tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825564497920015595.post6667481407144142171..comments2024-03-28T07:56:38.659+00:00Comments on The View from the Blue House: Sensationalist taglines and blurbsRob Kitchinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05567424969308636082noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825564497920015595.post-1792632462738611292013-08-14T14:35:03.624+01:002013-08-14T14:35:03.624+01:00Some writers are asked to provide so many blurbs t...Some writers are asked to provide so many blurbs that they can't begin to read the books. So perhaps the author should just provide them. At least there will be no mistakes made this way. pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825564497920015595.post-90905237559017035042013-08-14T08:54:46.984+01:002013-08-14T08:54:46.984+01:00So there is something to be said for getting the a...So there is something to be said for getting the authors to write their own blurbs - maybe just tweaking them a little. I too find this annoying - and wonder how many perfectly worthy books have been rejected by me because of sensationalist blurbs (which all start to sound rather samey after a while). Did you hear about the book written by a voiceover artist called 'In a world...', because apparently 9 out of 10 movie trailers from Hollywood start with those words?Marina Sofiahttp://findingtimetowrite.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825564497920015595.post-73161346338411356432013-08-14T03:47:06.552+01:002013-08-14T03:47:06.552+01:00Thanks, that's very enlightening (and a little...Thanks, that's very enlightening (and a little scary!).Keen Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18171491573514489497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825564497920015595.post-60389784804257046392013-08-13T22:14:59.274+01:002013-08-13T22:14:59.274+01:00I think you're probably right that the blurber...I think you're probably right that the blurber did not give the book a close read. I also think they felt they were writing a blurb that was exciting and had a strong hook. And it does do that job. And maybe the author was happy enough with it. It just really jarred with me when I finished the book then read the blurb, and I had a disconnect moment. <br /><br />I've written the blurbs for my own fiction books and they have been tweaked but not radically re-written. I've had blurb presented to me for my non-fiction books and I've nearly always rejected it and re-written or substantially re-jigged. What the publisher/publicist thinks are the selling points and what I do are often different things I have a decent idea of the market as I've usually read a lot of the competition to be able to write my book and I am part of the target group. It's also why I do the indexes to all my books (with the exception of the encyclopedia - even I wasn't daft enough to do that; it took someone a year or more to index the whole thing which was c.5 million words!) as I usually have a better idea what another academic will be looking up than someone not connected to the field at all. My first book had a professional index and it is a disaster.<br /><br />I think it's important that the author does have a say in the cover and blurb. I have had to insist on that a couple of times where the publisher did not think it necessary. At the very least I want to make sure they've spelt my name correctly and I have had covers presented to me where it hasn't been. I've even had a cover presented that had the wrong title! Rob Kitchinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05567424969308636082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825564497920015595.post-58159656108613471922013-08-13T21:38:34.625+01:002013-08-13T21:38:34.625+01:00Looks like whoever did the blurbs didn't read ...Looks like whoever did the blurbs didn't read the book but probably just skimmed a little here and there.<br /><br />As an author yourself, I imagine you'd be quite annoyed if a publisher did this to one of your novels?<br /><br />And yet, what could one do about it? Once the book is out of the author's hands, I don't suppose he/she has much control over cover blurbs?Keen Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18171491573514489497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825564497920015595.post-61929417411161702192013-08-13T15:20:38.820+01:002013-08-13T15:20:38.820+01:00Rob - I couldn't agree more about how misleadi...Rob - I couldn't agree more about how misleading blurbs can be. The only thing that annoys me as much as misleading blurbs is blurbs that give away the whole plot of a story...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com