choosing a Book
Yes, of course, one first has to be asked to write a blurb, and so there is a certain amount of choice that is always outside our control. But fundamentally we, as prospective blurbers, have the final say in whether we write a blurb.
By my estimate, there are only two types of books you should ever write blurbs for:
- Books by writers whose work you already know you adore; or,
- Books that, after reading the press release, or the synopsis, or the first page, or whatever, you are genuinely excited to read. Not a book that sounds tolerable to read, but a book you cannot wait to start in on.
Personally, I can tell with reasonable accuracy whether I’ll be stoked about a book by reading the title and the first page, so I tend to focus on those and barely glance at the synopsis or the press release. You probably have your own ways of finding books to love, so use them.
Saying No
Sometimes you will be asked to blurb books that do not fit into either of those two categories, and my sincerest advice is to say no. There are many very polite ways to do this. I myself have received some extremely kind rejections to book blurb requests over the years.
One said she did love the book, but felt her own audience was a bit too genre-specific for her blurb to be useful. Another said she had a principled objection to book blurbs and we had a long, heartfelt chat about the industry. One wrote a review-length explanation of how she felt about the book, which included the parts of it she found off-putting. That last one stung at first, but as time passed, the ache subsided and I realized I was grateful for how much thought she put into the book, even if it didn’t end up being the right book for her. Many authors don’t reply at all, which is also okay.
If you want an easy formula for turning down a blurb request, just keep it simple, professional, and a bit vague. Example: “Thank you for thinking of me as a possible blurber. Unfortunately I don’t have time right now to give the book the attention it deserves.” (Feel free to use that verbatim, if it helps.)
Actually Writing the Thing
On the other hand, if you’ve said yes to writing a blurb, the time will come when you actually have to put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard. Maybe you’re new to writing blurbs, or maybe you just find the process painful and would like some tips that will ease the burden. I am here to help.
The following process is one I successfully adapted from a field where I have a great deal of experience: writing and editing book reviews. It isn’t meant to be prescriptive. Think of each step more like a writing prompt to get you going.
- List three adjectives that describe the book. If you get stuck, flip through the book and pick three words or phrases from the book itself that you think embody the spirit of the book. I strongly recommend, at least at this stage, moving beyond book blurb cliches like “unflinching,” “propulsive,” or “tour-de-force” and really trying to get at the heart of the text.
- In one sentence, explain what you find to be the most unique or interesting aspect of the book.
- Without looking back at the book, try to name three examples of any the following that stand out in your memory: subject, image, character, setting, plot line, craft.
- Who is an actual person you know who you would recommend this book to, and why? Once you’ve written that, rewrite it so it speaks to a more general type of reader.
- What other books does this book remind you of, and what does it have in common with them?
That exercise should leave you with several elements or ideas. You probably won’t be able to include all of the material you produce in your blurb. Maybe you can identify a theme or pattern in your answers. Or maybe you can pick through your answers and select a few insights about the book that you personally find most compelling.
Once you have the basic material you want to include, it’s time to string the ideas together so they have flow, coherency, and elegance. Is this the hardest part? Perhaps. But hey, you’re a writer, this is what you’re good at. Don’t be afraid to treat a book blurb like a creative writing exercise, and get a touch weird with it.
If you’ve reached this point and you are just not interested and not enjoying yourself, take a step back and assess whether it’s because you have lackluster or ambivalent feelings about the book itself. If you are just not as excited about the book as you hoped to be, go back to the section above, “Saying No.” It is okay to decide that, after all, you’re not the right person to blurb the book. Better that than an unenthusiastic blurb.
If, however, you are still excited about the book, it might just be that you are experiencing the perennial discomfort of being a writer. Proceed as you would with any other writing project.
Reminding Ourselves Why We’re Doing This
As you read the book, or write the blurb, there may well be moments where you ask yourself why you are bothering with blurbing. You might find your mind wandering to your long to-do list and thinking that you ought to be spending time elsewhere. And sure, there will be instances where, again, you’ll have to go back to the “Saying No” section of this article for one reason or another.
But other times, all you might need is a reminder of why blurbs are worthwhile. Consider:
- Keeping up Morale. Your blurb might be some of the first unadulterated praise a writer ever hears about their work. Editors are concerned at least as much with polishing a book as with lauding it, so feedback to authors tends to be a mix of positive and instructive criticism. Publishers send book contracts but many never say aloud what they liked about the book or why they chose it. As a blurber, you are one of the first people whose only job is to love the book. As a writer, I still think of blurbs people wrote for my books years ago. Blurbs offer reassurance of the worth of writing anything, ever.
- Promoting Discussion. A great book blurb offers insight into the text. It points readers to important areas of focus. It gives authors and publishers new ways of understanding what they are putting out into the world. It can even offer an entry point to book reviewers, whose job is then to carry the conversation forward.
- Building Community. Blurbing a book lets you develop and strengthen relationships you have with authors, publishers, agents, and publicists. On a professional level, this is good networking, and on a personal level, it is the same as any other relationship. You are forging connections with people, many of whom will have the same interests and priorities as you do, and that’s inherently valuable, regardless of whether it advances your career.
- Selling Books. I’m not actually convinced that blurbs sell all that many books, or at least, most blurbs don’t. Maybe there’s some kind of Stephen King exception, or Big 5 caveat, but in the small press world I’m from, I neither write nor request book blurbs on the assumption that a spike in sales will follow. Nevertheless, I do believe there’s some practical purpose in the cross-referencing and cross-pollination that book blurbs allow. Fans of one author can be drawn to the work of another author, and I think that, to a certain extent, this can flow both ways. If I see a blurb from a writer I love on a book, it might pique my interest. Conversely, if I see a stellar blurb on a book I love, I do actually sometimes look into the blurber’s own work.
- Fun. Well, maybe it’s not for everyone, but most writers I know do find it a pleasure to talk and write about their favorite books. Blurbs are just another chance to do that.
A Parting Exhortation
Of course there are problems with the literary industry’s relationship to book blurbs. Anything that can be considered an industry is going to have several endemic problems. Sean Manning may in fact be correct that one of the insidious aspects of book blurbing, as it often stands presently, is the compulsory nature of it.
And yet we don’t have to be these sorts of book blurbers or book blurb seekers. As authors, endorsers, and publishers of books, we can choose to eschew back-scratching, nepotism, and their nefarious ilk, and instead seek reciprocity, delight, and meaningful connectivity.
