The final cover for Brush of Darkness was released the other day – not that anything about it has really changed – but now I’ve got a blurb on the cover. (From Kelly Gay, in fact. Go read her The Better Part of Darkness series – you won’t be disappointed. She’s got a tasty siren man. NOM)
The idea of blurbing has always sort of amused me. It’s nice because you’ve got a bit of cross-promotion thing going on for the other author (especially if said author quote ends up on the cover). On the other hand, it’s probably why so many authors have to be careful where their name ends up. If the book turns out to be a stinker or has some sort of controversy attached to it then it may not be the best thing to have your name attached to.
Also, if your blurbs end up on too many books, then there might be a chance that you oversaturate – i.e. if you’re out there saying how many of these books are awesome, it might take away some of the weight of those words…which in turn might do the author a bit of a disservice.
I didn’t get much turn around time between the release of my ARC and when the final cover had to be done, but it’s been a pretty good experience so far (read: no one has turned me down! 😉 Both my editor and agent have sent ARCs out to authors they feel would be a good fit for the book and I’ve reached out to a few authors myself. It’s a bit tricky because you don’t want to embarrass anyone into agreeing to read it/write something up about it. (And some authors just don’t do blurbs at all anymore, simply because they’re asked by so many people.) In that respect, it’s often easier to let your agent/editor do the asking – often, if it comes through those sorts of channels, it’s more likely to get looked at, particularly if you don’t know the author personally. (And thank yous are definitely a must, afterwards.)
I’ve often wondered if blurbs really make that much of a difference. I know I scan them and yes, I weigh the words of an author I know a little more heavily than those that I don’t, but I don’t think I’ve ever bought a book simply *because* of the blurb. I’m still most drawn to the cover, and then the back summary…and *then* maybe the blurb, but maybe that’s just me?
