I think for me, I don't notice the absence of a blurb, but if I pick up a book I'm interested in and it says "AUTHOR YOU ADORE says EXCELLENT THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK" you better believe I'll be far more inclined to take a risk on it and buy it.
For me, 99.99% of the time, I dismiss blurbs. They're usually just friends blurbing each other, or other connections, as Alexa says in the video. I pay MUCH more attention to reader reviews on Goodreads or amazon.
This was helpful. As a matter of fact, I don't care about blurbs in a book. If Stephen King is printed on the cover as saying, "This story really kept me up late," I have no idea if he actually read it or if he's just being kind as a personal favor to someone. Blurbs from unknown people don't impress me at all. Ultimately, what matters to me is whether I like the book, not what some other writer or critic thinks. I've read plenty of bestsellers with awards and glowing reviews plastered across their covers that I couldn't even finish.
ur vids are awesome. dont know why its still underground, i feel liek everyone can gain experience and info from your videos focusing on traditional publishing. literally your book, kim chance's, polandbanana, and linsey's are among the very few traditionally published books on authortube so far. most people, including myself are doing the self publishing route, so the info here is quite rare. maybe most ppl are self publishing? idk, but I hope ur channel blows up :)
Hey, Alexa! First of all, I'm obsessed with your videos. You are so charismatic and knowledgeable! I think I stayed up until midnight last Friday binging your marketing/website/platform videos. I don't know if you're still mining comments for potential video topics, but I would LOVE to learn the process you went through for titling and retitling BRIGHTLY BURNING. I'm undergoing a similar situation right now, and I can't think of a new title to save my life. Any tips?
Oh gosh... does me crying at my computer screen count as a process? haha. I should probably do a video on titles! (and I can DM you some personal tips via Twitter :D)
I’ve been following your channel for a while now Alexa and I’ve finally gathered up the courage to comment, and I just wanted to so how much I appreciate you and your videos. They are incredibly insightful and well structured and they’ve helped me so much in furthering along in my writing career- well what I hope will be a career lol. Thank you so much for creating such inspiring and helpful content! Also I’m soooooo excited for Brightly Burning! I read the sample of it a while back and I adored it. It’s one of my most anticipated books of the year and the fact that it’s purple (my favorite color) and written by such a splendid person just makes it all the better! Sorry for such a long comment lol
Thank you so much! This is so so great to hear, and exactly why I made the channel. And you made me blush, re: your comments on my book. I'm glad you delurked to comment! And it wasn't too long :)
Thanks for your charm and candor! One fun video I would like to see is how you make these videos. Is that bookshelf behind you a set? Do you video edit everything? Do you brainstorm a lot for each video? Do you have a list of future videos that you are working your way down? Is there someone videotaping you? Do you have cue cards in front of you while you are talking? What is your view as you're talking? Thanks!
I'm one of those people who sees blurbs on books and completely skips them. If a book has all blurbs and no summary on the back/inside of the cover? Then I'm not buying it.
I know you mentioned they can say “I don’t have time” when really they read the book and don’t want to blurb (nice way to say no if they didn’t like it) But you also indicated the request may say something like “If you have time, I can send you the manuscript...” Isn’t that already indicating they have the time? And then we send them manuscript and then it’s a no? Should we send manuscript along with the request?
It's funny some of the differences between the indie and traditionally published world. A lot of indies I know call the back book description the blurb, and the endorsement from other authors an editorial review. Interesting video as always.
S.D. Hegyes I don't know if it's indie vs traditional. I'm in many writing groups and I've always seen the back cover summery refered to as the blurb. But, maybe it's just an accepted term for it.
You're expecting to pester a bunch of strangers, to read your book, say something nice about it, and sign their name to it... that they officially said something nice? THAT IS MADNESS! Like stalking!
Love your videos! I'm ashamed to say I've been calling the back cover write up, the blurb. Whoops. I have two questions for you though, not related specifically to blurbs. The first is: What are your thoughts on authors creating an LLC behind which they sorta of operate? The second is related to book rights. Let's use Tamora Pierce and her Tortall series as an example. That series has been published by different publishing houses/ imprints but say one quartet is published by one imprint and a trilogy might be published by another. Is it that you can continue to write in one particular world even if one imprint is no longer interested in that world?
Oh, you're fine, re: calling back cover copy blurbs! They're also kind of blurbs in the sense that a blurb is a short promotional piece (and that's what back cover copy does). I've heard mixed things on authors creating LLCs. Some people say do it, others say it doesn't matter. Personally I decided not to fuss with that yet, as I'm already kind of overwhelmed by everything, but I am considering it in the future. I'm not 100% certain about your second question in terms of how it works, but what I have to assume is that any author who is able to "port" their series/IP to different publishers has/had a VERY good agent who negotiated VERY good contract terms for them. It's not standard that an author would be able to do that, as far as I know. That said, imprints under one publisher is a bit different--some publishers make it very easy to jump around imprints. It's far more rare for an author to publish series using the same IP/world at different publishers, but it does happen. Unfortunately I don't have any information/skinny on exactly how it works!
So... what exactly is the difference between blurbs and forwards? And do forwards carry more clout than blurbs? Because they seem like they could be very similar to me, only different in length.
Disclaimer: I have only worked for small independent publishers thus far but I hope to move into the bigger arena in a couple of years. My question is why do traditional publishers feel like they need to have authors reach out to have someone else write the blurb? That doesn’t make sense to me because I feel like writing a blurb is very similar to writing the cook part of a query letter...
I think you're thinking of back cover copy? The publisher writes that, but author blurbs are specifically endorsements about the quality of the book by other sources/authors. If you've ever picked up a book and you see quotes from other authors about how much they enjoyed the book, those are blurbs. By nature, they have to come from other people.
“Hi! I am a pretentious asshole. I would like you to read my book. I think it sucks. But my editors loved it. I hope I do not waste to much of your time. Greetings, [my name]”
Black magic :D But seriously: no one knows. Or they think they know, but then they don't know. Sales and marketing and weird animals, and typically what brands/companies do is just throw spaghetti at the wall and hope for the best. There's a certain, magical chemistry to sales/marketing efforts and readers all gelling at the same time, and everything translating to sales/success. It's an art, not a science, and some things may work for one person or at one time, but then not for another. The only thing we do know is that if you do nothing, you won't sell anything. So then you do a bunch of somethings and see where it goes.
Do you need blubs from people in your exact genre? For example if you wrote a SF adult can you reach out to a YA SF author since the topic is still Sci-fi?
You can definitely dip around! The question is "would this person's name mean anything to my potential readership" or "would this person's readership be interested in my book?" That's the way to approach. So, for example, my blurbs are from YA fantasy romance writers, not YA sci-fi writers, because my book has huge crossover appeal for romance fans.
In your email, would it be bad to joke with them? Like I imagine emailing Atwood (I don't know her, why would she read the book? Dunno...), anyways, I imagine emailing her and adding a P.S. I'll be glad to exchange stories and give you a blurb your future story that will come out a 100yrs or so.... haha!
"I read this book, and it was not terrible."--Alexa Donne
Best blurb ever.
I feel like a lot of people asking how to write a blurb really meant how to write the back cover summary.
I think for me, I don't notice the absence of a blurb, but if I pick up a book I'm interested in and it says "AUTHOR YOU ADORE says EXCELLENT THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK" you better believe I'll be far more inclined to take a risk on it and buy it.
For me, 99.99% of the time, I dismiss blurbs. They're usually just friends blurbing each other, or other connections, as Alexa says in the video. I pay MUCH more attention to reader reviews on Goodreads or amazon.
This was helpful. As a matter of fact, I don't care about blurbs in a book. If Stephen King is printed on the cover as saying, "This story really kept me up late," I have no idea if he actually read it or if he's just being kind as a personal favor to someone. Blurbs from unknown people don't impress me at all. Ultimately, what matters to me is whether I like the book, not what some other writer or critic thinks. I've read plenty of bestsellers with awards and glowing reviews plastered across their covers that I couldn't even finish.
ur vids are awesome. dont know why its still underground, i feel liek everyone can gain experience and info from your videos focusing on traditional publishing. literally your book, kim chance's, polandbanana, and linsey's are among the very few traditionally published books on authortube so far. most people, including myself are doing the self publishing route, so the info here is quite rare.
maybe most ppl are self publishing? idk, but I hope ur channel blows up :)
Thank you so much for this Miss Donne. I have now started my (super completely realistic) blurb wish list…and you are so on it.
Hey, Alexa! First of all, I'm obsessed with your videos. You are so charismatic and knowledgeable! I think I stayed up until midnight last Friday binging your marketing/website/platform videos. I don't know if you're still mining comments for potential video topics, but I would LOVE to learn the process you went through for titling and retitling BRIGHTLY BURNING. I'm undergoing a similar situation right now, and I can't think of a new title to save my life. Any tips?
Oh gosh... does me crying at my computer screen count as a process? haha. I should probably do a video on titles! (and I can DM you some personal tips via Twitter :D)
I’ve been following your channel for a while now Alexa and I’ve finally gathered up the courage to comment, and I just wanted to so how much I appreciate you and your videos. They are incredibly insightful and well structured and they’ve helped me so much in furthering along in my writing career- well what I hope will be a career lol. Thank you so much for creating such inspiring and helpful content!
Also I’m soooooo excited for Brightly Burning! I read the sample of it a while back and I adored it. It’s one of my most anticipated books of the year and the fact that it’s purple (my favorite color) and written by such a splendid person just makes it all the better! Sorry for such a long comment lol
Thank you so much! This is so so great to hear, and exactly why I made the channel. And you made me blush, re: your comments on my book. I'm glad you delurked to comment! And it wasn't too long :)
Thank you! As a debut author on the search for blurbs this was very insightful and comforting!!
Thanks for your charm and candor! One fun video I would like to see is how you make these videos. Is that bookshelf behind you a set? Do you video edit everything? Do you brainstorm a lot for each video? Do you have a list of future videos that you are working your way down? Is there someone videotaping you? Do you have cue cards in front of you while you are talking? What is your view as you're talking? Thanks!
I'm actually working on a "how to start a booktube/authortube channel" video set, but this is a great, idea too! I'll put something together :)
Thank you for sharing that! Very helpful! 🙏🏼
Sasha Alsberg showed your book in her Insta story a few days ago!!! XD
I saw!!!! I was like O.O. And Emmmabooks included me in her January haul! I'm kind of freaking out haha.
Go girl!!!!
I love your videos! They are always so helpful and informative!!!!!
I'm one of those people who sees blurbs on books and completely skips them. If a book has all blurbs and no summary on the back/inside of the cover? Then I'm not buying it.
I know you mentioned they can say “I don’t have time” when really they read the book and don’t want to blurb (nice way to say no if they didn’t like it)
But you also indicated the request may say something like “If you have time, I can send you the manuscript...” Isn’t that already indicating they have the time? And then we send them manuscript and then it’s a no? Should we send manuscript along with the request?
It's funny some of the differences between the indie and traditionally published world. A lot of indies I know call the back book description the blurb, and the endorsement from other authors an editorial review. Interesting video as always.
S.D. Hegyes I don't know if it's indie vs traditional. I'm in many writing groups and I've always seen the back cover summery refered to as the blurb. But, maybe it's just an accepted term for it.
That is possible. I don't know. It's just weird to hear another author's review being called a blurb. It kept throwing me off during the video.
Same.
You're expecting to pester a bunch of strangers, to read your book, say something nice about it, and sign their name to it... that they officially said something nice? THAT IS MADNESS! Like stalking!
Love your videos! I'm ashamed to say I've been calling the back cover write up, the blurb. Whoops. I have two questions for you though, not related specifically to blurbs. The first is: What are your thoughts on authors creating an LLC behind which they sorta of operate? The second is related to book rights. Let's use Tamora Pierce and her Tortall series as an example. That series has been published by different publishing houses/ imprints but say one quartet is published by one imprint and a trilogy might be published by another. Is it that you can continue to write in one particular world even if one imprint is no longer interested in that world?
Oh, you're fine, re: calling back cover copy blurbs! They're also kind of blurbs in the sense that a blurb is a short promotional piece (and that's what back cover copy does).
I've heard mixed things on authors creating LLCs. Some people say do it, others say it doesn't matter. Personally I decided not to fuss with that yet, as I'm already kind of overwhelmed by everything, but I am considering it in the future.
I'm not 100% certain about your second question in terms of how it works, but what I have to assume is that any author who is able to "port" their series/IP to different publishers has/had a VERY good agent who negotiated VERY good contract terms for them. It's not standard that an author would be able to do that, as far as I know. That said, imprints under one publisher is a bit different--some publishers make it very easy to jump around imprints. It's far more rare for an author to publish series using the same IP/world at different publishers, but it does happen. Unfortunately I don't have any information/skinny on exactly how it works!
So... what exactly is the difference between blurbs and forwards? And do forwards carry more clout than blurbs? Because they seem like they could be very similar to me, only different in length.
Disclaimer: I have only worked for small independent publishers thus far but I hope to move into the bigger arena in a couple of years. My question is why do traditional publishers feel like they need to have authors reach out to have someone else write the blurb? That doesn’t make sense to me because I feel like writing a blurb is very similar to writing the cook part of a query letter...
I think you're thinking of back cover copy? The publisher writes that, but author blurbs are specifically endorsements about the quality of the book by other sources/authors. If you've ever picked up a book and you see quotes from other authors about how much they enjoyed the book, those are blurbs. By nature, they have to come from other people.
Alexa Donne Oh yes that’s what I was talking about LOL I’m sorry everybody I know calls the back cover copy a blurb.
Thank you for this. Very informative and interesting.
I definitely bought Alyssa Cole's newest book because meg cabot blurbed it.
What if u get a ton of people agreeing to get blurbs?
You're terrific. It almost makes me wish that I wrote YA. I'd definitely ask you for a blurb. Cheers!
you are abousetly the women❤ i really look up to you, im currently writing a piece and i hope someday we can get in touch. from: daisy♡
“Hi! I am a pretentious asshole. I would like you to read my book. I think it sucks. But my editors loved it. I hope I do not waste to much of your time. Greetings, [my name]”
If blurbs don't sell books, what does?
Black magic :D
But seriously: no one knows. Or they think they know, but then they don't know. Sales and marketing and weird animals, and typically what brands/companies do is just throw spaghetti at the wall and hope for the best. There's a certain, magical chemistry to sales/marketing efforts and readers all gelling at the same time, and everything translating to sales/success. It's an art, not a science, and some things may work for one person or at one time, but then not for another. The only thing we do know is that if you do nothing, you won't sell anything. So then you do a bunch of somethings and see where it goes.
Do you need blubs from people in your exact genre? For example if you wrote a SF adult can you reach out to a YA SF author since the topic is still Sci-fi?
You can definitely dip around! The question is "would this person's name mean anything to my potential readership" or "would this person's readership be interested in my book?" That's the way to approach. So, for example, my blurbs are from YA fantasy romance writers, not YA sci-fi writers, because my book has huge crossover appeal for romance fans.
In your email, would it be bad to joke with them? Like I imagine emailing Atwood (I don't know her, why would she read the book? Dunno...), anyways, I imagine emailing her and adding a P.S. I'll be glad to exchange stories and give you a blurb your future story that will come out a 100yrs or so.... haha!
omg to much lip service