The late Robert Parker's advice was, "Never blurb a book you've read, and never read a book you've blurbed." Cynical! I think blurbs can sometimes help quite a lot, but the idea that a writer can bring his core audience into the tent with a blurb ... you might as well try herding cats. I got some credit for the success of "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by blurbing it, which made me smile. That book would have been a bestseller if Britney Spears had blurbed it.
One thing I'd never do is blurb a book just because a friend wrote it. That's the road to hell. Whenever I do it, it's because I think it's a story readers would really like. A book like that is worth banging the drum for, if only to be on record.
King on blurbs
Reply With Quote
