This is really interesting. Being able to support other authors is lovely, but I have often wondered how much impact blurbs actually have. I strongly suspect that word of mouth between readers is actually way more impactful on sales. Do you find blurbs persuasive? - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

sennydreadful.bsky.social • 27 days ago

This is really interesting. Being able to support other authors is lovely, but I have often wondered how much impact blurbs actually have. I strongly suspect that word of mouth between readers is actually way more impactful on sales.

Do you find blurbs persuasive?

Reposted from David DeGusta

Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint is taking a big step back from blurbs, just days after @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social did a thorough analysis of blurbs and their downsides on her excellent Substack. The publisher’s explanation is worth a read, actually fun.

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Comments

jesperhaglund.bsky.social•27 days ago

Can't say I've ever consciously read one until after I've gotten the book.

raynewman.bsky.social•27 days ago

I think that, as much as anything, they're a signifier of a 'proper book'. Even if nobody reads them, they feel like an essential element of cover design. See also: all beer labels needing a little row of gold medals, even if nobody knows why they're there.

raynewman.bsky.social•27 days ago

I feel as if I can sniff out organic blurbs (this person read the book and is really excited about it) versus engineered ones, where an agent or published has nudged one author to blurb another in the most general terms.

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

It feels like a lot of work all round for a stamp that says 'real book', I suppose. Also, as a non-beer drinker I'm fascinated by the idea they all have little medals - are they out there heroically rescuing people from behind enemy lines? Beers heroically throwing themselves on grenades...

raynewman.bsky.social•27 days ago

In the Victorian and Edwardian era, you'd get awards at international brewing competitions. It's sometimes just those old medals still being displayed a century on ("Best sparkling ale, 1898 International Brewing Awards") and sometimes just... a gold circle. Especially on supermarket own brands.

headglowband.bsky.social•24 days ago

I like blurbs, but I've always wondered how much of the book the blurb-writer actually read. Seeing a blurb from a fav author extolling virtues of the book that I like does make me more likely to buy it, but a rec from a friend or youtuber does trump the blurb for sure.

glenatron.bsky.social•27 days ago

Blurbs are the kind of advertising that has minimal impact most of the time, which is odd because author recs on social media are a big part of how I find books.

I think once it's printed on the book I assume it's marketing. When a book dedicates pages to blurbs that really grates.

glenatron.bsky.social•27 days ago

That said if you're an indie author something from an author I enjoy marks membership of a kind of community of authenticity. It carries a lot more weight in that context because having been published by someone else puts most mainstream authors in that community automatically.

glenatron.bsky.social•27 days ago

"Finding indie books is about signal to noise," he says confidently, as though his indie-published book has sold more than a handful of copies...

niall-mcauley.bsky.social•27 days ago

Everyone says THEY are not influenced by ads, only other people are, but we know advertising works. If the people in publishing who's job depends on it say blurbs work, I believe them even though they obviously don't work on ME.

maggiefreeway.bsky.social•27 days ago

If I'm considering an author I know nothing about then I'm certainly influenced if the blurb is by the Daily Mail or if it's by, say, Barbara Kingsolver

viviennetuffnell.bsky.social•27 days ago

I'd have called those "puff quotes" rather than blurbs, to be honest, and generally, no, because they're often edited to give the maximum "puff" from what can be ambiguous quotes.

jefrir.bsky.social•27 days ago

Sometimes it helps, if it's a writer I read a lot. Sometimes it'll mildly count against, if it's something like the Daily Mail.

saranadosfiction.com•27 days ago

Yes, but in very specific cases: if I'm looking outside subgenres/circles I know well, I use blurbs from authors I trust on the topic as a guide for 'okay, this story likely doesn't include prejudice against people like me' (which I hate that I have to do, but right now it's a thing still)

jennys1989.bsky.social•27 days ago

Absolutely! The library is so quiet nowadays I don’t talk to people about books and we don’t have funding to get anything remotely new, so I rely on blurb/Amazon description/knowing the author (I buy your books on principle without even reading the description 😂)

jennys1989.bsky.social•27 days ago

@sennydreadful.bsky.social “the first one, but yes, the terms can be interchangeable.” Just seen, my previous post meant the blurb as in description of the story, just to clarify. I have NEVER heard quotes on the cover of a book called blurb before?!

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

aww thank you! ❤️

cartoonbeardy.bsky.social•27 days ago

For me, blurbs come down to two things.

1. The authors / publishers friends

2. Big author in the genre giving out plaudits - often cynically seen by me as a twoferone promotional tool - Book gets endorsed by big author, big author gets their name on the book cover for extra PR

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

And I think those two things intermingle too - lots of big authors will genuinely know each and be friends (and genuinely enjoy each others writing)

cartoonbeardy.bsky.social•27 days ago

Yeah I can see that. And I don’t mean to suggest that the endorsements aren’t genuine. But there is a feeling at times that some blurbs are the equivalent of…

“Lee’s the most brilliant artist without equal. He’s an absolute genius” - Lee’s mum.

larpsidekick.bsky.social•27 days ago

I can find them off putting - if someone who I’ve seen have terrible opinions is on there I’m less likely to buy the book, and they don’t positively impact me very much if at all. Word of mouth / reviews are it.

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

I suppose that is always the double edged sword! If people think you have terrible taste you become the blurber of doom 😅

whatsmellslikeblue.bsky.social•26 days ago

Bit late to this, but I'd assumed "blurb" was the plot summary, and was going to say that is absolutely necessary and it is very annoying when books don't have one, and just have praise for the author, so I suppose the above is still relevant, although I'm coming at the question from the other side!

whatsmellslikeblue.bsky.social•26 days ago

I have bought books based on "blurb" recommendations, but the plot summary still has to appeal.

louiestowell.bsky.social•27 days ago

I have bought based on a blurb once or twice but quite a narrow range of authors.

charlieedmunds.bsky.social•27 days ago

You mean the one-liner that says "Gripping - Jen Williams" or "I laughed until I cried - Senny Dreadful"?
I thought blurb was the paragraph says "Rachel always knew she was different, but one midsummer dawn..."
If this author is new to me, the name of another author I know is useful info.

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

the first one, but yes, the terms can be interchangeable.

charlieedmunds.bsky.social•27 days ago

I hear about books mostly through word of mouth but not all word of mouth is very personally tailored to my taste.
There are so many books, I need to narrow it down, or decide which one I fancy right now, and I do find these recs are useful information.

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

there certainly is an overwhelming amount of choice!

mgalaga.bsky.social•27 days ago

Don’t think I’ve ever bought a book from a blurb, but if I see an author talking/posting about one, I’d be more likely to take a peek.
Plus, it feels like in some circles that the same names blurb each other (in a who you know sort of way).

theshaggyshepherd.bsky.social•27 days ago

I don’t care about them at all on the books. I do have authors I like taking recs from, but that’s on a personal basis.

Hopefully that means less quotes on front covers since I really dislike that too.

thebrainofchris.bsky.social•27 days ago

I'm almost reticent to talk about it, but from an indie perspective given the discourse, but having some really knock-out blurbs in place has definitely helped shift a few copies. Looking at the sales graphs, you can see when endorsements have landed.

thebrainofchris.bsky.social•27 days ago

That's from a place with limited access to other marketing tools though.

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

Interesting! Are those endorsements from other indies?

thebrainofchris.bsky.social•27 days ago

No, and I think that's part of it - having blurbs from some well recognised names can help you get past some of the preconceptions self-published stuff comes up again.

adragoninspace.bsky.social•27 days ago

I remember being a teen and seeing a blurb on the first hunger games book, by stephenie Meyer and Stephen king, and thinking wow wtf is this book about for these two different authors to love it so

mikeomoose.bsky.social•27 days ago

If after perusing reviews and the summary I'm on the fence, a blurb from an author I like might tip it. What is said in the blurb hardly matters, jus Good Author likes it is mostly sufficient.

readeratwork.bsky.social•27 days ago

Not really. Most blurbs are calling every other book a "triump" or a "meditation" or something meaningless. I find you don't need to have necessarily read the book to write a majority of them

chilcottharry.bsky.social•27 days ago

This is pretty much my exact thinking. Most blurbs you can copy and paste to other books, or just use similar buzzwords and phrases. I almost always ignore these, proper reader discussion is much better for me.

sirbenfro.bsky.social•27 days ago

I do enjoy seeing my name on the cover of other writers’ books! But seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever bought a book because someone blurbed it. I’ve hardly ever had any on mine.

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

I think they definitely have an impact on the warm and fuzzies of the receiving author (when I feel like I'm having a bad writing day, I will often look back at the ones lovely people have given me)

stephencoxauthor.bsky.social•27 days ago

Don't underestimate the importance of "does not sell books" but

"makes author feel like a REAL author who did a GOOD thing"

on a day when they feel shitty and pointless

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

absolutely! It's all that keeps me going sometimes. Although it's probably not why publishers invest in them

stephencoxauthor.bsky.social•27 days ago

My editor certainly thought certain blurbs and a review in certain papers mattered.

stewarthotston.com•27 days ago

I feel like a blurb is probably less important than an author talking about a book they liked publicly. But I think the two often go hand in hand as it's about getting books into people's hands. (assuming someone reads a book before blurbing it...)

runalongwomble.bsky.social•27 days ago

I tend to think they help the more casual reader. Before being a blogger especially if an author I liked was saying it was often something I would at least give a look at

nemone7.bsky.social•27 days ago

I used to read them, but now they use so many( on the front, on the back, inside)I just ignore them altogether. They make it hard to find the summary sometimes, and that is the part I really need to decide.

nemone7.bsky.social•27 days ago

AND they often spoil the lovely cover art.

palesam.bsky.social•27 days ago

Honestly, it's only if the person is shady then I have opted out of a book because of it. If they liked it, then I'd probably hate it. Even if they're lying. I'm speaking specifically of public figures who are vocally bigoted. They wouldn't want their name tied to anything that's progressive.

violaleanne.bsky.social•27 days ago

Ever since I started following lots of authors on social media, I've noticed that blurbs seem to come, by and large, from authors' friends. That's cool, I like when friends help each other out, but do the blurbs help me decide what to buy? Nah. Just make me smile, usually.

spookypurcell.bsky.social•27 days ago

I'm always hugely appreciative for blurbs but I don't think they make or break a book

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

if nothing else, they make us happy!

rewantremethick.bsky.social•27 days ago

I don’t mind them on the cover, but the more recent practice of moving the summary to the inside on hardbacks and filling the back cover with quotes is annoying.

I buy books based on what they’re about and not which other authors (whom I may not have heard of anyway) liked it 🤷

timleachwriter.bsky.social•27 days ago

I think they can turn into something of a connections/popularity contest for the author (though, of course, people do also blurb books by authors they don't know), so I'm not sure I like them too much.

timleachwriter.bsky.social•27 days ago

So my general (possibly uncharitable) response to seeing a book with a whole load of blurbs is usually "Wow, you've got a lot of famous friends" or "So the publisher really decided to push this book this year", rather than, "This book must be really good."

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

yeah I think if you are a writer it's very easy to become sceptical about them, just because you've had a glimpse behind the curtain

timleachwriter.bsky.social•27 days ago

Yeah, I'd definitely be interested in whether they still mean much to a general reader. (Not that he's a general reader, but I think Stephen Bush's point about it signalling what kind of book you've picked up makes a lot of sense.)

sheenalouisef.bsky.social•27 days ago

It’s usually something I look at after I’ve already read the description. I find that (if I don’t already know the author) that the cover art bears more weight for me. The blurb might be the deciding factor for me buying it if it’s an author I trust the judgement of.

roybutlin.bsky.social•27 days ago

It’s an interesting question - you’re right that word of mouth, ultimately, is the only really important thing

But I feel like they are important - a familiar name nudging you towards something, especially for people who don’t have a bookseller or bookish friends to point out the good things

roybutlin.bsky.social•27 days ago

I’d say blurbing is usually just a way of knowing which authors are friends with each other - but if the blurber is someone who doesn’t tend to blurb, it can be a big draw (I bought something the other day because Julia Armfield had blurbed it) #blurb

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

I seem to remember your scepticism about Stephen Fry's recs 😁

roybutlin.bsky.social•27 days ago

There’s a lot of people like that, who are quoted so often that it’s white noise to those of us who look at every front cover - but most people don’t, of course

If you were quoted on something I’d immeditely pick it up, or Kingsolver, or Kate Atkinson - because I rarely see them doing so

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

a Donna Tartt blurb! The unicorn of blurbs

roybutlin.bsky.social•27 days ago

Absolutely! You’d jump on that, and quite right - it’s a seal of approval, isn’t it? And like all seals, some are more valuable than others (?)

roybutlin.bsky.social•27 days ago

Absolutely! Because he himself said they are meaningless - he is incapable of saying No, so he would always say something positive. He revealed this in the hope he’d make his own blurb valueless so he wouldn’t be asked so often - didn’t work!

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

the name is just too juicy!

jamesloganauthor.bsky.social•27 days ago

Even as an editor I was always slightly sceptical (and don't enjoy having to ask for them - who the hell does) but I've also been told by multiple readers that they bought my book because of the Scott Lynch quote on it, which made me realise that the right endorsement really can make a difference.

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

oh nice! That one is a corker 😁

jamesloganauthor.bsky.social•27 days ago

I swear my soul momentarily left my body when I found out, and I wandered around in a daze for a good half an hour. Lol. Congrats on The Sleepless US deal! 👊

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

aww thank you very much! And I bet!

skysreads.bsky.social•27 days ago

I always ignore them, and whenever I turn a book over to read the description and only find quotes I find it genuinely frustrating. I've actually just put down some books instead of hunting for the description due to that!

rhiandrinkwater.bsky.social•27 days ago

I was book shopping last weekend and one book looked interesting until I saw it was blurbed by Giles Coren, and the book I did buy was tipped over by a blurb from Emily St John Mandel, whose writing I adore. So often it's the person rather than what they say!

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

uuuuuugh Giles Coren 💩

But yeah, this is a good point! What's actually said probably matters less.

amis.bsky.social•27 days ago

This is interesting because I hadn't really thought about it before, but whilst a blurb by a cool person isn't going to have much impact on my decision to buy a book, a blurb by Giles Coren or some other 💩 is highly likely to kill my interest.

rhiandrinkwater.bsky.social•27 days ago

Ha yes I pointed the cover out to my partner and said "See if you can spot the exact point where I lost interest in that book".

sennydreadful.bsky.social•27 days ago

😂