All about blurbs, aka book endorsements
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Greetings! This is Author Abroad, a newsletter on reading, writing, and life abroad. I’m trying something a little different with Author Abroad moving forward. Instead of covering all three topics in one newsletter, I will stick to one, or possibly two, topics per edition. I think this will better suit our busy lifestyles, don’t you?
In today’s newsletter, I focus on writing, specifically the strange, publishing industry phenomenon of book endorsement blurbs—what they are, whether they are legit, and how to secure them.
What are blurbs?
Blurbs are the quotes you see on the back cover of a book telling you how wonderful that book is and why you absolutely must read it. Sometimes they are called book endorsements to distinguish them from the short summaries of the book written by the author or publisher, which may also appear on the book cover, but blurb is more common. In the publishing industry, the word blurb can be both a noun and a verb (to blurb a book), and the people who write them are referred to as blurbers. No joke.
Book endorsement blurbs are a marketing tool to convince readers that a book is worth buying. They are typically written by published authors, specialists in a field related to the book being blurbed, or celebrities from the book world and beyond. Many readers will buy a book simply because an author they admire has written a blurb about it. For the author of that book, it’s a kind of badge of honor, and authors will go to great lengths to secure blurbs from more famous authors. (More on this below.)
Are blurbs legit?
Whether or not a blurber has really read and loved the book is not guaranteed. My guess is that most conscientious writers do take the time to read the book and write a genuine blurb. I certainly have the couple of times I’ve been asked to write a blurb. But at least one industry insider I know of suggests that it is not necessary to read the book in order to write a blurb. What? Call me naive, but I find this incredibly dishonest—yet another symptom of just how warped the publishing industry has become. Readers deserve better.
Her argument is that few professional writers have the time to read an entire book in order to write a three sentence blurb. I get it. I’m short on time these days too. But don’t say yes if you don’t have the time! All you’re doing by endorsing a book you haven’t read is compromising the value of all blurbs. Wouldn’t it better in the broad scheme of things to have fewer blurbs on books than several misleading blurbs? (Ok, rant finished!)
What’s in a blurb?
A strong blurb does not just declare the book good but offers the reader some specificity about why they might enjoy this particular book. Most blurbs focus more on what the book is about in a broad sense, rather than divulging specific elements of the plot. They might touch on some of the themes the book explores, for example, or give you a sense of the writing style and the pacing.
Blurbs can be anywhere from a few sentences in length to just a couple of words (e.g., “riveting” or “ a must read”). Publicists will sometimes pull these shorter quotes from a book review or a longer blurb, selecting the choicest morsels to put on the book cover. For example, here’s a blurb about The Golden Land from AWP judge Sabina Murray, author of The Human Zoo and Valiant Gentlemen:
“A heartfelt exploration of the ties of family, The Golden Land is an engrossing tale told across generations with the explosive history of Myanmar as its backdrop. Elizabeth Shick has written a compelling, emotionally complex novel that explores the difficulties of defining oneself amid the struggle of competing cultures. This is a timely, necessary book.”
And here’s the quote the publisher pulled for the cover: “A timely, necessary book.”
How to secure a blurb for your soon-to-be-published book
Among the many surprises along my journey to becoming a published author was the discovery it was my responsibility to secure blurbs for The Golden Land. Unless you’re a super famous author, in which case you probably don’t need blurbs, you’re on your own; your publisher is not going to help you, your agent is not going to help you, and blurbers are certainly not going to approach you out of the blue.
Who to ask?
The first step to securing blurbs is to figure out who to ask. A good way to think about this is the old rule of thumb for college applications: aim for a few “safeties,” a few “good fits,” and a few “reaches.”
Let’s start with the safeties and the good fits. These are the people who are more likely to say yes because they know you, or know someone who knows you. What authors (or celebrities) do you know personally? These might include friends, classmates, neighbors, people in your writing group, writing instructors or coaches you’ve worked with, authors you’ve met at writing conferences, etc. If you are still coming up blank, think wider. This is networking 101. Who do you know who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone…?
Now for those dream blurbs, because you never know! Start by making a list of the top writers in your genre. If you have a list of comp titles (similar books) from your querying days, this is a great place to start. Did you love the author’s most recent book? Have you attended any of their book launches? Is there anything else you have in common other than the genre you write in? Maybe you went to the same university or grew up in the same region. Even a very small connection can help. This is all fodder for your request.
How to ask?
I’m sorry to break it to you, but you’re going to need to do a bit of work. If you’ve written any query letters for your book, blurb requests will feel similar, but even more involved. Asking someone you don’t know very well to read your 300+ page book, figure out what makes it unique, and distill this into a few pithy sentences for free is a BIG ASK, after all. Your request should be thoughtful and personalized. Here are a few tips from my own experience and that of some of my writer friends (thank you Elisa, Alice, and Brenda!):
Start early. As tempting as it is to wait until your advanced reader copies (ARCs) are ready, that is much too late! You want to begin contacting potential blurbers even before the final manuscript is ready.
Don’t request a blurb from someone if you haven’t bothered to read their books. That’s just insulting. Besides, they will be able to tell from your email.
Open your request by either reminding them how you may have met, stating a connection you share, and/or mentioning what a big fan you are of their writing.
Explain why you would like a blurb from them. This is where you talk about what you specifically admire about their writing and point out any common themes with your book.
Tell them what your book is about. Include any writing accolades you may have received and other relevant details about your background.
Ask if they would be willing to take a look at your book and consider writing a blurb if they like it. Give them the date at least two months in the future when you would need the blurb.
Possibly include a short sample of no more than 10 pages or a synopsis to give them a sense of what they would be taking on. (I never did this, but it seems like a good idea.)
Offer to make the book available in whatever format they prefer, even if that means printing out and mailing a copy of the manuscript yourself. In some cases, your publisher will agree to send the manuscript.
Acknowledge that they are likely busy with their own projects, and thank them for their consideration.
What to expect?
There’s no way around it: asking for blurbs is uncomfortable. The main thing you have going for you is that most authors have been in the same position at one point and want to give back.
Unfortunately, your dream blurbers are unlikely to say yes. In fact, they might not even respond. If you don’t hear back in two weeks, it’s acceptable to send a follow up email. If you still don’t hear anything, let it go. As successful writers, they are probably on many new writers’ dream blurb lists, and genuine, honest blurbing takes time.
The good news is that the people you know personally are likely to say yes. Sit back and enjoy their praise! And, when it’s your turn to be on the receiving end of blurb requests, try your best to say yes, too.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading!
💕 Liz
Great advice, Liz!!