A good blurb is a mini-drama, with a conflict and movement all of its own
Willder endearingly introduces her book with more than a nod to the flexibility with the truth employed in writing a blurb: after all, they are about selling the book. That out of the way, she takes us through the history of the blurb – handily provided by the author in the novel’s early days with those lengthy subtitles familiar from title pages – before offering advice on how to write snappy copy and exploring blurbs in different genres, all the time pointing out what makes a good blurb, with frequent examples of howlers and gems. She ends with what is, for her the near perfect blurb written for the paperback edition of Zadie Smith’s White Teeth and still used two decades later.
This is a prodigious, monstrous, stupefying, indescribable book (from T S Eliot’s blurb for The White Goddess by Robert Graves)
Willder’s book is an exploration of a facet of publishing with which we’re all familiar and, if you’re like me, sometimes find a source of exasperation. Clearly, she enjoyed being let off the 100-word leash, giving full rein to her enthusiasm in an enjoyably chatty, discursive style while putting forward a few forthright opinions and drawing on the views of writers and publishers throughout. It’s stuffed with literary anecdotes and historical details together with some excellent writing advice based on Orwell’s Six Rules for Writing with their emphasis on brevity and clarity, much derided by Will Self, unsurprisingly. She’s a fan of the pared-back, avoiding adjectives whenever she can while still accentuating the positive. There’s a lovely section on puns, for which I share her weakness, offering a few examples but not the wonderful Mrs Death Misses Death, sadly. Willder obviously had a great deal of fun putting this together as I did reading it. One aimed squarely at the gifts for the bookish Christmas market, I’d say.
One World Publications: London 9780861542178 352 pages Hardback (Read via NetGalley)
This sounds fun. I’ve often wondered about writing blurbs. It’s underrated as a skill I think. Much harder than it might appear, clearly!
Absolutely! I’ve had to write 150-word ‘reviews’ for magazines which felt like blurb-writing and it’s very tricky. Willder is clearly excellent at it.
I wrote many a blurb in my full-time publishing days – and sometimes for books I hadn’t actually read that were going into paperback! Done well, it is an art and this book sounds fun 🙂
I’m sure you’d enjoy this. Wilder knows her trade inside and out.
I do like the sound of this one 🙂
It’s a lot of fun. A great stocking filler for the bookish!
This does sound fun! A great bookish gift as you say.
A thoroughly entertaining piece of bookishness!
Oh this sounds like a lot of fun!
Loved it, Cathy!
Sounds marvellous fun!!
It’s a delight!
I have a copy of this one. Looking forward to reading it very soon. Great to know you enjoyed it.
You’re in for a treat, Annabel.
I agree with Travel Gourmet, I wrote tons of back cover blurbs just with a crib sheet!
I’m sure you’ll enjoy this then, Jane, not least for the howlers!
It must be so hard to write a blurb that says anything original. Really glad I don’t have to do it. My niece works in book marketing so this is going to be a nice little gift for her.
Excellent! It takes real skill to write a good one, giving an idea of what the book’s about in so few words and avoiding clichés. Hope your niece enjoys it.
This sounds excellent, onto the wish list it goes!
Definitely a treat for the bookish!
I’ve been enjoying this one a bit at a time. I’ve only written one “official” book blurb as a freelancer for a PR agency, but as you say, writing 100-300-word-reviews feels very much a similar skill. It’s good discipline, learning how to distil a book down to that essence in a way that will be appealing to readers. Rebecca Lee’s How Words Get Good is a bit broader in scope but a similar read you would probably also enjoy.
It’s a rare talent to do it well, I think. The best ones are succinct, easy on the superlatives and, of course, spoiler-free. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check it out.
This sounds like fun! I often wonder who writes the blurbs and think about how hard it would be. This might have to be a gift for myself!
I’m sure you’d love it, Naomi. Willder writes very entertainingly.
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