A Housekeeping Note re: Book Blurbing
Posted on April 29, 2022 Posted by John Scalzi 9 Comments
I have had to turn down five(!) book blurb requests this week, so it’s worth making an official public announcement so people know it’s not personal. That announcement is:
I have a book due in about a month and I have a large number of works that I’ve already promised to look at with an eye toward blurbing. Because I both need to get my own work done, and need to work through my current potential book blurbing commitments, I cannot take on any more book blurb requests through the end of July 2022 at least. It’s neither fair nor ethical on my part to agree to look at something for blurbing purposes if I don’t know when I will be able to get to it, or whether I can give it a full and considered reading.
If this changes in either direction I’ll let folks know asap. For the moment, however: Blurbing hiatus until August. Thanks for understanding.
Update 7/1/22: I lost a couple of writing weeks to COVID, so am now catching up. Blurb hiatus now extend to September.
— JS
The name of your new band is Blurb Hiatus.
How does blurbing work? Clearly you have to spend time reading these things, so does the book’s publisher pay you? Your publisher?
I have the same question as Mark.
(Of course, as the point of the post is that you’re busy, I don’t expect an answer anytime soon.)
I would have happily written the blurb for this post.
I keep hoping for blurbs along the lines of “couldn’t put it down — I had to read every word, the whole thing”
A new book?! Ohhhhh that’s fantastic!!! Yes! Keep going!!!
Just a comment that “blurb” is an exceedingly fun word to say.
“The blurbiest blurb that ever blurbed” has a certain je ne sais quoi…
#Blurbing #BlurbHaitus