Blurbs

[kah]

Is it just me, or do they give too much away and almost lead you in your feelings about it?

If I buy a book based on its blurb, I set it aside for 6 months to a year so I can forget what it said. Then I won't be reading it anticipating the plotlines it has spoiled for me.

Am I crazy?

[neglet]

I like to have a general idea about a book before I read it. It makes it easier for me to get into it. But then, I'm not one who reads mostly for plot line. I'm big on re-reading books, and enjoy good characters and writing even when I know the plot backwards and forwards. That's just me--I'm sure some people would think I'm crazy for reading a book 20 times, but I don't get any less enjoyment out of "Pride and Prejudice" because I already know Darcy and Elizabeth end up together.

[kah]

I love rereading books, too, but I like to be surprised the first time around. It gives me something to look forward to, picking apart all the motivations and hints I missed the first time. I just think that little synopsis tends to steer your interpretation, and I prefer to draw my own conclusions. It's like looking at a piece of art, but someone there is telling you what the author meant by it, instead of finding your own meaning in it.

[DeschainGang]

I'm just the opposite. I read the blurbs 20 times. I look for reviews on the books I want to read. Sometimes I read the spoilers. If I'm going to spend valuable time on a book I need to know if I'm going to be wanting to put the thing down after chapter one. Sometimes it does not matter...just finished The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson and I KNEW HE WAS/IS A HORRIBLE WRITER (PUN)...it was the subject matter that I was looking for.

[kah]

I will never put a book down permanently(well, I did once, but guy thought it would be cool to write like a slow-witted, illiterate, backwoods hermit. ) I might set it aside after a few chapters until I get into the right mood to go back to it. Sometimes that takes years, but I always go back and finish it. Just reading the written word is worthy enough of my time, but if it's not great, then I won't reread it and it will likely end up at Goodwill. You must have a lot less free time than I do. I can't imagine spending all that time researching a book just to decide if I want to read it. I could have it read by the time I did what you do.

[robert eggleton]

Kah,

After I wrote my first novel (I didn't know what I was doing), I sent it to other authors to ask for blurbs. One (I won't tell who) wrote one without reading my book. Of course, I didn't use it.

Most authors didn't reply. Some said that their lawyers had advised not to read for fear of being accused of intellectual theft. I don't have an attorney to represent my interests -- so, I guess I'm free to read.

[kah]

Aren't there jobs specifically for writing blurbs?

[neglet]

I think it's part of editorial and marketing department's purview. They don't outsource it, if that's what you mean.

The blurbs Kah is talking about--inner jacket copy, the description of the book--are different than the "blurbs," or little quotes of testimonial that Bob was mentioning. I generally ignore these, because as he said, who knows whether the person quoted actually read the book, or just sent a blurb as a favor to their publisher?