There is, naturally, an element of deceit in what copywriters do. Writing "blurbs," or the copy that appears on the back of a book, involves distorting the truth in some way.
Louise Wilder, Blurb Your Enthusiasm
The above comment by professional blurb writer Louise Wilder is not really as shocking as it may first sound. When you are trying to sell something, whether it's a book, a can of peas or yourself on a first date, you naturally accentuate the positive and try to eliminate the negative.
The purpose of the blurb is to sell the book. Buyer beware. Some books may actually be better than their blurbs, but in most cases blurbs make books seem more interesting, more exciting, more essential than they actually are. That's what advertising is all about.
A box of cereal in my cupboard says this on the back: "Our unique combination of tastes and textures are simply a cut above the rest." That's a cereal blurb. Don't expect to find any negatives in a blurb, but because nothing is perfect, there is naturally "an element of deceit" in every blurb. One just needs to bring that understanding with you when you go to a bookstore — or a grocery store.
Laws now require pharmaceutical companies to mention possible side effects in their advertising. meaning that drug advertising often devotes more words to the negatives than to the positives, even though the negatives may impact only a very small number of people.
Imagine if there were similar legislation relating to book blurbs. Blurb writers would have to tell us that anyone reading this particular mystery novel may be able to identify the killer by page 50. Or this novel starts out with a bang, but become tedious in the middle. Or this memoir amounts to little more than boasting and name-dropping.
No, pointing out flaws is the book critic's job. Let the blurb writers do their job, which is to try to sell us books, even if they do employ an element of deceit.
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