To blurb or not to blurb?

Turns out, this is a tricky question!

As you may know if you’re a regular reader, I’m head down working on a tricky first draft at the moment: the most ambitious storyline I’ve attempted so far, and it’s asking me to dig deep! I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get a post done this week, however, my agent shared an article with me recently that I want to draw your attention to, as I know authors will have lots of feelings about this.

Let’s talk about blurbing

So let’s talk about blurbing—more formally known as ‘endorsements’.

For those just setting out on the writing and publishing road, blurbing is the practice of endorsing another author’s work by giving them a quote about how fabulous the book is that can be used on the cover and in promotional material. Authors who publish books with traditional publishers are strongly encouraged to get involved with book blurbs on two fronts. The first is to read and endorse other authors’ work; and the second is to ask authors if they would be so kind as to read and endorse your own soon-to-be published work. Authors are usually very generous with blurbing when they have time, and blurbs from hugely successful authors are highly prized.

However, in the US, Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint, under the helm of publisher Sean Manning, has decided they won’t be asking authors to obtain blurbs anymore, as Manning explains in this article for Publishers Weekly. He argues that it can be time-consuming for authors (when they should be focused on writing and editing), causes a lot of stress, and may not result in increased sales.

I thought that reading this might come as a relief, but I’m unsure about how I feel about it. On the one hand, the thought of not having to go through the blurbing process feels like it would return more precious writing and reading time to many of us. However, when I have time, I’m really happy to support my fellow authors in this way - I’ve already blurbed one book this year, and I’m in the middle of reading a debut novel that came with an endorsement request. I’m always sorry if I have to say no to such a request, because I know what it means to get this kind of support, but I realise I can only do so much. I’m also beyond grateful for the blurbs I’ve received from busy authors, who have been kind enough to read and say lovely things about one of my books. Receiving these endorsements is an exciting and rewarding part of the process.

However, Manning also adds this caveat:

If a writer reads a book because they want to (not because they feel beholden) and comes away so moved by it that they can’t resist offering an endorsement, we will be all too happy to put it to use. Such as we’re doing for two of our most anticipated novels this year: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (blurbs by Delia Owens, Miranda Cowley Heller, and Mary Beth Keane) and Heartwood by Amity Gaige (blurbs by Jennifer Egan, Elin Hildenbrand, and Catherine Newman).

Doesn’t this kind of defeat the object? If books with blurbs look like the publishers’ ‘most anticipated’, could this be to the detriment of books that don’t get blurbs? And does this caveat really encourage authors to relax and not to seek endorsements when we know that every effort makes a difference in the super-crowded book market? Then again, Manning goes on to say:

… several of our recent bestsellers have been blurb-less—Down the Drain, Sociopath, Dinner for Vampires—proving that readers don’t need the shorthand of blurbs to find great books; they can be trusted to judge quality for themselves.

So what do you think? Do we need blurbs, or don’t we? Do you like the blurbing process or do you find it exhausting? Should there be an industry-agreed limit on the number of endorsements asked for, so authors don’t get flooded by requests? Do you trust endorsements when you see them on book covers? Would you buy a book because your favourite author endorsed it?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one. Leave me a comment or place a vote in the poll instead and I’ll let you know the results next time.

Finally, what should a resilient author take away from a discussion like this? To my mind, it’s that we need to turn inwards and find our own comfort levels with the idea of endorsements rather than getting involved just because it’s a common industry practice. If we’re not careful, we can end up following prescribed paths around marketing our books to the detriment of our writing and mental well-being. So if the blurbing process isn’t something you enjoy, this discussion gives you permission to make a choice. We can engage in the process if we love the idea of this kind of mutual support; but we can also withdraw and breathe a sigh of relief if it doesn’t feel right.

Over the years I’ve developed a blurbing policy that stops me saying yes too often if I need to focus my time elsewhere, but also allows me to support where possible. I decide how much time I have each quarter and the number of books I can read with a view to blurbing them: and I don’t promise blurbs before reading, because sometimes I run out of time to read and sometimes I can’t get into the book. I’m up front if I get a request and I’m not sure whether I can find the time - then it’s up to the publisher or author whether they still want to send me a copy. I also try to support in other ways if I can’t read a book but it comes onto my radar, for example by mentioning it on social media. There are plenty of ways we can be supportive, but to avoid overload it’s vital we try to honour our own time, workload and commitments too.