Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Back of the Book Blurbs

This is topic Back of the Book Blurbs in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :

The thread about queries has got me thinking about this.

How many of you read the blurb on the back of the book? How often does this, vs., say, author/ editor reviews or previous recommendation (by a friend), affect your purchase?

I'm theorizing that we seldom ever read the first page of a book in a complete vacuum. We've either read the back of the book, to get a sense of what the story is, or heard about the book from a friend or a magazine. Even an editor will not read a first page without having first read a query, which will contain anything from a summary of the entire book to a teaser. Either way, both would present the reader with setting and genre.

Sometimes even the cover art clues us in as to whether the book is sci fi, fantasy, romantic fantasy, urban fantasy, etc. Obviously, it's often woefully inaccurate, but at least the setting and genre are right.

I'm asking this because one of the common questions that comes in up FFN is that the setting is not clear. I'm wondering, does the setting/ genre have to be immediately clear in the first 13? I've read plenty of books where the setting and genre are not clear in the first page, but I already know since I've read the back of the book and looked at the packaging, etc.

Posted by Marzo (Member # 5495) on :

I always immediately read the back of the book or the jacket. So, yes, that sets me up with the setting and basic premise more than the first 13 usually does, just as I imagine the editor looks at the synopsis before the first 13(?).

Posted by InarticulateBabbler (Member # 4849) on :

quote:

I'm asking this because one of the common questions that comes in up FFN is that the setting is not clear. I'm wondering, does the setting/ genre have to be immediately clear in the first 13?

There are no rules to writing. I think that one reason is that there are too many variations to justify a set of rules.

The setting has to be clear in two aspects:

1) What we should know is if the character/event is inside, outside, on a spaceship, the deck of a naval ship, on a playground, in a busy cafeteria, or in his/her bedroom. Each of these leaves a vague picture in your head that I can later describe. As David Farland/David Wolverton says: "The World should intrude in every scene, no matter how short".

2) If you mention the setting, and it is important, we should have a picture of it. Now, that is not to say describe every little detail, but a solid picture--we can fill the details in as they become relevant.

Most of the time I ask about the setting, there is no setting mentioned. I don't have a mental "white-room" like "the Construct" in the Matrix, so I need a plane to put the characters on.

But on the subject of "blurbs" (ironically called the hook) from the back of the books--or the inside of the jacket on hardbacks--I do read them most of the time.

[This message has been edited by InarticulateBabbler (edited November 19, 2007).]

Posted by RMatthewWare (Member # 4831) on :

I read the back of the book, but don't make the mistake of thinking a writer has anything to say about it. Cover art, back cover blurb, all of that is handled in-house at the publishing company. You don't get a say. The most you can say is that you don't like it and it has nothing to do with your book (and you can be promptly ignored). The best you can hope for is that you get big enough that you can have more say in your book design. Charles deLint is big enough now that he could negotiate consulting rights in America (he doesn't get final say, but he has a right to have his opinion heard), and in the UK, he does have to approve the design. But that's not very common. So, if you get lucky enough to get published, you'll just have to grin and bear it with your cover and blurb.

Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :

I've always believed that we over-emphasize the importance of the first thirteen by trying to stuff too much into it.

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

This will sometimes affect whether I buy a book or not---I can't say the "first thirteen" does. I would think it necessary to ride herd on the publishers, to see they don't give away the plot or say something stupid about your work---assuming you can get them to let you.

Posted by TaleSpinner (Member # 5638) on :

"I'm asking this because one of the common questions that comes in up FFN is that the setting is not clear. I'm wondering, does the setting/ genre have to be immediately clear in the first 13?"

Let's remind ourselves that the theory of the first 13 is that we're trying to sell the book, not to readers, but to potential publishers. In this scenario there isn't a blurb or a cover picture, just the opening page of the manuscript. (And maybe the synopsis if it's a novel.)

True, first 13 doesn't have to have as much as some critquers appear to demand -- but it does have to include enough of a hook to get the slush pile reader to turn the page. And no mistakes of spelling, grammar, etc.

I can live without setting and genre for a while, as long as something gets my attention. I like first 13s that identify the genre either in the title or the accompanying remarks, but they don't necessarily have to show it in the first 13. I think it matters more that the story is consistent with its milieu, the POV, and the natural flow of the narrative.

I imagine it gets easier once one's name is established. Until that happens for me, I'm taking no unreasonable risks. I want my chosen genre of SF to be clear from either the title, the first 13, or both. For short stories I don't see that as a wildly difficult requirement (challenging certainly, and for novels, maybe more so) -- finishing the darn thing is a lot harder!

Let's look at it the other way around. Imagine a slush reader looking for hard SF. Does she go for the manuscript that starts, "The castle shook to its foundations and, wondering what the thunderous noise was, the King rang for a servant."

Or the one that starts, "The ship crashed through the roof of the castle, its navigation systems wrecked by the heat of re-entry."

(Yeah, okay, neither.)

Cheers,
Pat

Posted by skadder (Member # 6757) on :

If your looking for readers for the second one--I'm in!