What is a blurb? If you are uncertain before reading Louise Wilder's Blurb Your Enthusiasm (2022), you may be even less certain afterward.
That's because Wilder, who writes blurbs for Penguin books, broadens the definition to include everything on a book cover, front or back, that is intended to help sell the book. This includes titles, subtitles, cover designs, cover color, quotes from reviews and quotes from notable people who may (or may not) have actually read the book.
More strictly, a blurb is the copy, usually on the back of a paperback, designed to give the flavor of the book and a glimpse into what the book is about. This is the basis of Wilder's successful career. Her witty and informative book demonstrates she could become a successful author herself and let somebody else worry about the blurbs.
She writes about both good blurbs and bad blurbs, blurbs that use puns, sexy blurbs, sexist blurbs, swear words in blurbs, sci-fi blurbs, romance blurbs, mystery blurbs and on and on. For certain readers, myself included, this is fascinating stuff. Wilder, who blurbs books published in Great Britain, contrasts British blurbs with American blurbs for the same books. And why are the titles of some books changed when they are republished in the other country, confusing readers in both countries?
The book, written in a breezy style, is packed with literary trivia. The author's most impressive insight may be her observation that a successful blurb captures the voice of the author. A blurb on a Hemingway novel should sound as if Hemingway wrote it himself, in other words.
Wilder's book will cause readers to consider the reasons they purchased this book or any other book. What part did the blurb play? Or was it the title? The cover illustration? Or simply the author or the subject matter? Her book tells us a lot about why we choose the books we choose.
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