Reading Book Blurbs on the Back of Book Covers - A question

Because they haven't read it. Other writers get paid for those blurbs but rarely read the entire book. They usually just review a synopis and a few sample paragraphs.

I never trust the cover stuff anyway ... they're like movie previews.... can give a very misleading picture

I much prefer to read a bit of the book itself

Untalented blurbologist?

I guess what gets me is that people actually buy the books because a famous author recommends it. That is like buying a brand of catsup because a celeb recommends it, even though the celeb is getting paid a small fortune to "recommend" the catsup.

Heather - There are very few book blurbs that give you an idea of the book's contents.

what's worse, for me, is when I buy a book because a famous author (that I normally enjoy reading) supposedly wrote it... only to find out that it's highly unlikely that they even proofread the damn thing, or they'd never have allowed their name to go on it.

Clive Cussler my butt!

Here are a couple of reviews we are putting on the cover of Starsight along with my blurb. Does this satisfy your need for info or is it still needing something? I'm actually very interested as I want as many people to pick it up and read it as possible, so try this:

(Blurb at the top of the back of the book)
Trenara never thought she would have to guide a student she loved to become a messiah, but it is the only way this second trial Starguider can salvage her world. Torn between her devotion to Joshan and the fate of her kind, Trenara struggles against accusations of murder, the onset of war, and the loss of her faith in gods who have turned their backs on her. The only people she can trust to help them are two war-ravaged heroes; the boy's life-long trainer and an old sea captain everyone thought was a ghost. Their only weapon, a ten-year-old boy who wakes one morning to find his childhood gone and his hands filled with a power he couldn't possibly understand--or control. Together they must destroy a psychotic enemy and a religious order that has been running the Imperium for a thousand years; a system they have all taken vows to protect.

The Reviews:
"This story is stirring. It is a grand tale of unexpected heroes and psychopaths, passionate love and responsible duty, farfetched spiritual hopes and suffocating religious despair. Minnette's writing is clear and exciting, heartfelt, and often evocative. This smart page-turner will bubble your imagination and have you rooting for marvelous characters that will stay in your heart." Peter Joseph Swanson, Author of Hollywood Sinners, Hidden River

"...this is one powerful and imaginative fantasy adventure novel, with many nice touches...it should do well..." Piers Anthony

"...an epic fantasy STARSIGHT, by Minnette Meador. Let me begin by saying I have never been attracted to this genre, as I've always been grounded in reality and never had time for frivolity. But STARSIGHT is not frivolous… the characters are richly human, and their struggle between good and evil ranks with the most creative in literature. I got used to idea of superpowers real quick and now have a magic wand on my wish list. Minnette's use of singing to invoke "the power" touched my soul and added a unique component of beautiful sound to the reading. I never thought I'd feel comfortable living on a mystical planet in an indefinite time period, but her descriptions not only took me there, they kept me there… like Homer's Sirens..." Shirley Howard

Minnette- Most of these blurbs are excellent when compared to the average ones I see. The exception? Piers Anthony notes that is is a powerful and imaginative fantasy adventure novel, which is a pretty general (but positive) blurb. Anthony's name will help sell the book but the blurb itself says nothing about the content of the book, simply the genre that it fits. Of all the reviewer blurbs, Shirley Howard's blurb is the one that says the moset and would actually entice me to buy it. So there you have it: my take.

Oops, make the word "moset" into "most". Sorry.

Agreed - Actually there is a lot more to Piers' review and it's coming out in his October Newsletter, so I'm anxious to see what he has to say. He's usually a pretty good reviewer and i'll keep this in mind when I glean out what we're going to use. Thanks for the input - I agree that Shirley's is the best and I was delighted to get it. I absolutely agree with you and since I write blurbs for the back of book jackets, I try very hard to put something that will hook the reader,but not give away the story, which can be tricky. This would be a good writer topic as many writers produce their own blurbs. Have you posted this on the Writers Tools or one of the other writing advice sites? I think it is an excellent topic for that - Take a look at my groups. I've got a bunch like that over there. Nicely done, Jane. Minnette :)

I think there is a secret blurb exchange group like you blurb mine and I'll blurb yours. Sort of what I do here at Gather, except I read the articles before I comment. I do return the favor though when someone comments on my posts.
It's the right thing to do.
Mary Mc

I agree with Mary Mc. I usually don't even buy a book though unless it is written by an author that I completely "like their material". Otherwise, I'll go to the library first and see if they have iit.

Blurbs are there to 'sell' the book and nothing more. The inside flap gives some idea of the story-line. I read the first chapter, before deciding on a purchase. If the first chapter reels me in, holds my interest and makes me want to keep reading, I get the book.

As I am paid to review books for some area publications, I'm not always fortunate enough to choose what I read.

I think this is why so many tag sales have so many books. I go to Barnes and Noble (we don't have Borders near me) and I've read many books and parts of others right there without buying them. My home library has many classics but I can't say that any of the books in it I would ever sell at a tag sale.

Honestly, I never read those little authors' blurbs usually until I just finished the book and I close it and turn it over and look at it. And even then I'm not specifically turning it over to read what others had to say. It's more like I finished and now I close it and say "hmmmm", you know? I've never bought a book because some specific author recommended it, and I doubt I ever will. I'd never actually thought about those blurbs.....until now. LOL

I don't read author's blurbs, but I do read the cover synopsis. One of my all-time favorite books had a multipage rave by Anne McCaffrey in it that ended up being the way I felt about it - but that's not why I read it.

I'm a picky reader that loves characters. I find an author who can give me what I love, I will read that author to absolute death, often buying everything they've written. But breaking in a new author is hard. I'm too critical.

90% of the "new" authors I read were recommended to me by people whose taste I've grown to trust. Once in a while, I've picked up a new book on my own, gambled and came up a winner, but referrals have been far more successful. My best buds for pointing out good stuff: my friend Christine (who is also a Georgette Heyer fan) and my sister who often sends me stuff she didn't like, but thought I would. I also have to give credit to my mother-in-law who accidently introduced me to Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb even though her usual taste in romances is, um, not too good.

As for that comment on Clive Cussler, I agree entirely. I remember reading some Piers Anthony (from his "college days") that was so bad it would have been better used to line a parrot cage. It threw me off him entirely, though I was already outgrowing him at the time.

I liked Shirley's Review it says what it needed to say. I do not write the reviews for the back of my books, my publisher decides what goes on there.

The Blurb on the back of my novel the Gatekeeper's Realm reads:

The Inn on Adam's Point stood long uninhabited, yet to this day, its beauty and elegance can be described as ageless. Now, Abigail and her husband, Ethan, are to welcome their first guests.
A strange odyssey befalls every guest during their stay at the Inn. Each day brings new challenges and the nights, well, the nights were baffling. What transpired during their sleep not only catches them off guard, but shakes the very depths of their souls. Nor is it something they want to talk about--that is, not all of them. All they know is their strange journeys lead them to believe they'd be much safer off shore aboard the schooner Abigail during a violent storm, than to be on dry land on a sunny day, when "The House" wavers into its unknown and unstable dimensions.

Here's one review on the back cover of my book the Gatekeeper's Realm, others are inside the front cover.

Any parnormal fan will enjoy...The talented author, Elena Dorothy Bowman, has created a world unlike any other with this tale and you will want to read the first book, The House On The Bluff, also to enjoy the beginning of the experience. I'm pleased to recommend this book as something different in reading and definitely worth the time. Enjoy, I really did. Anne K. Edwards

Elena Dorothy Bowman
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Journey to the Rim of Space and Beyond
http://elenadb.home.comcast.net
http://www.myspace.com/elenabowmanauthor
http://elenadorothybowmansbooks.blogspot.com/
e-mail: elenadb@comcast.net

I never read the full blurb because sometimes it gives out too much information and ruins the book for me. I never read the back of the cover because I don't think that many, if any of the people who commented actually read the book. That being said, some of my comments have appeared on the back of books and I have read every book I commented on.

yeah, I don't place too much stock in those blurbs. I try to read book reviews and keep a list of books I want to read. If I am trying to "judge a book by its cover" something with an award such as "shortlisted for the Booker prize" or something is more appealing to me.

David
I agree. If a book has been nominated for a major award or even shortlisted for one, that tells me something, depending on whether I hold much stock in that particular prize or publication (a book review publication).

I always read the first paragraph or so, If it intreques me I keep going, and If I don't want to put it down I buy it.

Denise- The first paragraph. I guess that makes a case for grabbing the reader early on, right from the start.

I don't even look at those blurbs myself. I willr ead the synopsis of the book & if I am still unsure, I will open the book & read a page or two randomly to see if it draws me in.

Priscella -
I go on word of mouth , too.

I don't read the author's blurbs, I don't want to know what they thought of it, I just want a snyopsis!