tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post7950963574758568938..comments2024-03-22T23:59:37.332-07:00Comments on Les Edgerton on Writing: THE VALUE OF PRE-PUBLICATION BLURBSLes Edgertonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17997858985904932554noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-27292325108679336042011-01-18T12:19:43.631-08:002011-01-18T12:19:43.631-08:00Alan Rinzler did a post about this and that sent m...Alan Rinzler did a post about this and that sent me to you site. This is a totally new idea for me and I love it. Now I have to find out who to ask.<br />Kelly Armstrong critiqued the first 40 pages of my novel Second Chances.<br />This is what she said.<br />Susan,<br />Okay, finally, I got a chance to read this. First, the good stuff. I like the idea--time travel is always nice, and the idea of a middle-aged lonely woman returning to her youth for a second chance at something is very sweet. I like the women--Sherry is level-headed and wistful, Lorena is feisty. Your dialogue flows well, as does most of your writing. Your description is very good. This works. But I see some problems, too.<br />Her biggest problem was the time travel and I changes what did not work for her.<br />She replied <br />Susan,<br /><br />It works much better now! The flow is faster and the virtual reality is more plausible. Good luck with it! I hope it goes well for you.<br /><br />All the best,<br />Kelley<br />I am looking for an agent.<br />Any way I can turn that into a blurb? I am thinking I should probably start from the beginning and find an author to read the whole thing.The Pen and Ink Blogspothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01709195512534318571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-71151715931973683732010-12-05T09:22:22.207-08:002010-12-05T09:22:22.207-08:00Betsy, whenever you need a blurb, I'm your guy...Betsy, whenever you need a blurb, I'm your guy!<br /><br />Tiffany, same goes for you. You knew that, right?<br /><br />Bri, glad to get confirmation from another writer! And, no--just a half of a bottle of wine can't get a pro drunk, but it can an amateur... As to your question, I imagine it would only help one's case to get a blurb from a well-known writer, even if it's in another genre. These aren't for publication, necessarily (although some may end up as such), but to show that other writers think well of the book or project, and that alone makes them worthwhile to get. All of us--including editors--need to have our own judgment confirmed. If I wrote a mystery cozy and Stephen King wrote an endorsement, I think any editor would pay attention to his words, even if it wouldn't make the flap. And, that's a good strategy, I think, in using a quote from a recognized writer in another genre your book has elements of to sell it as a book that can cross-genre.<br /><br />Thanks, all!Les Edgertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17997858985904932554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-37796844353723728642010-12-04T20:55:34.025-08:002010-12-04T20:55:34.025-08:00Les,
I totally support this. My publisher told me...Les,<br /><br />I totally support this. My publisher told me to pursue it. The bigger the better were his exat words. I already have one who committed to it. <br /><br />Of course, he had a Chianti bottle in his hand, half empty...when he said that. Hey Les can half a bottle of Chianti get you drunk?<br /><br />So here's my question to you about blurbs. There are so many novels that are cross genre--say you have a romantic fantasy action adventure suspense thriller and you get a blurb from someone who is more suspense thriller and not so much romance. Do you still think that it's a positive thing?<br /><br />If you think about it and you get several different blurbs from successful authors of different genres you could show how it's cross marketable. <br /> What's your idea?<br />BriAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07707709087040036470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-38847001359081159992010-11-19T17:47:34.069-08:002010-11-19T17:47:34.069-08:00Wow. I'd been doing that for people and didn&#...Wow. I'd been doing that for people and didn't even realize it. Course, it's not like my opinion matters a huge ton since I'm still unpublished, but getting the author's name out there helps too. I'm forever telling people about what I've read. Who I've met. Friending friendly authors on Facebook. I just wanted like company. You know, people who talk about their process and stuff like that. I didn't think I could possibly get their help in something like this. O_oT.M. Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10776344215032469226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-80210304807257553472010-11-15T18:13:04.883-08:002010-11-15T18:13:04.883-08:00I would love to have a blurb from you, Les! As soo...I would love to have a blurb from you, Les! As soon as my book is ready (shortly, as the writing gods cooperate) I'll ask!<br /><br />:D<br /><br />I'm glad to have this instinct of mine confirmed. I mean, everyone asks these writer-friends of mine to critique their stuff. Well, I have a crit group I trust. I don't need that. I need a push on the marketing angle.<br /> <br />(Haha. I just accidentally typed angel. So yeah. I need a marketing angel too.)ssashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527483283426518167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-69893228960129748122010-11-15T17:46:34.281-08:002010-11-15T17:46:34.281-08:00Hi again, Betsy--here's the continuation of th...Hi again, Betsy--here's the continuation of the prior post...<br /><br />And, there are often collateral benefits you might not even know about. For instance, a well-known thriller writer agreed to blurb my mss, The Bitch. Really a nice guy and he probably wouldn't mind if I gave his name out but since I haven't asked him for permission yet, I won't. Anyway, we hit it off during our communication, and he asked if I'd return the favor and look at his memoir mss and perhaps blurb it. I did; it was great (well... brilliant...), and I gave him one. Then, he found out I have a memoir going to market, asked to read it, and he's really helping me out here. As it turns out, he was mentored by Norman Mailer when he was an unknown, and during his career, became friends with Elmore Leonard. Turns out, Leonard gave him some structure tips on his memoir. And, now, this wonderfully-generous man is giving me the same structure tips on my own memoir. From Mailer to Leonard to my (unnamed) new writer friend... to moi! And, he's giving me a great blurb for the memoir as well, and I think he's going to introduce me and the mss to other of his writer friends (including, I hope, Elmore Leonard!). If so, I'll... well... (imagine my lil' ol' Southern voice)... I'll just curl up and die!<br /><br />Just to illustrate the wild things that can happen once you start soliciting these kinds of blurbs. Also, I've heard from a NY writer friend who's fairly-well connected in literary circles that he's already hearing buzz about my thriller mss and all because this first guy agreed to read and blurb my mss. It's all connected. We're all connected. Take advantage of it. And... you can always call on me for a possible blurb!Les Edgertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17997858985904932554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-68644993373543004572010-11-15T17:39:20.764-08:002010-11-15T17:39:20.764-08:00Hi Betsy. Not sure what you're asking. If you&...Hi Betsy. Not sure what you're asking. If you're asking me, I'd love to. But, I suspect you're asking a different question, right? If what you're wondering is if blurbs/endorsements from well-known authors in the genre you've got a book you're trying to get an agent for will help, then I'd say an almost unqualified YES! <br /><br />Think about it. If you're trying to sell a horror novel and you know Stephen King and Dean Koontz and they agree to read your mss and either or both like it and then give you a blurb, and you send your query to Agent Z, informing them that you have these guys' endorsement, you bet they're going to pay attention! At the very least, they're going to ask for the mss and give it a good read, not to mention being predisposed to like it. I mean, who has to cojones or enough trust in their own judgment (no matter how renowned an agent they are) to turn down a mss that S.K. just said was great. No-brainer. (Of course, there will always be one contrarian who will delight in turning it down, but who wants them anyway?). So, if that's what you're asking, I'd wouldn't hesitate a second to see if I couldn't get them to give me an endorsement. It's what I'm doing right now, in fact.<br /><br />(My answer here is longer, so I'm going to send this in two parts.)Les Edgertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17997858985904932554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-24312422115084879642010-11-15T17:15:02.919-08:002010-11-15T17:15:02.919-08:00It HAS crossed my mind. I'm actually friends w...It HAS crossed my mind. I'm actually friends with many famous authors right in my own genre--the same way you are, we've been on panels and in professional writers groups together.<br /><br />So, my question: How about getting a blurb for my agent search?ssashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527483283426518167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-52224349805764009832010-11-14T05:12:17.228-08:002010-11-14T05:12:17.228-08:00Thanks, folks. I had never heard of them either un...Thanks, folks. I had never heard of them either until the agent sent me his sports books proposals and then the little light in the refrigerator I call my brain went on. Turns out a few other agents were in on this tactic as well. It's just logical, once you think of it.<br /><br />We perhaps overuse that cliche, "think outside the box," but we really need to. It's kind of odd that us authors, as creative types, employ originality in our manuscripts, but often, little outside of that, especially in marketing and selling ourselves and our work. <br /><br />My first three published books were on hairstyling and the hair industry business (which I was--a haircutter--for 30+ years) and the same thing went on in that business. Very creative people when designing hairstyles... but generally prone to doing the same-o, same-o everyone else did in creating businesses. It seems to be a common element among creative types--we are wildly creative in our fields, but often not in selling what we're doing.<br /><br />I think in writing, sometimes we're not as creative as we might be simply because we've read too many blogs and books by agents, editors and other gatekeepers who advise us not to come across as "unprofessional." Example: Don't send flowers or candy to an agent/editor" as that will be perceived as "unprofessional." That's true... but there are other ways to use our creativity in selling our work that I think we eschew out of fear our ideas fall into the same category as the "flower/candygram" mode. Sometimes, those ideas are good, as in this instance--gathering and using pre-pub blurbs.<br /><br />It's really okay to be creative in marketing!Les Edgertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17997858985904932554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-88614747198585706392010-11-14T04:49:35.829-08:002010-11-14T04:49:35.829-08:00Thanks Les, as always, another thoughtful insight....Thanks Les, as always, another thoughtful insight.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5918800617954487311.post-2085060855834821222010-11-13T14:53:05.143-08:002010-11-13T14:53:05.143-08:00I can honestly say it never crossed my mind to try...I can honestly say it never crossed my mind to try to get pre-pub blurbs. Like you say, I didn't even realize people did that. My first thought is that, not knowing any prominent YA fantasy/sci fi authors, I couldn't possibly, but I like your where you said: "some can and more can than may realize it." I'll definitely have to give it some thought!Susan Fieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02433408456603462774noreply@blogger.com