Agent Kristin Nelson has been blogging about cover blurbs this week. She’s got some really interesting insights. Check her out at Pub Rants.
I’m on the prowl for cover blurbs myself right now. Well, my editor and agent are on the prowl. They’ve sent Karma Girl out to some folks, and we’re waiting to hear back. For those of you who don’t know, there’s a lot of waiting in the publishing world. Empires can rise and fall in the time that it takes for someone to write a book and see it in print. Seriously.Â
We’ve gotten one really great response so far from a paranormal romance author. More details to come. Rest assured that this author is definitely going to get a box of Godiva or something nice from me in the mail. 😉 So will anyone else who is gracious enough to give me a blurb. Are you listening, best-selling authors? Free chocolate! And all you have to do is read my book. 🙂
Supposedly, a good cover blurb can entice a reader to buy a book, especially if it’s by a newbie debut author like me. Personally, I’ve never paid that much attention to cover blurbs. I usually just give them a cursory glance. If it’s somebody I’ve read and liked, then I might be a smidge more inclined to buy a book. But just a smidge. The cover itself and the description of the book carry more weight with me than anything else.
But now that I need one, I find myself staring at every cover blurb I see, sounding out each phrase, parsing the words to find hidden meanings, examing each syllable for secret subtexts. I even check out the punctuation marks. Exlcamation points, good. Periods, not so good.
In short, I’ve become obsessed with simple phrases and sentences.
What about you? Do you pay any attention to cover blurbs? Whose blurb would make you pick up a new author’s book? Inquiring minds want to know …