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Behind the Blurb—The Truth About Book Endorsements · Reality Writes

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Reality Rights.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: I am author Ellie Alexander, and this is the podcast where we talk about all things bookish, writer-ish, and um pretty much anything else that crosses our mind.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm here with the tech guy.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, hello.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: How's it going?
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: How are you?
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a little frazzled uh this week.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're back, we're back in this the studio.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh in the studio now.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: Our our separate studios for um for lack of a better description.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: And uh mine is a disaster.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a mess.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's a complete mess.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm back to the office five days a week, so I've just I now I'm I'm suddenly seeing the effects of constantly just bringing stuff in here and setting it on my desk.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: So the piles have not even sure what's there, to be honest.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: It just I had to I just moved a whole pile of stuff to the floor behind me, but just so we could record this episode.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I've got cables everywhere.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: I got yeah, it's just the question is are you motivated to actually do anything about it or are you just sort of fine with it being messy for a while?
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just fine with it being messy for a while, especially since, you know, it's uh like it's just one of those things where it'd probably feel good if it was clean, but um I just I have other things that I want to be spending my time on right now.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: That's how it goes.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Well, um today we're spending our time by recording a new episode for our darlings out there.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And this week we're gonna talk about blurbs.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Blurbs.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Blurbs.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Whoa.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um because I think it's always interesting from uh the writer end and the reader end in terms of how blurbs work.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: But the first question I have is like, what do you think of a blurb?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Have has a blurb ever made you buy a book or swayed you to buying a book or getting the book from the library?
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Well, how about if we take it one step farther back for any of the darlings of listeners out there that uh might not know what a blurb is?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: You're talking about the thing from other authors on the book that's like a riveting tale of science and fiction combined with Dan Brown meets Stephen King and a little bit of uh Ellie Alexander's wrote him.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: I like the sound effects.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: This is nice.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I wasn't empty something like that.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's what you're talking about, right?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's a blessed blurb.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's a blurb.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: So the blurbs are um a part of the marketing tool for any book, especially if you're launching a new book or a new series.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and they are written by other authors in your genre, which we'll talk about.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and they usually go on the front cover of the book, a couple on the back, and then oh, if you're really abundant, you might have like two or three pages right after the copyright page of multiple blurbs before a reader starts reading.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I I have some questions about blurbs in general, but let's get back to your question.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you wanted to know for readers out there.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I want to know from our darlings, but I also want to know from you.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um because you know, usually, and we're gonna talk about this on the next episode, uh, but we spend a lot of time at bookstores, but we go our separate ways in the bookstore.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: And now we meet up when we're done.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm just curious, like, has a blurb ever pulled you in, or have you been like reading the back cover and then you see, you know, like another favorite author of yours?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: If Martha, if it if somebody's like, it's like Martha Wells meets blah blah blah.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: If Martha the Wells blurbs a book, I'm I'm probably gonna buy it.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I just like I I love Martha Wells.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: If James Rollins blurbs a book, I'm gonna buy it.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: And for all the James Rollins haters out there, just you know what, go your own way.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: Because I love him.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: And his books are are just they're outlandish, but man, if you read the amount of research that goes into that guy's books, like some of it is not too far off with what we're uh experiencing these days.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: So it's um yeah, no, I uh so yeah, I think I think so.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think what what where I'm skeptical though, where I where I'm really skeptical is when a blurb says something like the the voiceover I did a minute ago.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: If another author is some author that I don't know, or even one I do know says like this is you know, Michael Crichton meets James Rollins meets, you know, whoever.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: I I just I I don't know about that because that that that's like that seems too good to be true.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: That you know, I just that seems too good to be true.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like if if there was a book out there that was like if if the story was really the combination of two or three amazing authors, like how would that not be the number one bestseller of all time?
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like instantly, right?
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm skeptical of those, but you know, if if Martha tells me that this book is a fantastical tale of like adventure and intrigue or whatever, I'm gonna be like, yeah, I'll I'll check it out.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would agree.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh long before I was writing professionally, when I was reading, um, not that I don't read now, I read prolifically now, but um, you know, when I was in the bookstore just as a reader, like not looking it through it in any other lens, I would often, if a favorite author was blurbing a book, and or um if it was something like uh I'm trying to think of an example, like the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society, let's say, you know, somebody's like, it's in that same tone.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm probably gonna snap it up.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: I might be a little more discerning first and still read the back cover and like make sure it feels right.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'll even cheat and read the first few pages in the bookstore and go, okay, yeah, yeah, I'm vibing on this.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I would say for sure over the years, I have been swayed to purchase a book or grab one from the library because of a blurb.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: What about is it still a blurb if it's like the, you know, the same sort of description, but then it's like the, you know, Topeka Gazette or, you know, where where there's no like it's like the the newspaper itself wrote the blurb?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like who there's it's not credited to anyone.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: So then it's like, well, I mean, is it's I mean, how legit are those?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Those are legit.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the publishing houses um reach out for those, and those those fall uh more under like a poll quote or like a review, even sometimes.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that's like a separate part of the marketing plan that's different from the blurb.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, they're reaching out to like, you know, the New York Times Book Reviewer and and people like that, San Francisco Book Review, the Topeka Gazette, like they'll like big or small publications, uh, depending on uh the part the publishing house and the budget and all of those kinds of things, they're gonna reach out um completely.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one question that I have heard so often from the darlings is whether or not authors get paid to blurb a book.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: And the answer is no, absolutely no.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because you don't want any sort of um, you know, like financial strings attached, I guess.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's like anything else.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: You want an honest review.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um so should we get into a little bit of how they work, or did you have another question?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I mean, my well, let's get into how they work.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: Because my and maybe, maybe I'll ask the question and then we can get into how they work.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think you'll explain this.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: But like, do authors really read the books that they blurb?
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: I read every yes, right?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the answer for me is 100% yes.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm putting my name on a book, I will have read it.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and okay, so the way that it works is publishing houses and agents, and then sometimes the authors themselves are the ones reaching out for the blurb.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and this is especially terrifying and horrible when you're a brand new baby writer, because one of the questions on the intake form from the publicity team will be who do you know that you can reach out to for blurbs?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember when I filled it out the first time, I was like, oh my gosh, you know, like all of my writing friends were just starting to write too.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: We were all kind of launching into the world at the same time.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so the book will be not quite finished.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: It'll be up for like NetGalley.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: It hasn't gone through like final copy edits or page proofs, but it's it's pretty solid.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so the publishing houses will send out these requests at that point in time because they want to actually have them physically on the covers or, you know, up on like the sales pages if you're talking, you know, of just an ebook.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um so you as a new author then have to either like put yourself out there and ask, ask an established author um if they might be willing to give your book a read, which is just terrifying.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's like going back to the process of querying all over again, which I never knew before I was published.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then oftentimes agents will ask other authors within you know their agency, and um, the editorial team will reach out to authors that they have relationships with.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: So these days, reviews come in, review requests, blurb requests for me come in from all of those different channels.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: And how much time do you have to fulfill all these requests?
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so um I I can't speak for anyone else, but I I know that there are some rumors out there in the world of authors who just say yes to every book blurb request and they don't necessarily read everything.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I don't know anyone in my circle of writer friends for whom that is true, but I have had to turn down a lot of requests just because of time, because I am physically then going to commit to reading that book.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: So not only is it gonna be hours of my reading time, but I also want to make sure that I'm excited about the book because I have stacks and stacks, as you know, of books waiting to be read around the house.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So you do kind of have to prioritize, I guess.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's uh well, and I know I I that was a loaded question because I I knew the answer.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like I know that you get a lot of requests, and there are times where you just you have to say no because you just it's you're right in the middle of your writing schedule and you just do not have the time to, or it's a very similar book to what you're writing.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: And that I mean, you could probably talk about that too.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's that it makes it hard, right?
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: If it's something really similar and I'm right in the middle of writing, um, if I already have like um just last month I had a I had a backlog of review requests, of blurb requests.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: So um I just was like, I got three in within a week from different publishing houses, and I was like, gosh, I really can't, even if it's a project that I'm really excited about.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: And what sucks on the other end of that is I know that there's an author and they were probably like, well, we asked Ellie and she said no, or you want to be like, no, it was not because we want to read your book.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: I promise.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: I just didn't have time.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and sometimes, you know, most usually um editors and or agents are reaching out with a really nice window.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: But every once in a while, like I got a request a couple of weeks ago, and the editor was like, I need it in two weeks.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I just absolutely can't turn it around that fast.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but usually, you know, you're talking like they'll give you at least three to four months to get a group together.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: I was gonna say is if if I were an author, I would not make it if you got two weeks to turn around a book.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: I don't read a book in two weeks.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like that is not well, maybe some maybe some of Martha Wells and James Rollins' books I'll read in two weeks.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: But I that would, I don't know.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: Does it ever feel like homework?
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like it feels like it would feel like you're back in school and now you've got to read an assignment, right?
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because not only do you have to read it, but then you have to write something good about it, which is a writer, I guess maybe not that challenging, but no, I think that's super challenging because then you want to come up with something like really clever and witty, especially if I have loved the book.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: So um, just to circle back though to your question about um, do you read them?
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I read every book that I blurp, but there have been a couple books that I got asked to blurp that I got part way through.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, for whatever reason the story just wasn't resonating with me.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so at that point in time, then I just don't send in a blurb, which again um is super crummy on the other end of things because it that could just uh be timing or it could be that like, oh, it it wasn't a match for me.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um you you respond though, you don't just ghost these people.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: I just I just wanted to clarify for those listening, yeah.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, yeah, wow, Ellie, okay.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, darling.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see how it.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um no, but I had agreed to uh blurb a book that I was really excited about, and um I got the digital copy from um the editor like in October, and I knew that it was due in mid-January.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: And when I had opened the book, it wouldn't open in the format that they had sent it.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I totally spaced it.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then a couple weeks until the deadline, I was like, oh, I gotta read that book.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I clicked the file again and I was like, oh shoot, that's right.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: I need to get a different file.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so that did feel like homework because I had to read that book in like a week and a half.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I was, as you know, deep in writing and editing a project of my own.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: So um I ended up loving the book.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: So it was totally worth it.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: But um, that was a fail on my end in terms of balancing my own schedule.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: The tech issues.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Tech issues, yeah, it's true.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's very true.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, timing plays in.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then um if you are putting your name on something, you want to make sure that what you're saying is legible, um, that is hopefully gonna entice a reader to be excited to buy the book too.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that always feels like a lot of pressure because it's only, you know, at most a few sentences or a paragraph.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: So to wrap up a book that you've enjoyed in that tight amount of space is always a little bit of pressure too.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it is.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's a very small space.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um that that just uh you you saying like that, you know, if you're gonna put your name on something, that makes me think that most authors probably do read all the books that they're asked to blurb because even if it's a writer you know, you don't know.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe that writer decided this is gonna be the one.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: This is gonna be the one where I just offend everyone.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, and it and then if you if you're like, oh, you know, like so and so is like always writes great stuff, I love it, blah, blah, blah, you know, and then they're like, ah, Ellie Alexander thinks this too.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: Oh no.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly, right?
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, and that really ties into making sure that um you are finding the right, and this is uh for our darlings out there, maybe who are on the writing side of things and they are thinking about the fact that, okay, my book is coming out in a few months.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: I might need to be on the other end of this and start thinking about requests.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: You want to ask an author who's writing in the same genre as you, because over the years, I have gotten at least, I would say, a few dozen requests to blurb bloody, bloody thrillers and things that are super dark, which A is not really my jam in terms of reading to begin with.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not gonna be a great match for that.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: And also, all of our darlings and our readers are are pretty cozy or like cozy adjacent.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: So um that is not gonna be a good match um because likely then let's say, uh, if I go back to your, I well, I would read everything that you talked about, but let's say it's like something like true crime that's super dark, a lot of gore, maybe a kid is murdered in it, like all the things that you're not gonna find in my books.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: But a reader happens to pass um that title on an end cap and see my name on it, they might think like, oh, hey, this is another Cozy.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: I love Cozy, I haven't seen this yet, and buy that book and then be like, oh my gosh, this is not at all what I was anticipating.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: No, some of those darker ones, I know when they've come in and you've you felt bad because you do want to, you know, review something for someone.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: But um I offered to read them because that's kind of my jam, but uh but I I don't think a blurb from the tech guy was what they were after.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know, maybe we should start some sort of position for that.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: People of you like who the the who tell me again, what are we doing?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um this is a little bit of a segue, but you are reading a book very quickly right now after duress from yours truly.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm not blur but I'm not blurbing it.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm reading it, but you won't blurb it for me?
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: Am I supposed to blurb it?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, well, I guess so.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um so darlings, I I have a new um spy thriller.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's not really it's hard to say spy thriller because then you're gonna think what I just said about, you know, this very dark.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's in the cozy world.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's like if Agatha Christie had um a set of sleeper cell spies in the little cozy village with her.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but uh my beta readers have finished with it, and I did another edit, and now the tech guy is the last touch before I send it into my editor.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: So the pressure is on.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: It is on.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_01: I got it.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm sitting here we're recording this, and I'm thinking that uh um that I should be reading.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um what do you call it?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: Cozy adjacent.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think those writing, yeah.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, right?
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um sorry, I distracted uh an ad for Martha Wells' book came up on the screen down down here.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I got I got distracted.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: Did it really?
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: Everything's listening to us all the time.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: Go back and listen to our AI episode from last week if you have questions.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel the pressure when you're uh reading my stuff?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, I I'd feel pressure no matter whose stuff I was reading, but I think it's a little different when uh I'm like, you know, in I live with the person who's constantly thinking up new ways to off people.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: So that's when that's when I get the I'd walk in, get home from work, and you'd be like, here, taste this.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, just be like, wait, what?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think the Darlings might be interested in like what it's like to um provide feedback.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: And this is this is feedback from I've done like three drafts, I would say now of this and gotten feedback more widely.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: But you over the years have given lots of feedback in the process.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I uh that's I don't think that's ever been a problem.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: I think we we like because you're you're good, you know when to be like, yeah, that's that's great, but like this is what I'm going for, and and but you know, and I and I'm not uh typically those were cuzzy mysteries, and I I I don't read uh you know, I read yours, and that's about it.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: But um, but I think yeah, I've never been afraid to give you feedback.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's just because I know you'll you'll take what you want and you'll just say, you know, if some if my feedback's coming from the wrong lens, like that's easy for you to filter out too.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, but your feedback, I mean, it's always super helpful.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I think it's gonna be especially helpful in this one because you do read a lot more that is closer to this genre, I would say, too.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um I did, and this is I'm gonna say this and you're gonna you're gonna be mad because it's going to generate a lot of questions uh from uh readers out there.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: But I the the series I did love reading the most about because I could give a lot of feedback and a lot of input to is the Sloan Krause Mysteries because they do all the beer stuff.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: And that required research, so I read a lot of those at breweries.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um I had to get in the frame of mind to to read the book, you know.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I like it.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um well, I'm gonna be really curious to hear from the darlings in terms of your thoughts on blurbs and whether or not they have swayed you to pick up a title or if you just completely look past them.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's interesting because Simon and Schuster, who my new spy um Cozy is gonna be with, is they just announced this week that one of their um imprints is give is doing away with blurps.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: They're done with it.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so they they went through a lot of reasons.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: They felt like it's a it's a big ask for editors.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: It it does, you know, like on that end, it takes A lot of time because editors are reaching out to dozens of authors hoping that two or three or four will say yes.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that it's a big ask for authors who are, like we've talked about, um, doing a lot of work themselves and then having to put that aside.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, in fact, one of the comments, in fact, I'll I'll make sure to to share the article on my social just because I think it's an interesting read once we release this episode.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: But um, one of the commenters was like, oh, you know, authors are probably not getting their own writing done because they're spending so much time writing blurbs.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, Yeah, I don't, I mean, no, I would never, I I always, I mean, one of the perks I think of blurbing is getting to read stuff that I'm super excited about a few months early.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, darlings, if you're on NetGalley and you get approved to read a copy early, it's the same kind of vibe for me as an author.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: I get super excited, but I am never gonna put my own work aside to blurb something like that.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's yeah.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: I I wouldn't, that's funny.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I would never think that.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think it'd always be secondary for most authors.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: I guess you know, blurbing a book could um can be a great opportunity for authors too.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you get asked to do it, like getting your name out there is like that's always it's always a good thing, right?
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what I was gonna say.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like there are quite a few pros getting to read something early.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, making connections with an author that you might not have been connected with.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I I um have a couple blurbs of recent stuff that I'm gonna do or that I've already done that I thought we I could share here on this podcast.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: But um I've also gotten connected to authors that I who I wasn't aware of um from requests from their agents and editors.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: So that's great.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then yes, it's great for an author, especially if you're a new author, to have your name on somebody else's book.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because a reader might be flipping through and go, oh, I haven't heard of this author, but you know, I'm gonna check out her work now.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: So how does a how does a new author go about getting people to provide a blurb?
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's gotta be that's gotta be challenging, right?
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Because you don't you don't want to be really pushy, but if you don't have a net built-in network of published friends, you know, friends who are published authors, like you've got to reach out.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: So how do they go about it?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you just have to rip the band-aid off and do it.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a lot like querying.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: You're back in that process again.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: For me, I made a list of some of my like top 10 dream cozy writers.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I sent them to my editor and to my agent to see if either of them knew authors on those lists, which they did.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that helps.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: It really helps if you, you know, have that support.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but if you're independently publishing, you can do the same thing.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think just reaching out to authors and make sure this is something that I talk about all the time in my coaching and in our Mystery Series masterclass, you want to have actually read that author's work.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like don't just mass query authors.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's never fun because an author's gonna tell.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: And again, do your research and don't query somebody to read your cozy blurb if they write spicy romance, you know?
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: But um reach out, make the ask, um, and then, you know, be prepared that you will probably get some no's and try not to take that personally because, like I'm saying, a lot of times it is just scheduling and um you might be able to then also just make an initial meetup with an author who you weren't familiar or who wasn't familiar with you before.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I actually have a comment about blurbs from a design standpoint.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um something occurred to me that you know, if you're if you're an author and you plan on getting blurbs or trying to get blurbs for your book, um, you need to take that into account before the cover design is finalized.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like your your cover designer, whether that's you or somebody you've hired or whatever, needs to know that there's going to be a blurb so that they can plan for it in the cover, because you know, most a lot of the blurbs go at the top, like in the, you know, then they're centered, but it makes a big difference like if you've got like white sky up there or a lot of dark clouds, you know, the the font choice, the colors, the placement, all of that stuff needs to be accounted for.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and probably asking for the length of the blurb to be very specific, like no more that no more than one sentence or no more than two sentences, just so you can kind of because you don't want the blurb to be super small and unreadable.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: No, I think that's a super excellent point.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: And um, what I will do from a writing perspective is I'll usually, and I'll share a couple examples in a minute here, but I'll write, you know, a short paragraph.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then what the editor will do is they will take a pull quote from that.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I always end my blurbs with something that's just, you know, like a must read, or, you know, something that is just easy to put on the top cover.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, you're totally right.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then um the other thing about putting yourself out there as a new author is I remember when I got my my very first blurb that I got back um was from Kate Carlisle.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I had read every single title she had ever written.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: I was in love with her work and I just like balled when um my editor, hey, we gotta uh we gotta blurb back from Kate Carlisle.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, Kate Carlisle is like reading my book.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and so I love to be able to do that for new writers too.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: So odds are authors are gonna be cheering you on.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: So you should make the ask.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, there's definitely a lot of support.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I I remember that.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: I remember you getting the the the word from your agent on on that and how excited we were about that.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_01: And um that was a big deal at the time.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: It was it was a really big deal for you.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it was awesome.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: So cool, yeah.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: So cool to have an author who you love who is reading your book and enjoying your book.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then um, you know, another thing is just to make sure that then you reach out and thank those authors.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've send gift baskets.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um no.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm totally kidding.
• 28:24
  unknown: Totally kidding.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: Do not be email.
• 28:28
  unknown: Yeah.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: A thank you note will suffice.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh a quick email, whatever.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then it's always fun because sometimes I will get the physical copy of a book that I've blurbed later.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like uh, I blurbed one of I blurbed Gigi's um new series when it first came out under Lock and Skeleton Key, the first book of that.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: And her editor sent me a signed copy of the book.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: So that's always fun to have in my collection too.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so uh a new writer reaches out to an author for a blurb.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how many times should they follow up?
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like eight, nine, ten.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: What no, I I asked that in jest, but but I do want to talk about that because I I see all the questions and and things that come in through the website.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so I see this a lot for you, which is where somebody will reach out, and if they don't hear from you in a day, they'll reach out again.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then if they don't hear from you, it'll again and again and again.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just like, oh my goodness, like you just take a breath.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta just take a breath, yeah, and just be patient, you know.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like there are a lot of other things going on here.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean, I like what do you suggest from because authors are very busy people, professional authors, people who make a living writing, people who work another full-time job and write, yeah, are very busy people.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: And if you reach out, you're not gonna get a response back in 24 hours.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: You're just not.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: So never, yeah.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's true for like editorial staff.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like I I've gotten requests from like big publishing houses, and I'm not always responding right away, especially if I'm deep in the middle of work myself.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would say, you know, if you haven't heard in a few weeks, maybe like mark on your calendar if you send out a request and then give it three weeks um and you haven't heard, then it would be appropriate to just check in and say, hey, no pressure.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm just seeing if this is a possibility.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: No worries.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: If not, thanks so much for your time and consideration.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: Done.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then if you don't hear after that, drop it and move on to something else.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's good.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: I was gonna, I was gonna say that's probably from a sales perspective.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: You might get you might get salespeople to be like, oh no, you gotta follow, you know, but that's not what you're doing here.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: You're you're not, you're not, you're not selling anything.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: You're you're you know, you're asking for a very big favor from uh from an author.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so you just need to just be respectful and and uh don't expect a response in 24 hours.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: No, and um, you know, like I said, I think the vast majority of authors want to provide blurbs and help a new author in their process too.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: So if it's a no, try to just take that with a grain of salt and move along.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, maybe the next book that author is gonna have time and space to be able to blurb it.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, I thought it might be fun to share.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: These are three books that I've read in the last three or four months that I have absolutely loved, and they're all coming out within the next few months.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought it might be interesting to uh read the blurbs and um let's see if darlings, you are then compelled to sold on the books.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and again, these are three books that I read on my own time.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: I did not get paid for these blurbs.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I'm very excited for you to read all three of these.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: So the first one.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: Were any of these books by Martha Wells?
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: None of these.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've never been asked by Martha.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, well, you might you wouldn't, you wouldn't, though.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: No, but you going going going back to only ask people in your genre.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: So sci-fi, murder bot, is these standard equistries.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, okay, this is a beauty queen's guide to murder and mayhem by Kristen Bird.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: Kristen has been writing for a long time.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: Not an author I was familiar with.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: Can't wait to read more of her stuff.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: Here's my blurb.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: One thing I never knew was missing from the cozy mystery world Beauty Queens.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: Kristen Byrd's delightful new novel has quickly filled that gap.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: Dakota, a spunky, modern sleuth, doesn't let high heels or outdated gender roles get in the way of her relentless pursuit of the truth in and her quest to build a new life.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem is a charming romp featuring a quirky cast of characters with big hearts and witty humor, all set against the unforgettable backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: Grab your sequins and your tiara.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: This one's a sparkling good read.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: Nice.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: Nice.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that last line there, that is what could go at the very top, right?
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so that that's actually a good point because so I it that was interesting that you said that the editor or whoever the publisher will take poll quotes from the paragraphs.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why you see ellipses used a lot in uh in blurbs on books.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like the author didn't write, you know, uh what, you know, and then the dot dot dot and then finish their set you know, sentence that that happened after the fact.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that makes that makes that makes a lot of sense.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, um, the next one, um, oh, and I should say um a beauty guide to murder and mayhem comes out at the end of February.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: It comes out this month.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: Grab this is cozy.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's who is the author again?
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: Kristen Byrd.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: Kristen Byrd.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, okay, the next one is Kate and Frida by Kim Faye.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to tell you, I read Love and Saffron, Kim Faye's first book a few years ago, and it is one of my favorite books of all time.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: I've given it to so many people.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: I did not know Kim before this, um, but I've shared about it on my social.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: If I love a book, I'm gonna talk about a book.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so um, we just like connected through DMs and um I just I found her so great.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: And she reached out to me to ask if I might be willing to give this an early read and potentially provide a blurb.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, um, I when?
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: When can I say yes?
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, for this one, I dropped everything uh because I knew I was so excited to read it.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: So um here's my blurb for that.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: I devoured Kate and Frida in one leisurely, lovely weekend.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's the kind of book that wraps you up in a warm, cozy hug.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: The story transported me back to the early 90s when I was coming of age and writing long letters to friends as we scattered in all directions and tried to carve out our own little piece of the world.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: Kate and Frida's friendship is set against the backdrop of Seattle and Paris in the glorious pre-Iternet 90s, when a simple book request leads to a string of letters and a lasting connection.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_00: From the turbulence of war and struggling with anxiety, loss, and finding their own narratives, Fay masterfully weaves Kate and Frida's adventures, challenges, and triumphs together in one delicious bundle of handwritten notes with just the right touch of delectable food.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: It is Paris, after all.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: The story is a poignant reminder of the enduring power of books, food and friendship.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is a must read.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_01: Ooh.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_01: Man, the the cover designer in me is like, how the heck do I fit that on the cover?
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: So So yeah, the poll quote thing is like, yeah, that makes a lot of sense now.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure it will be that last line or even something um like it's the kind of book that wraps you up in a warm, cozy hug, or you know, something like that.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um but then the longer quotes blurbs go on the inside, you know.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: So that's when you see those first few pages after the copyright, and you'll see the whole blurb sometimes.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, oh, go ahead.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: No, I was just gonna say, so it's kind of a big deal if you if you're the author that gets chosen to be the cover blurb over.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, right.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: Cover blurb.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then um, there's also like, I'm holding up a book, darling.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: So there's also, ooh, go this way.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a bunch of um on the back.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, on the back too.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then the other thing with timing that we didn't even talk about is that there's also some pressure if you say yes, because if a lot of other authors have already blurbed it, then I'm thinking, like, oh my gosh, what am I gonna say that's new at all?
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because 10 other authors have blurbed this and loved it too.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um Kate and Frida comes out in March.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it is just like I said, a book that wraps you up in a warm hug.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: Not a mystery, very cozy, lots of food, friendship, great.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then last but not least, um, I just read Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Ducas.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that's how you say your last name.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and my blurb is Welcome to Your Perfect Escape.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: If Jane Austen stepped into a cozy mystery, she would find herself in mysterious cottage, unraveling clues in a cleverly staged murder.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_00: Picture a charming, eccentric English village where everyone plays a part.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: Add a touch of romance and an unsolved family saga, and you've got the perfect reading escape.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Murder Week is witty, heartfelt, and utterly unput downable.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: Add it to your TBR immediately.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: Whoa.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that one comes out in June.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and one thing that we didn't talk about is so, darlings who are uh listening, sometimes the publishing houses, I'm I'm showing a copy of what's called the galley um or the advanced reader copy.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I will get a physical copy like this because the publisher will bind the book and send it to you.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I'll get an e-copy.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's always kind of fun to see the evolution of um how the galleys play out.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_01: Are the uh the print galleys, those are getting more and more rare, right?
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: They are getting more and more rare.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's just yeah, it's expensive to print that instant amount.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: So um that I think that's blurbs in a nutshell.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think we missed anything, but uh, I'll be eager to hear what the darlings think.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: And all you fall on the blurbing.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: How's your blurb going today?
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_01: Have you blurbed yet this morning?
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: Blurb is a cool word, so you're gonna have to have some fun with that.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, excellent.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: Well, uh on that note, darlings, uh happy reading, happy blurbing, and uh, I hope you'll go check out a few of these if um I've tempted you with my blurbs.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time.