From the Backlist - What's in a Blurb

 

A desperate prince… a castle full of lies… and an ancient shapeshifter trapped in the form of a human girl. Mistwood by Leah Cypress

Hello to all Sup readers! Today, from the Backlist, we are looking at the topic of BLURBS. Though the contest is long over from this April 28, 2011 post by Leah Cypess, the question remains. Do book blurbs make a difference?

NOTE - For those interested in the history of book blurbs:

In 1907the writer and illustrator Gelett Burgess decided to satirise the practice of putting women on the cover of books, whether they were about women or not. He put a sickly sweet fictional girl named Miss Belinda Blurb his new release, “Are you Bromide?” to incite sales. His plan worked, or back-fired (not sure which) when Bromide sold so well that the term Book Blurb was popularized and all future books included one on the back cover. 

Miss Belinda Book Blurb (1907) from Buried Under Books

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What's In A Blurb 

by Leah Cypess

. . . Blurbs make an author feel good (trust me), but the constant question in publishing is: Do they actually have any effect on the reader? What I’ve heard from some people is that the answer is age dependent – in adult publishing, the consensus is that blurbs do affect readers; in YA, probably not to a great extent; and in mid-grade, probably not at all. 

Of course, as with most information in publishing, this is based on a strenuous and scientific review of five pieces of anecdotal evidence. So, I’m curious: do blurbs affect your buying decisions? Will they make you look at a book more closely? Do you even notice them?

Let us know what you think in the comments . . . Read the whole post and fascinating comments ..

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What is your take on Blurbs? Read them? Love them? Distrust them?

Let us know!

 

Where Do You Write? + NIGHTSPELL giveaway

The giveaway has ended, and the winner is DonnaS, who has been emailed! Congratulations, & thanks everyone for entering.

For the record, most of you like to write or read at home on a couch or other form of comfortable chair. There were also a large number who like to read outdoors on a deck, in a coffeeshop or variation (a public place where they will serve you food and/or drinks), or in bed.


Where do you like to write? For some writers, there is one place only that will do; for others, anywhere they have access to pen and paper is a good spot for spilling out words. I count myself lucky to be in the latter category, but there were five spots in particular where a lot of Nightspell took shape:

[1] The playground

When I started writing Nightspell, I was a teenager; by the time I turned the final draft in to my editor, I had two kids. (Not because of teen pregnancy, but because of a first draft that took a drastically wrong turn and made me give up on the story for many years.) The revision that led to that final draft were written in the moments while my kids were either sleeping or occupied, and there was no better way to get them occupied than to take them to the playground. I became an antisocial mom who pushed the swing while reading manuscript pages and established rules like, “I’ll help you across the monkey bars one time, then you have to go do something you can do by yourself.” Only time will tell whether my kids will end up in therapy or simply become very self-sufficient.

[2] Barnes & Noble

There used to be a Barnes & Noble a few blocks from my home. In a corner near the teen section was a cluster of chairs – several wooden ones and one unbelievably comfortable plush armchair. Walking through the YA stacks would inspire me with the thought that one day I’d have a book up there, and if I got the comfortable chair… bliss. I’d hang out and write for hours. Of course, if anyone else had the comfortable chair first, I’d sit on one of the wooden chairs and periodically glare at him/her for taking up the seat for so long.

Note that I say “used to”; the Barnes & Nobles is now a gym. I’d say unfortunately, but there was an independent bookstore just down the block… and they’re still there. Which makes me happy, even if their chairs are not quite as comfortable.

[3] Jamaica Pond

My #1 biking destination, and a fabulous place to write. I can just let a picture do the explaining for me here:

[4] My living room

Even though I like writing in longhand, there comes a time when I have to sit down in front of a computer, type in what I’ve written, and whip it into some semblance of order (usually with the assistance of outlines, which is why my computer desktop was once scattered with documents called “Nightspell outline,” “first part Nightspell outline,” “new Nightspell outline,” etc.) I actually have a desk in my bedroom, but it faces a wall; even before I had kids, I liked being in the living room better. And now that I do have kids, there’s always the hope that they’ll play in the living room while I get to work. Sometimes that even happens, if by “play” you mean “destroy the resale value of our home”.

[no pic. I kept waiting for a “good time” to take a picture, i.e. a day when the living room was actually clean. It never came.]

[5] JP Licks

A fabulous ice-cream store where I put together the final first draft of Nightspell. I had hired a babysitter for two hours, and my plan for those two hours was: get the manuscript into shape for my critique group. I looked at the space where I had written a vague outline for more stuff happening, and thought, “You know what? Nothing actually has to happen here. We can move right to the coronation.” Deleted and done, and the first draft was complete. I have no proof, but I suspect JP Lick’s red velvet ice-cream had something to do with the epiphany.

What about you – where do you like to write (or read, if you’re not a writer?) Let us know in the comments, and be entered to win a signed, personalized copy of NIGHTSPELL. Contest ends October 5 and is open internationally.

What's In A Blurb

Congratulations - the winner of the giveaway is semicircles! Please contact me at LCypess@gmail.com with your address and your second book choice!

For the curious: The entries were all very varied and interesting, but breaking it down, we have about 34 people who said they always or sometimes are influenced by blurbs, and 14 who said they never or rarely care about them.

It’s an interesting experience to have a first book that releases in both hardcover and paperback. With the hardcover, you get the thrill of seeing your book in print for the first time – and there’s nothing that beats that – but the second comes with all sorts of pleasant surprises, and one of the most pleasant is the presence of blurbs. In the year since the hardcover release, people have said nice things about Mistwood. And there they are on the paperback!

Blurbs make an author feel good (trust me), but the constant question in publishing is: Do they actually have any effect on the reader? What I’ve heard from some people is that the answer is age dependent – in adult publishing, the consensus is that blurbs do affect readers; in YA, probably not to a great extent; and in mid-grade, probably not at all. Of course, as with most information in publishing, this is based on a strenuous and scientific review of five pieces of anecdotal evidence. So, I’m curious: do blurbs affect your buying decisions? Will they make you look at a book more closely? Do you even notice them?

Let us know what you think in the comments, and you’ll be entered in a giveaway to win a signed copy of the Mistwood paperback – plus a copy of any book by any of my wonderful blurbers, your choice! (Yes, this is a token of appreciation. And if it gives me an excuse to list them, well, I can live with that.)

The blurbers are: Tamora Pierce, Aprilynne Pike, Megan Whalen Turner, Juliet Marillier, Sarah Rees Brennan, Sharon Shinn, and Cindy Pon. There are a LOT of awesome books to choose from there, people. Giveaway ends May 5.

Siblings

Hi everyone! I’m Leah Cypess, guest-posting for Melissa Marr, who is on vacation in Scotland.

*pause while everyone is jealous of Melissa Marr*

I write YA fantasy. My first book, MISTWOOD, is about an ancient shapeshifter trapped in the form of a human girl. The secondary characters include a prince and princess who love each other deeply, but whose relationship is overwhelmingly about protectiveness, dishonesty, scorn, irritation, dismissiveness, and jealousy.

Sounds seriously unhealthy, right? One of those romances where you feel like yelling at the characters, Get out! Just walk away! And while you’re at it, walk to the nearest therapist!

Except it’s not a romance. The characters are siblings.

Changes things, doesn’t it? Because here’s the thing about sibling relationships: you can’t get out. You can put distance between yourself and a sibling, but you can’t make them stop being your sibling. You didn’t choose this relationship, yet it will probably be the longest-lasting relationship of your life.

And these relationships come in as many varieties as there are people. Supportive. Antagonistic. Protective. Friendly. Jealous. United against the world. Embarrassed by each other. Bane of each other’s existence. Or, sometimes, many of these things at once... which is when it really gets interesting.

Thinking over the recent books I’ve read that feature compelling sibling relationships, what strikes me is how different all these relationships and their trajectories are:

WHISPER by Phoebe Kitandis. About two telepathic sisters with an antagonistic relationship (but is it, really?) Plus, family secrets buried in the past!

THE DEMON’S LEXICON & THE DEMON’S COVENANT by Sarah Rees Brennan, about two sets of siblings who are tight-knit allies against a hostile world. Plus, family secrets buried in the past! (um, you might be seeing a trend here…)

THE NIGHT OF THE SOLSTICE by L.J. Smith. Before The Vampire Diaries, Smith wrote this novel about four siblings called upon to… save the world. Because hey, it is fantasy. But the best part of the book is the relationships between the siblings, especially when it is strained by their mission. No family secrets buried in the past, but I can forgive this due to the book’s general awesomeness.

SPLIT by Swati Avasthi, about the fractured relationship between two brothers who grew up together in an abusive household, until one escaped and left the other behind. This one isn’t speculative fiction, but it is one of the most complicated and heart-breaking and hopeful sibling relationships I’ve ever read about.

If I thought about it longer, I could probably list dozens of books with relationships between siblings that are completely different, yet have in common that unique bond. But, well, I don’t want to think about it all by myself, so let’s hear from you: what books about siblings do you recommend? And yes, there’s a giveaway! Any comment will be entered, but if you recommend a book, that will be two entries! And the giveaway is for a signed hardcover of MISTWOOD *plus* a copy of any of the other books on that list—reader’s choice! Open internationally. Ends Monday, August 9 at midnight.

...And we have a winner! Jennifer (jpetroroy), you should have already received an email notifying you. Everyone else, thank you so much for entering and for all your fantastic book suggestions! My TBR list is on the verge of explosion. Which is a good thing.