tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post9048159646172303602..comments2023-08-28T15:13:22.397+01:00Comments on Natasha Mostert (Author): TO BLURB OR NOT TO BLURBNatasha Mostert (Author)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17792653330983464724noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-36357182272760496962010-07-18T09:51:43.139+01:002010-07-18T09:51:43.139+01:00@electriwitch: I'm easy too, believe me. A st...@electriwitch: I'm easy too, believe me. A stunning book jacket will get me every time -- and very often the cover does not live up to the expectations. Of course, these days, when I enter a book store I usually already know what book I'm looking for and I don't dawdle. This is very sad, as a good browse in a book store is one of life's great pleasures. But it does mean that I'm less likely to fall for alluring book jackets...<br /><br />@Kelly and @Deirdre: Even knowing how the biz works, a big name blurb will still catch my attention and might persuade me to read through a few pages, which I may not have done otherwise. It is a powerful hook...Natasha Mostert (Author)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17792653330983464724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-4093904861087837732010-07-17T13:06:40.307+01:002010-07-17T13:06:40.307+01:00Must admit I don't really take much notice of ...Must admit I don't really take much notice of blurbs, I have in the past hated books which have had great praise from some of my favourite authors so I guess it all boils down to a taste things, however I imagine a lot of people would be impressed enough to buy a book which has been blurbed by a really sucessful author.<br /><br />I will admit to the cardinal sin of being enticed to buy a book by an eye catching cover.<br /><br />Electricwitch.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11958155737658179804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-36908997945195407872010-07-15T18:57:53.764+01:002010-07-15T18:57:53.764+01:00My favorite Da Vinci blurb is "The DaVinci Co...My favorite Da Vinci blurb is "The DaVinci Code didn't make me miss my train, it made me step in front of it, so engrossed was I by its intricate spell."<br /><br />I'm a sucker. I read the blurbs and I'm always impressed by them. But I will be a whole lot less after reading this blog. But what was I thinking? That big name authors just sit around reading new books and give unsolicited praise because they feel like it? (Well maybe Steven King does.) But obviously there has to be some backscratching involved. Publishing is a business after all.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06235515557305740873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-71506410920149159412010-07-15T07:16:13.191+01:002010-07-15T07:16:13.191+01:00Hi Natasha, I enjoyed this blog. Like Mike, I also...Hi Natasha, I enjoyed this blog. Like Mike, I also didn't know the authors doing the blurbs when I was young.Stupidly I just assumed that they must be important writers if they are asked to provide a blurb and that I should therefore take what they say as gospel. <br /><br />Of course, now that I'm older, and so much wiser...not really :-) I have become a skeptic. I do pay attention to reviews although here too, one has to use judgement. There are at least two reviewers who have radically different tastes from mine. If they give a book a good write up I can be sure I will hate it. So in the end the system still works!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10686177921604448495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-26549325758432355732010-07-14T20:47:20.218+01:002010-07-14T20:47:20.218+01:00Oh, how funny. This is one for the ages. He was ...Oh, how funny. This is one for the ages. He was dead?!<br /><br />I don't like blurbs for all the reasons I've stated but I have to be honest: my perception may also be coloured because of my great envy of star authors whose agents and editors do all the legwork on their behalf while the rest of us have to hustle!Natasha Mostert (Author)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17792653330983464724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-20834000290631061082010-07-14T18:43:21.679+01:002010-07-14T18:43:21.679+01:00I had never really paid a lot of attention to blur...I had never really paid a lot of attention to blurbs. When I was young (and that was a loooong time ago), I didn't even know the authors that were doing the blurbing. As I got older and saw books that came as highly recommended by many to be completely unreadable to me (Lord of the Rings), I realized that just because someone else likes it is not an indication that I will. Most recently, I saw praise from Robert Jordan on J.V. Jones latest work. Jordan was DEAD when this piece was finished! So no blurbs for me.Michael Francishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16065633975401406639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-15495991442093590412010-07-14T17:23:42.101+01:002010-07-14T17:23:42.101+01:00@Buffy:
Yes, Stephen King is a class act. I have...@Buffy: <br />Yes, Stephen King is a class act. I have to admit that I once handed him one of my novels at a convention in the hope lightning may strike. The poor man is probably constantly pestered by authors desperate for a glamour quote. If you're interested, you should read one of my older blog posts titled "The Day Stephen King kissed my cheek." It was very exciting but I never did get that blurb...:-)<br /><br />@Nick: <br />Pleased you enjoyed this entry. It was fun to write!<br /><br />@Becky: <br />Now you're talking. A database of blurbs! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? <br /><br />What I find interesting is when the quote is very "neutral" and you can just tell the writer was having a tough time finding something nice to say. You know the kind of thing I'm talking about: " a lively tale" or "a unique look". I even once saw a blurb that read, "What can one say about this novel?" The fact that the blurb writer didn't try to answer her own question was not a good sign...Natasha Mostert (Author)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17792653330983464724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-72328682054502637212010-07-14T16:02:43.079+01:002010-07-14T16:02:43.079+01:00I am a fan of the blurb, but I'm not a fan of ...I am a fan of the blurb, but I'm not a fan of the process. I've noticed certain authors who tend to blurb anything and everything. I think the authors I see less of are probably genuine in their praise and the ones I see all of the time are the ones I pay little attention to now. <br /><br />As an aside, I wish, wish, wish that there was a database of blurbs! It would be fun to search -- I'm pretty sure some of the habitual blurb-ers probably reuse phrasing frequently!Becky LeJeunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01030931605009567165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-36150236431731225902010-07-14T14:43:18.210+01:002010-07-14T14:43:18.210+01:00I liked the blurb that said "I placed a copy ...I liked the blurb that said "I placed a copy of this book in my father's coffin and he rose from the dead":-))))))Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08262941889889349826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-49549272183798157712010-07-14T14:25:27.470+01:002010-07-14T14:25:27.470+01:00Great blog!! And I took a look at the readers blur...Great blog!! And I took a look at the readers blurbs for the Da Vinci Code as you suggested. Hysterical! I like this one in particular. <br /><br />"To be human is to be forever on the brink of solving a mystery so great that none dare speak of it, nor even define it. It is a mystery that encompasses religion, art, beauty, language, even life itself. Who are we … we who call ourselves the “human race”? Who are our fathers and mothers? Who are our gods?<br /><br />I must correct myself. I say “none dare speak of it” but now finally, after all these millennia, someone has dared. Someone has understood...Yes, it is popular novelist Dan Brown. I am grateful to the day that brought this man into the light."<br /><br />Go baby go!!<br />NickUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17803276417572589599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6139984492802458526.post-41506796949717500742010-07-14T12:01:26.847+01:002010-07-14T12:01:26.847+01:00I have to confess that I am often influenced by bl...I have to confess that I am often influenced by blurbs. But after reading your post, I will be a great deal more skeptical! If Stephen King recommends something I will always pay attention. Happy to learn that his endorsements are the genuine article...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08262941889889349826noreply@blogger.com