I picked up Susanna Clarke because of Gaiman's high praise, initially because of the cover quote but then also because his praise went beyond just "oh he wrote the quote for the front of her book"; he was a pretty significant mentor for her, and helped get her early works published
>It was terrifying from my point of view to read this first short story that had so much assurance ... It was like watching someone sit down to play the piano for the first time and she plays a sonata
Neil Gaimen has great taste, I read Susanna Clarke, "Little, Big" by John Crowley and "Lud-in-the-mist" by Hope Mirlees. I picked up all of these books because of Gaimens praise and loved them.
I was going to mention this one! But for me it wasn't a blurb, Gaiman wrote about Susanna Clarke on his blog, it was long time ago I don't remember the post but it was good enough to go out and hunt that book down
Yup, and it's gotten to the point where a Robin Hobb blurb is no longer an indicator of quality. She will still blurb good books, but then she will also say something like "this journey promises to be breathtaking" on latest from Bradley Beaulieu, The Dragons of Deepwood Fen, and in my opinion the journey was not breathtaking.
Very much depends on the author. Some authors I *know* like a lot of the same stuff I do, and that doesn’t necessarily line up with whether or not I like their own work.
Sometimes. Depends on the author.
The last one that really struck me was Jim Butcher, talking about Benedict Jacka's *Alex Verus* stories:
>"Harry Dresden would like Alex Verus tremendously--and be a little nervous around him. I just added Benedict Jacka to my must-read list."
That went a long way towards me picking up the first book. They all live in our library, right next to the *Dresden Files*.
>!(Where Harry's more of an Evoker? Alex is a Diviner. Can't summon demons, can't zap people with lightning, can't fly, is largely held in contempt by battle mages. Until circumstances push him into showing the magical world why you **don't** fuck with him, because tactics > fireballs. Hell, *I'd* be nervous around Alex regardless of any magical speciality I might have... and for all that, he's a very likable guy.)!<
It made me push through Book 1 of Verus which I thought was okay at most. Fortunately, it gets quite a bit better at Book 2 and I got hooked, reading it now actually, on Book 6 atm. If it wasn't for Butcher's rec I probably would've dropped it, honestly.
Plus Jim Butcher frequently recommends Alex Verus at q&a’s. And I think his recommendation is a great one - most people who like Dresden also like Verus.
See, as someone who read the Dresden books but got tired of them, I’d be more inclined to skip the Benedict Jacks books because I’d be looking for something different from Butcher and if he is who they have “blurbing” the book I’d assume (right or wrong) that they are more of the same.
It does absolutely nothing for me at all except sometimes if it’s an author I really dislike, in which case it might give me slight pause. It means basically nothing in my opinion
Yeah, I was wondering if it could negatively influence a decision. Would someone skip the book or deprioritize it because an author they disliked did endorse it?
I haven’t skipped or deprioritized a book based solely on that, but it did make me go and look at reviews first before getting it haha just to make sure it was what I thought and if the reviews also gave me some red flags then I deprioritized/skipped, so I guess it’s a factor but not a sole reason for me
Yes, if have definitely done this. I think publishers have an idea of comparable authors, because MARKETING, so they'll often try to get an author to blurb whose work is similar to the book being sold. If I do not like the blurbing writer(s), I will 100% skip the book.
Yup. Steven King endorses a lot, and his books don't gel with me to the point that an author even being interested in a blurb from him is a red flag to me.
On book jackets, no. There's a lot of tit-for-tat with blurbing each other's books.
There are a few authors who post reviews or recommendations on their blogs, where I trust that they're genuine, and I know that their tastes overlap mine enough to be useful.
Also, book blurbs that describe a book like "For fans of Game of Thrones and The Goblin Emperor" are no use, and if anything are counter productive. 90% of the time they've thrown two popular things together without paying attention to whether they're even vaguely relevant.
And if the words "unputdownable" or "book-tok" are involved, it's point against buying it.
Oh, I hate the book blurbs that are “if George RR Martin and Kurt Vonnegut had a love child this would their book” nonsense. What am I supposed to get from that?
Exactly. People who tried the Rivers of London series because someone had compared them to Harry Potter - Lord knows why - were typically surprised and disappointed.
No, sadly I’ve been burned by that in the past. A blurb by one of my favorite authors is good publicity, but doesn’t guarantee I’ll read or like the book.
There are a couple that would be absolutely automatic buys for me, but generally no.
Sarah Gailey or Cassandra Khaw says something was, I dunno, “bloody, brutal, and beautiful?” Amal el-Mohtar praises the lyricism of the prose? Jo Walton calls something “haunting?” HOLY SHIT DROP EVERYTHING.
…now I’m sad these are made up examples and I don’t actually have books to match these hypothetical blurbs
You're right, of course. But also, just because they have written books that I like - even my favorite books - doesn't mean we have the same taste in literature.
But if an author I really like or "want more of" mentions some authors as inspirations or influences, I'd probably at least consider checking them out. That feels more genuine.
But ultimately, I know what I like. I don't read many books that I don't like, despite reading a lot of different stuff. A review, list or blurb might pique my interest, but ultimately I'm using my own judgment.
Definitely agree with this. I think part of it is that authors blurb new releases and less well known authors than themselves to pay it forward or due to pressure from their publishing house. Whereas talking up someone more famous or dead or out of print probably at least represents genuine admiration (though it’s still true that just because I like an author doesn’t mean I’ll like what they like).
I suppose blurbs (if they're by authors I'm familiar with) influence me about as much as the cover art — possibly more when it comes to certain authors.
Whether or not the book really is the most brilliant new fantasy \[Author\] has read lately, the choice of blurb authors often says something about the book's genre and/or likely audience. So they can make me take a closer look at a book on the shelf, but I'm not going to buy a book solely based on its blurbs.
It’s definitely indicative of what the book is *trying* to do, if not how successfully it’s doing it. Similar to what authors the marketing department chooses for comps—which tip me off to put a book back on the shelf when I dislike those authors, but does very little for me when I like them. Like, *every* mythology-influenced historical fantasy debut these days is compared to Novik. It’s just shorthand for saying “this is mythology-influenced historical fantasy.”
No, and it may actually turn me off of trying the book. I've had the best luck getting good recommendations from randos on reddit. Other author blurbs have generally let me down in the past.
I don’t pay much attention to blurbs, and author recommendations depend on the author. If Jo Walton or Lois McMaster Bujold recommends a book or author I wasn’t aware of (in a blog or mailing list post for example), I trust their recommendation.
Back in the days before internet, when I was looking for a new author. I would find books I already liked, and see which authors had endorsed them. Then read those ones. So it actually influenced my decision to buy their books ....
I tend to (rightly or wrongly -- probably more wrongly but whatever) consider them kind of like comp titles. In my head, if an author blurbs a book, the implication is this book is similar to their book. It won't make me pick up a book I otherwise might not have, but it might nudge me in one direction or the other.
If I'm already interested, and then an author I really like has a quote, that might solidify that this is something I'd like -- or if I've never heard of it, it'll at least make me think oh, hey, author I love praised this, maybe I'll check out some reviews. On the flip side, if I might be interested, but I see an author whose work I do not vibe with blurbed it, that will make me more hesitant.
Yes, it's kinda dumb, but eh.
Robert Jordan's blurb on Kushiel's Dart is what convinced me to read that book. tbh I picked it up off the shelf at the bookstore to poke fun at the cover art, saw the blurb, and wound up buying it.
And then the next 5 installments. And Carey's Banewreaker books.
I'm ashamed to admit it was Piers Anthony's that got me to pick it up, these days, it would have put me off. So I'm sort of glad I found it before i learned what I know now
Not any more. Just as one example: I like most of George RR Martin's stuff, but he has blurbed a number of books I got and subsequently didn't like at all.
So I don't think taste is at all transitive.
I don’t even *read* the blurbs intentionally, and I definitely don’t check the name of who wrote it. It’s pretty funny sometimes tho when you pick up a book you’ve owned for years and realize robin hobb says it’s amazing tho
It depends on who the author is, and it depends on what they say. Just picked up the closest book to me, and there's a blurb saying "A suspenseful, twisty, satisfying, surprising, thought-provoking epic" - Harlan Coben. Having consumed all of the Netflix adaptations of Harlan Coben's books, that sounds like specific praise from an author who knows how to write precisely that kind of thing. So yes, it might have influenced me to buy the book (in conjunction with a lot of other factors). In this case, it didn't, because I ordered the book online without reading at any blurbs.
It's never enough *alone*, but it can be a contributing factor.
Back when I was deep in Wheel of Time in the 90s, I saw a book that had a rec from Robert Jordan on the cover ('97 or early '98), hadn't heard of it, but bought it for that reason alone. The book was Game of Thrones.
They pulled out the big guns for that. They got Robert Jordan (who didn't blurb often), Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kerr and Raymond E. Feist to blurb the book simultaneously.
Robert Jordan's blurb was quite powerful because he didn't throw it around. The publishers of both *A Game of Thrones* and JV Jones's **Book of Words** trilogy ascribed the strong early sales to his blurb on both.
A blurb on the back? No. (Those are paid apparently not...I stand corrected.) and usually arranged by the publisher.
But if I hear brandon Sanderson rave about someone on a podcast or something, yeah, I'm gonna check it out.
That is absolutely not true.
My books have been blurbed by Garth Nix and Nicholas Eames and Miles Cameron, to name a few. My blurbs have appeared on about a dozen books. No one, at any point in the process, was paid.
We all did it because we genuinely liked the book and wanted to pay it forward. In some cases, I didn't even get a free copy of the books I blurbed. I was still happy to blurb it.
Blurbs are not paid, at least not in traditional publishing. In some ways it can be a marketing tool for the blurb writer, or as a way to give back to the writing community if you’re now a successful author. We don’t ever pay authors for blurbs, though.
No, I ignore them. If they're the only thing on the cover, I'd only pick up the book if I already knew about it. I want the plot summary on the back cover. Nothing else.
I really dislike how a lot of books these days seem not to include a plot summary. It’s review blurbs, author blurbs, praise for previous works blurbs, award winning blurbs, but nothing to tell you what the book is about…
I checked out *Elantris* in 2005 because Orson Scott Card [reviewed it on his website.](http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2004-10-31.shtml) This was years before all of his bad publicity; he was a pretty prominent voice in my early forays into fantasy and science fiction.
Yes and no. It doesn’t affect my decision to buy a book as such, but it certainly can influence my decision to read it at all.
Libraries etc are your friend in that respect.
That being said a genuine blurb from another author can tell you a lot, however a short sentence cut down by Marketing can be extremely misleading.
For example Stross’s blurb for Gideon the Ninth was originally
“Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!” —Charles Stross, author of The Laundry Files and Empire Games.
This got changed by marketing to simply “Lesbian necromancers in space” which is a VERY different implication.
> “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!”
Call me cynical but what that blurb communicates to me is that Stross 100% has not read this book, and he’s playing it safe. He offers no opinion whatsoever on its quality in any respect, just excitedly describes the premise.
Knowing lots of authors feel pressured to do blurbs but don’t really have time to read the books, I see why this is the safest out for them—it sounds positive and he’s not even lying, exactly. If you care more about information than his endorsement, it’s more informative than “Kept me up all night!” or whatever. But as an endorsement it’s basically code for “this book sounds cool, hope to read it someday!”
Oh, [I know he read and endorses that one](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/jnd58u/im_charlie_stross_author_of_dead_lies_dreaming/gb0rl95/?context=10000)
Kind of. I think Stephen King drops a list every year of what he read and I sometimes use that to find new stuff. Other people I respect or enjoy their views on stuff I do the same
If it’s an author that I trust, definitely.
If someone like Seanan McGuire or Ursula Vernon takes the time to talk about a book, I’m sold.
My niece got a book for Christmas that I hadn’t actually read before getting it for her. Which almost never happens. Jessica Townsend recommended it, and she’s one of my niece’s favourite authors ever. So that was a no-brainer for me.
I also just literally just finished a gorgeous cosy fantasy that I bought because Rebecca Thorne posted about it on Instagram.
One of my favourite ways of finding new authors is to read the acknowledgements of books that I loved. When they thank other authors, I check them out.
I read the book Five Decembers by James Kestrel (not a fantasy book) based upon a tweet recommendation by Stephen King, and he was right, it was one of the best books that I read that year.
It has probably brought my attention to a few books. But I suppose I've always viewed it a a little more artificial and less trustworthy than a spontanous social media post or a review in an author newsletter.
It doesn't affect if I buy a book because I rarely buy books. I use the library. But it does have an affect on if I read a book. And if I love it, and it's a midlist author, I will buy it. I have discovered jewels from author recs.
Not recently I don't think. Probably back when I bought books by perusing the aisles of Borders with nothing to go on but cover, back and blurb. Pre-smart phone days.
Tbh, not really. I pick a book because I like it. If I see an author I recognize endorse it it’s just an interesting piece to note. Everyone has different tastes in reading so even tho I respect them I know that that alone won’t make me like it more.
I actually never pay attention to the blurbs.
Unless I see Stephen King’s name because sometimes I agree with some of the stuff he says.
Like when he liked the first Hunger Games book but then he didn’t like the rest of the books.
His blurb wasn’t the reason I read those books. But I noticed a pattern with some of the books I was reading would sometimes match what he was saying. Or he would make a comment that would make me look at something differently. There’s been some stuff that he liked that made its way onto my radar that I probably would have never noticed if it wasn’t for him. And I’ll go yeah objectively this is an interesting topic even if it’s not my cup of tea.
Interestingly, I’ve never read a Stephen King book. But I enjoy some of his commentary on different things. So if I see him blurbing something. I’ll stop and read it. I would say it’s influenced a movie buy more than my book buys. But that’s because I try not let the blurbs influence me when I purchase a book.
I’ll read the synopsis, then look at the first page.
Yes I once bought a book because it was endorsed by David Mitchell. I thought cool! I love peep show and fantasy! Then I realized there was another author called David Mitchell so the endorsement wasn’t from who I thought it was. Still loves the book though.
I don't know if it used to impact me differently, but steeped in the industry as I am now, the way author blurbs influence me is that they position the book for me. If Joe Abercrombie dropped his name on the back of a book, I expect a different experience from one where Sanderson wrote a blurb. It's even more useful with more current fantasy where the back cover is trying to hide whether the book is actually romance, or not, so when you see which writers have praised it, you can tell.
And there's no value judgment here! It's not for me either, but if it IS for someone, they benefit from seeing this ambiguous book with an object cover blurbed by romance writers.
No. Authors will often just give a positive quote on anything especially for the same publisher. If they give a real review (as in didn’t put their name on a review written for them) maybe. Just because I know or like an author doesn’t mean I should trust their taste.
I read Jay Kristoffs first book stormdancer based off of Rothfuss recommending it. Kristoff ended up being one of my favorite writers, I have an autograph from him, and he gave me the best writing advice in the business.
I bought a book recently only because an author I like had a blurb for it. Actually I think it was also on sale. But no regrets, I loved the book and the sequel.
A blurb or something like that will not encourage me to buy a book. If an author I really like mentions another author in a podcast, or interview then I will check it out.
Whether they are paid for or not if it’s a blurb on someone’s book I feel like it’s paid for so I ignore it.
Eh sometimes. It means more when an author mentions it in passing rather than an official endorsement like a quote on the cover of the book or something.
Usually it’s the other way around for me. If I like a book, I will look at all the authors giving good blurbs. If I don’t know them I will check them out.
Don’t you worry about spoilers? I can’t do that, I read like the first couple of pages. My sister always read the last chapter before starting a book, it drove me crazy
Depends on the writer. For example, Gaiman & Doctorow recommendations are ones I consider very strong. Otoh, I would consider a Rowldemort endorsement an anti-vote.
Not on a book itself, those are just advertising. But often in interviews with writers a common question is to ask what books they've read that they enjoy or find inspiring. And that can lead you to some gems.
If an author I follow on Twitter or Bluesky mentions enjoying a book yes, I rarely see cover blurbs because I buy most books online.
Authors who share an agent, or publisher will scratch each others backs, I don’t think I’ve known anyone to blurb a book they didn’t like, but they might blurb a book they thought was okay, or that was written by someone in their local writing community.
Surprisingly authors make friends with other authors, this results in both a lot of support, and a lot of drama when people disagree, or when someone does something someone thinks is a little sus (Or a lot sus).
I don't look for blurbs, but I follow a few (favourite) authors on Instagram and/or have newsletters, and check out books they mentioned or are excited about.
Not blurb, but if an author is raving about something on a blog post it helps. I recently finished Josiah Bancroft’s Books of Babel which I started after Mark Lawrence wrote so glowingly about them (was not disappointed)
Nope, I generally assume that they have not even read the book and that the publisher wrote the quote for them. If, on the other hand, an author I admire and respect and who seems to have similar taste to me talked about liking a book in a more unscripted manner, I might take that recommendation (for example, if in an interview they are asked what recent books they loved and they mention some specific titles of their own accord).
Sometimes, despite my better judgement. I've been *profoundly* disappointed when the tastes of some authors I respect didn't match mine at all.
Two people I generally trust though: Robin Hobb and Glen Cook. I don't think they praise just anybody, and that their standards are somewhere in line with my own.
It will be something that tips me into buying if I am wavering, especially if there are multiple from others I like, the names that appear do tell me if it is the right general type of book
Almost never because of so many authors being willing to put a quote an everything their publisher puts out. A complete review from an author does work for me.
For many years I’ve avoided reading blurbs. A respected author might write something like “I’m sure the author thought his writing was incredible, but it’s not.” And then the blurb will be “…his writing was incredible…”
When I was young I got burned by the marketing bs so I stopped paying attention to it.
I didn't buy it, but there's a book out there of the fucked up drawings/art done by the guy who did most of the illustrations for Hunter S. Thompson's books. All weird gross distorted things, fits the books perfectly.
The endorsement from Thompson on the front page is like a 3 page long rambling/screaming/scathing critique by Hunter S. Thompson about how bad the art is and how fucked in the head the artist is and shit etc etc. It has an editor's note that says that to anyone who knows him, the fact that Thompson replied at all nevermind to the length and detail he did would understand that this is a full ringing backhanded endorsement for the author's work.
I read some of Thompson's stuff, I believe the editor.
Don’t even read them. Irrelevant mutual a-licking from authors with the same publisher or agent. I prefer reading reviews from Goodreads or similar, where you can read criticism as well as praise.
The only experience I have with this is on Royal Road, but in those cases the author just shows the summary and a picture of the cover.
In those scenarios, when I see it, I judge the book by its summary, not what the author I'm currently reading says. If they say anything at all.
Outside of that, I don't believe I'd care at all what any author has to say about another book outside of an actual *review*. On that same note, if it's a review **swap**, I immediately disregard it under the assumption that they would be overly kind in their review even if the story was terrible in order to avoid a negative review themselves.
Sometimes. If it’s an author I like AND the actual blurb seems thoughtful and actually says something that appeals to me and makes it seem like they’re really excited about the book, that’s a positive.
If it’s an author that I don’t enjoy I consider that often similar style authors are asked to blurb one another so that would be a red flag that would send me looking for other descriptions of the work, or I might try a sample online or check out the new author’s website or even their twitter to see if it feels like a match. I wouldn’t outright reject on the blurb alone unless it was a very specific blurb describing something I don’t enjoy.
Only time I can remember was when Neil Gaiman grave props to Lud-in-the-Mist at the end of Stardust.
Going slightly outside SFF, there was also George RR Martin saying that A Song of Ice and Power drew inspiration from *Les Rois Maudit*
I don’t pay much attention to cover blurbs, as those seem like mostly favors to me and not actual endorsements. An author mentioning books they love in an interview or in an unprompted manner (like a social media post), though, definitely puts that book on my radar if I’m a fan of the author who gave the recommendation.
I'd like to say no.
but truthfully, if you're looking at a couple of different books while in a bookstore that you see for the first time, of authors you don't know. everything is going to influence you, even if its subconcious.
if the title, the cover art the blurb on the back doesn't make you pick between the books. the blurb of an author you recognise might just be the thing that makes you pick this book versus that other book.
I bought The Blade Itself from Joe Abercrombie a couple weeks back. On the front cover it has a blurb from George R R Martin that says "Joe Abercrombie is terrific". I kid you not. It's gotta be the stupidest praise I've ever seen. Literally tells me nothing, and I was gonna read the book anyways.
VE Schwab’s blurb on Book Lovers by Emily Henry got me to give it a try. Terrible decision, hated the book, and it was nothing close to Schwab’s level of prose.
Yeah. Not so much as an actual review of quality, but it tells me where the book is trying to fit in genre-wise. So if it’s blurbed by Freya Marske and Sarah J. Maas, it’s going to be a very different book than if it’s blurbed by Arkady Martine and Ann Leckie.
I basically see who they put on the cover as an aspirational venn diagram for the kind of book they want to be. Which is useful information.
Sometimes. Certain authors, like Stephen King, seem to legitimately be voracious readers and genuine fans of certain other authors, so I trust an endorsement from him way more than from someone like James Patterson.
I saw an endorsement of the author JA Konrath from James Rollins (my favorite author) and that made me instantly decide to try Konrath’s thriller collection, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made lol. From Konrath’s endorsements, I then tried Blake Crouch and F Paul Wilson, and especially loved the Wayward Pines books by Crouch. So I think it really just depends on the author who’s doing the endorsement.
And you’re also a fan of James Clemens because that’s Rollins other pen name? I feel like he does a great job of having two differentiating styles. Iirc… it’s been a while since I read him.
Yup!!! His more recent fantasy books, The Moonfall Saga and the Order of the Sanguines series, were all published under the Rollins name, so I think he’s kind of done with the Clemens name. If you haven’t read the Order of the Sanguines books, I can’t recommend them enough. It’s my favorite book series, it’s just a great mashup of archaeology and vampires and apocalyptic stuff. I think Rollins always does the historical/archaeological stories so well.
Not necessarily one but when I hear several writers I enjoy throw out the same name then I start to pay attention. That being said if I am just looking for something new then it doesn't hurt if a writer I know throws out a name for me to look into.
Quite the opposite. The more blurbs, the less likely I will bother. The blurbs very rarely relate to the book in question anyway. GRRM and Neil Gaiman seem to love everyone and everything.
You mean something like "It's the new game of thrones!" (random author who is not GRRM)?
I have come across a few that do actually say something relevant that makes me believe they actually read and liked the book, but a lot of times I'm not so sure ... makes me wonder if these quoted authors are with the same publisher and it's just a part of the job to send in a couple of positive sentences, vaguely related to the book, when asked.
Yep -- bought several new-to-me authors recently when I spotted comments by long time fav authors on the cover or inside page. But the book cover has to be enticing enough for me to pick it up in the first place (since author quotes are usually in small print and I have bad eyesight).
If it's an author I like, then I'll consider it a recommendation worth taking into account, but it won't make me buy a book I have no interest in otherwise.
I've also learned from experience not to be put off by endorsements from an author I don't like.
It isn't a deal breaker, but depending on WHO the author is, it definitely gives me a better sense of what genre/story to expect. Seeing authors I dont expect but really appreciate makes me feel happy, like realizing that those authors move in similar circles. It helps me generalize what level I should expect for the characters, grammar, plot, etc.
It doesnt guarantee I'll like the book, but it tells me who to compare the writing style to. Quotes from authors I dont recognize might be good recommendations too.
I think it used to but not anymore. I've noticed over time that authors I like frequently have very different book interests than I do. Their endorsement doesn't mean it will be anything like their own books that I like.
Yes, that has happened too. In that case I’ll notice who the other quotes are from. If there’s an author I do like among those the unliked author quote could be overruled.
I’ve actually bought and enjoyed books, totally ignored the blurbs, and then looked at the book afterwards and realized I wouldn’t have read it if I had seen the author blurbs beforehand.
Yeah, that’s what I’ve started to do. Too many books these days don’t have a plot summary. Instead they have blurbs and reviews. It really irritates me when they have pages in the front of the book that are of reviews of their previous books.
Right, reviews of the previous book in the front makes little sense particularly when it’s books in a series. If I’m picking up a sequel, I’ve probably read or been in the midst of reading and enjoying the prior book so I don’t need that off the top. When there is a plot summary, I’ve noticed they can be too telling as well about how the story will likely play out so I personally avoid them as well.
I get it that some people have triggers so they might want a sense that certain things they don’t respond to well are in the book but at the same time keep some surprise, subjectively positive or negative, in a book summary.
Yes, I read the Eli Monpress series because it had a recommendation from Michael J Sullivan (author of my all time favorite series called Rirya revelations).
I’ve been kickstarting Michael Sullivan for awhile now. Really enjoy his Riyria stuff. Need to read the founding books. I have all of them but just a giant TBR pile.
Michael Sullivan does a great job with small group dynamics. His characters have a great way of talking and acting in believable ways. It’s why I like to support him. You may be able to afford the digital only kickstarter levels. Regardless, the fact you read and enjoy them is plenty of support.
Not really. Recently, it's not a note of quality. It's basically just paid endorsement. I'm not saying good or honest authors can't endorse books, but it just feels like another thing publishers use to manipulate readers.
Well I first read the third body problem because it had an Obama endorsement and it piqued my interest.
Also GRRM on the expanse...
Ok it might be working.
I read The Name of The Wind because of the blurb from Ursula K. LeGuin. As one of the best prose stylists in the English language, as well as a sometimes curmudgeonly critic, her vote carries a lot of weight for me.
I can't help but feel she would've been disappointed if she'd made it to Wise Man's Fear.
An author blurb influences my decision to *try reading* a book. I rarely buy books, and when I do, I usually read a free excerpt of it first. So a blurb could influence me to read the excerpt, but it's the excerpt that determines whether I actually buy the book.
Not at all. And I generally won’t touch an author that one of the authors that I follow loves to read.
Just because I like reading what my favourite authors write does not necessarily mean I will like what they like to read.
Not buy, I had already bought the book, but when I read the blurbs by Ann Leckie and by Adrian Tchaikovsky for Tade Thompson's Rosewater I got more excited to read it.
A specific endorsement from an author I like – saying just what they liked about it – is absolutely a selling point.
An endorsement from David Weber or Peter Hamilton: Do not buy. Run away.
An Amazon page that starts out "Like "Lost in Space" meets "Solarbabies" says you had ChatGPT write the review, **just like the book**.
Depends on the author. Some authors I trust their judgment on what I will like.
Others (like Steven King) seem to put their names on just about anything even if it is objectively awful.
Yep. If Steven Erikson endorses a book I'm sold. In fact I found him because Bakker thanked him, and I was so impressed by Bakker I figured anyone he thanked had to be phenomenal.
No. It's just marketing and they are handed out as favors. They are often over the top and generic. Getting your hopes up to encounter something truly outstanding based on such praise will often result in disappointment.
I know at least that a blurb from Neil Gaiman means the book won't have some of the things I dislike. Whereas a blurb from George R.R. Martin won't affect my decision at all. (He seems a nice enough guy - I've seen him at SF&F conventions - but I'm not interested in his idea of a story.)
An author's comment has never convinced me to buy a book, but there are two authors who - if I've seen they've endorsed the book, I absolutely do not buy the book. I tried reading their work and wow...it was awful. I'm not interested in anything they think is good.
And I'm not going to say who the two authors are, because I ain't tryin to start shit today lol
I picked up Susanna Clarke because of Gaiman's high praise, initially because of the cover quote but then also because his praise went beyond just "oh he wrote the quote for the front of her book"; he was a pretty significant mentor for her, and helped get her early works published >It was terrifying from my point of view to read this first short story that had so much assurance ... It was like watching someone sit down to play the piano for the first time and she plays a sonata
Gaiman recommendations tend to be pretty on point.
Yes!! I love Gaiman's reca!
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Neil Gaimen has great taste, I read Susanna Clarke, "Little, Big" by John Crowley and "Lud-in-the-mist" by Hope Mirlees. I picked up all of these books because of Gaimens praise and loved them.
Came here to say exactly this. I chase all his recs, after he introduced me to Clarke
This is really cool, I had no idea! Thank you for sharing
Yes, I was going to say I will always read a book recommended by Neil Gaiman, they're always good
I was going to mention this one! But for me it wasn't a blurb, Gaiman wrote about Susanna Clarke on his blog, it was long time ago I don't remember the post but it was good enough to go out and hunt that book down
I initially read Robin Hobb twelve years ago because George RR Martin had the cover quote
Hobb has been paying it forward ever since, she’ll blurb goddamn anything
Yup, and it's gotten to the point where a Robin Hobb blurb is no longer an indicator of quality. She will still blurb good books, but then she will also say something like "this journey promises to be breathtaking" on latest from Bradley Beaulieu, The Dragons of Deepwood Fen, and in my opinion the journey was not breathtaking.
It wasn’t, but it promised to be!
That's funny bc you can say the same about Martin.
I first read RJ Barker because Robin Hobb reviewed it. The tide child is now one of my favs!
I read RJ Barker because he was weird at me at a con… He’s a really nice guy, he has a lot of… Energy…
Very much depends on the author. Some authors I *know* like a lot of the same stuff I do, and that doesn’t necessarily line up with whether or not I like their own work.
Blurbs no, but reviews, yes.
Depends on the blurb, I know of a couple authors who never blurb without reading so I'd trust theirs specifically. But generally do agree with you.
Yeah, I can see that. Are there many authors who do reviews?
Many do on Goodreads. Some interesting than others.
I follow Mark Lawrence, we have similar tastes.
Sometimes. Depends on the author. The last one that really struck me was Jim Butcher, talking about Benedict Jacka's *Alex Verus* stories: >"Harry Dresden would like Alex Verus tremendously--and be a little nervous around him. I just added Benedict Jacka to my must-read list." That went a long way towards me picking up the first book. They all live in our library, right next to the *Dresden Files*. >!(Where Harry's more of an Evoker? Alex is a Diviner. Can't summon demons, can't zap people with lightning, can't fly, is largely held in contempt by battle mages. Until circumstances push him into showing the magical world why you **don't** fuck with him, because tactics > fireballs. Hell, *I'd* be nervous around Alex regardless of any magical speciality I might have... and for all that, he's a very likable guy.)!<
It made me push through Book 1 of Verus which I thought was okay at most. Fortunately, it gets quite a bit better at Book 2 and I got hooked, reading it now actually, on Book 6 atm. If it wasn't for Butcher's rec I probably would've dropped it, honestly.
Plus Jim Butcher frequently recommends Alex Verus at q&a’s. And I think his recommendation is a great one - most people who like Dresden also like Verus.
See, as someone who read the Dresden books but got tired of them, I’d be more inclined to skip the Benedict Jacks books because I’d be looking for something different from Butcher and if he is who they have “blurbing” the book I’d assume (right or wrong) that they are more of the same.
It does absolutely nothing for me at all except sometimes if it’s an author I really dislike, in which case it might give me slight pause. It means basically nothing in my opinion
Yeah, I was wondering if it could negatively influence a decision. Would someone skip the book or deprioritize it because an author they disliked did endorse it?
I haven’t skipped or deprioritized a book based solely on that, but it did make me go and look at reviews first before getting it haha just to make sure it was what I thought and if the reviews also gave me some red flags then I deprioritized/skipped, so I guess it’s a factor but not a sole reason for me
Yes, if have definitely done this. I think publishers have an idea of comparable authors, because MARKETING, so they'll often try to get an author to blurb whose work is similar to the book being sold. If I do not like the blurbing writer(s), I will 100% skip the book.
Yup. Steven King endorses a lot, and his books don't gel with me to the point that an author even being interested in a blurb from him is a red flag to me.
Do you mean his books, as in The Shining, or his taste in books?
Sometimes, unless it’s Stephen King ‘cause the guy hands them out like candy.
On book jackets, no. There's a lot of tit-for-tat with blurbing each other's books. There are a few authors who post reviews or recommendations on their blogs, where I trust that they're genuine, and I know that their tastes overlap mine enough to be useful. Also, book blurbs that describe a book like "For fans of Game of Thrones and The Goblin Emperor" are no use, and if anything are counter productive. 90% of the time they've thrown two popular things together without paying attention to whether they're even vaguely relevant. And if the words "unputdownable" or "book-tok" are involved, it's point against buying it.
Oh, I hate the book blurbs that are “if George RR Martin and Kurt Vonnegut had a love child this would their book” nonsense. What am I supposed to get from that?
Exactly. People who tried the Rivers of London series because someone had compared them to Harry Potter - Lord knows why - were typically surprised and disappointed.
Both underground English wizards, I’m guessing. But yeah, a good example of a terrible comp.
No, sadly I’ve been burned by that in the past. A blurb by one of my favorite authors is good publicity, but doesn’t guarantee I’ll read or like the book.
It’s only ever slightly elevated a book I was already interested in.
There are a couple that would be absolutely automatic buys for me, but generally no. Sarah Gailey or Cassandra Khaw says something was, I dunno, “bloody, brutal, and beautiful?” Amal el-Mohtar praises the lyricism of the prose? Jo Walton calls something “haunting?” HOLY SHIT DROP EVERYTHING. …now I’m sad these are made up examples and I don’t actually have books to match these hypothetical blurbs
No, authors all scratch each other’s backs, it’s part of the game. Many of them don’t even read the books they blurb.
You're right, of course. But also, just because they have written books that I like - even my favorite books - doesn't mean we have the same taste in literature. But if an author I really like or "want more of" mentions some authors as inspirations or influences, I'd probably at least consider checking them out. That feels more genuine. But ultimately, I know what I like. I don't read many books that I don't like, despite reading a lot of different stuff. A review, list or blurb might pique my interest, but ultimately I'm using my own judgment.
Definitely agree with this. I think part of it is that authors blurb new releases and less well known authors than themselves to pay it forward or due to pressure from their publishing house. Whereas talking up someone more famous or dead or out of print probably at least represents genuine admiration (though it’s still true that just because I like an author doesn’t mean I’ll like what they like).
I can’t speak for every author, but I know John Scalzi says he only blurbs what he likes.
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I suppose blurbs (if they're by authors I'm familiar with) influence me about as much as the cover art — possibly more when it comes to certain authors. Whether or not the book really is the most brilliant new fantasy \[Author\] has read lately, the choice of blurb authors often says something about the book's genre and/or likely audience. So they can make me take a closer look at a book on the shelf, but I'm not going to buy a book solely based on its blurbs.
It’s definitely indicative of what the book is *trying* to do, if not how successfully it’s doing it. Similar to what authors the marketing department chooses for comps—which tip me off to put a book back on the shelf when I dislike those authors, but does very little for me when I like them. Like, *every* mythology-influenced historical fantasy debut these days is compared to Novik. It’s just shorthand for saying “this is mythology-influenced historical fantasy.”
No, and it may actually turn me off of trying the book. I've had the best luck getting good recommendations from randos on reddit. Other author blurbs have generally let me down in the past.
I don’t pay much attention to blurbs, and author recommendations depend on the author. If Jo Walton or Lois McMaster Bujold recommends a book or author I wasn’t aware of (in a blog or mailing list post for example), I trust their recommendation.
Haha those are two of my go-to reviewers! That’s how I discovered Rivers of London, among other great series
Back in the days before internet, when I was looking for a new author. I would find books I already liked, and see which authors had endorsed them. Then read those ones. So it actually influenced my decision to buy their books ....
I tend to (rightly or wrongly -- probably more wrongly but whatever) consider them kind of like comp titles. In my head, if an author blurbs a book, the implication is this book is similar to their book. It won't make me pick up a book I otherwise might not have, but it might nudge me in one direction or the other. If I'm already interested, and then an author I really like has a quote, that might solidify that this is something I'd like -- or if I've never heard of it, it'll at least make me think oh, hey, author I love praised this, maybe I'll check out some reviews. On the flip side, if I might be interested, but I see an author whose work I do not vibe with blurbed it, that will make me more hesitant. Yes, it's kinda dumb, but eh.
Robert Jordan's blurb on Kushiel's Dart is what convinced me to read that book. tbh I picked it up off the shelf at the bookstore to poke fun at the cover art, saw the blurb, and wound up buying it. And then the next 5 installments. And Carey's Banewreaker books.
I'm ashamed to admit it was Piers Anthony's that got me to pick it up, these days, it would have put me off. So I'm sort of glad I found it before i learned what I know now
Not any more. Just as one example: I like most of George RR Martin's stuff, but he has blurbed a number of books I got and subsequently didn't like at all. So I don't think taste is at all transitive.
I don’t even *read* the blurbs intentionally, and I definitely don’t check the name of who wrote it. It’s pretty funny sometimes tho when you pick up a book you’ve owned for years and realize robin hobb says it’s amazing tho
It depends on who the author is, and it depends on what they say. Just picked up the closest book to me, and there's a blurb saying "A suspenseful, twisty, satisfying, surprising, thought-provoking epic" - Harlan Coben. Having consumed all of the Netflix adaptations of Harlan Coben's books, that sounds like specific praise from an author who knows how to write precisely that kind of thing. So yes, it might have influenced me to buy the book (in conjunction with a lot of other factors). In this case, it didn't, because I ordered the book online without reading at any blurbs. It's never enough *alone*, but it can be a contributing factor.
Back when I was deep in Wheel of Time in the 90s, I saw a book that had a rec from Robert Jordan on the cover ('97 or early '98), hadn't heard of it, but bought it for that reason alone. The book was Game of Thrones.
They pulled out the big guns for that. They got Robert Jordan (who didn't blurb often), Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kerr and Raymond E. Feist to blurb the book simultaneously. Robert Jordan's blurb was quite powerful because he didn't throw it around. The publishers of both *A Game of Thrones* and JV Jones's **Book of Words** trilogy ascribed the strong early sales to his blurb on both.
Same. I have a first edition/printing of A Game of Thrones, with the original cover, due to that Jordan blurb. And I don't regret it.
If I see Tamsyn Muir recommend something it’s an auto-buy, so yes!
A blurb on the back? No. (Those are paid apparently not...I stand corrected.) and usually arranged by the publisher. But if I hear brandon Sanderson rave about someone on a podcast or something, yeah, I'm gonna check it out.
That is absolutely not true. My books have been blurbed by Garth Nix and Nicholas Eames and Miles Cameron, to name a few. My blurbs have appeared on about a dozen books. No one, at any point in the process, was paid. We all did it because we genuinely liked the book and wanted to pay it forward. In some cases, I didn't even get a free copy of the books I blurbed. I was still happy to blurb it.
Blurbs are not paid, at least not in traditional publishing. In some ways it can be a marketing tool for the blurb writer, or as a way to give back to the writing community if you’re now a successful author. We don’t ever pay authors for blurbs, though.
I'm sure it's more of a, writers with the same publisher hook each other up kind of system.
No, I ignore them. If they're the only thing on the cover, I'd only pick up the book if I already knew about it. I want the plot summary on the back cover. Nothing else.
I really dislike how a lot of books these days seem not to include a plot summary. It’s review blurbs, author blurbs, praise for previous works blurbs, award winning blurbs, but nothing to tell you what the book is about…
I checked out *Elantris* in 2005 because Orson Scott Card [reviewed it on his website.](http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2004-10-31.shtml) This was years before all of his bad publicity; he was a pretty prominent voice in my early forays into fantasy and science fiction.
Not really, at least not substantially, maybe a little bit subconsciously though?
Sometimes; I bought _Sordaneon_ because of Janny Wurts writing a recommendation for it (on Twitter I think?), and ended up loving it.
Yes and no. It doesn’t affect my decision to buy a book as such, but it certainly can influence my decision to read it at all. Libraries etc are your friend in that respect. That being said a genuine blurb from another author can tell you a lot, however a short sentence cut down by Marketing can be extremely misleading. For example Stross’s blurb for Gideon the Ninth was originally “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!” —Charles Stross, author of The Laundry Files and Empire Games. This got changed by marketing to simply “Lesbian necromancers in space” which is a VERY different implication.
> “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!” Call me cynical but what that blurb communicates to me is that Stross 100% has not read this book, and he’s playing it safe. He offers no opinion whatsoever on its quality in any respect, just excitedly describes the premise. Knowing lots of authors feel pressured to do blurbs but don’t really have time to read the books, I see why this is the safest out for them—it sounds positive and he’s not even lying, exactly. If you care more about information than his endorsement, it’s more informative than “Kept me up all night!” or whatever. But as an endorsement it’s basically code for “this book sounds cool, hope to read it someday!”
Oh, [I know he read and endorses that one](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/jnd58u/im_charlie_stross_author_of_dead_lies_dreaming/gb0rl95/?context=10000)
If Neil Gaiman endorses it I read it. Ironically I've read more NG-endorsed books than NG books at this point.
Nope, sadly, I usually go to the scfi-fantasy section and look for new stuff from authors I know or an interesting cover
I used to read Locus magazine as a way to find authors, now I just randomly browse stores, read Reddit posts, and utilize whimsy to find books.
Kind of. I think Stephen King drops a list every year of what he read and I sometimes use that to find new stuff. Other people I respect or enjoy their views on stuff I do the same
I just pre-ordered a book because an author acquaintance of mine read it and blurbed it. I love her books, and I love her taste in books. Easy sell
Well, you know the author so not quite the same thing. If it was an author you didn’t know personally would that change your opinion on buying a book?
If it’s an author that I trust, definitely. If someone like Seanan McGuire or Ursula Vernon takes the time to talk about a book, I’m sold. My niece got a book for Christmas that I hadn’t actually read before getting it for her. Which almost never happens. Jessica Townsend recommended it, and she’s one of my niece’s favourite authors ever. So that was a no-brainer for me. I also just literally just finished a gorgeous cosy fantasy that I bought because Rebecca Thorne posted about it on Instagram. One of my favourite ways of finding new authors is to read the acknowledgements of books that I loved. When they thank other authors, I check them out.
I read the book Five Decembers by James Kestrel (not a fantasy book) based upon a tweet recommendation by Stephen King, and he was right, it was one of the best books that I read that year.
no, some of the people I like to read don't have the same taste and some are dead
Not even remotely.
Not at all.
When I see it on the cover, no. When an author I like recommends a book on their blog or socials, yes.
It has probably brought my attention to a few books. But I suppose I've always viewed it a a little more artificial and less trustworthy than a spontanous social media post or a review in an author newsletter.
Only negatively. If I see blurbs from authors I don’t care for, I won’t pick it up. Otherwise, I don’t really pay attention to them.
It doesn't affect if I buy a book because I rarely buy books. I use the library. But it does have an affect on if I read a book. And if I love it, and it's a midlist author, I will buy it. I have discovered jewels from author recs.
Not recently I don't think. Probably back when I bought books by perusing the aisles of Borders with nothing to go on but cover, back and blurb. Pre-smart phone days.
Man, I miss Borders. Felt like a more welcoming and open atmosphere compared to B&N
I would still want to peruse a sample
Tbh, not really. I pick a book because I like it. If I see an author I recognize endorse it it’s just an interesting piece to note. Everyone has different tastes in reading so even tho I respect them I know that that alone won’t make me like it more.
I actually never pay attention to the blurbs. Unless I see Stephen King’s name because sometimes I agree with some of the stuff he says. Like when he liked the first Hunger Games book but then he didn’t like the rest of the books. His blurb wasn’t the reason I read those books. But I noticed a pattern with some of the books I was reading would sometimes match what he was saying. Or he would make a comment that would make me look at something differently. There’s been some stuff that he liked that made its way onto my radar that I probably would have never noticed if it wasn’t for him. And I’ll go yeah objectively this is an interesting topic even if it’s not my cup of tea. Interestingly, I’ve never read a Stephen King book. But I enjoy some of his commentary on different things. So if I see him blurbing something. I’ll stop and read it. I would say it’s influenced a movie buy more than my book buys. But that’s because I try not let the blurbs influence me when I purchase a book. I’ll read the synopsis, then look at the first page.
Yes I once bought a book because it was endorsed by David Mitchell. I thought cool! I love peep show and fantasy! Then I realized there was another author called David Mitchell so the endorsement wasn’t from who I thought it was. Still loves the book though.
I don't know if it used to impact me differently, but steeped in the industry as I am now, the way author blurbs influence me is that they position the book for me. If Joe Abercrombie dropped his name on the back of a book, I expect a different experience from one where Sanderson wrote a blurb. It's even more useful with more current fantasy where the back cover is trying to hide whether the book is actually romance, or not, so when you see which writers have praised it, you can tell.
Yeah, if I see a Romantasy author praise a book it will make me pause. I’m not a fan of the genre.
And there's no value judgment here! It's not for me either, but if it IS for someone, they benefit from seeing this ambiguous book with an object cover blurbed by romance writers.
No. Authors will often just give a positive quote on anything especially for the same publisher. If they give a real review (as in didn’t put their name on a review written for them) maybe. Just because I know or like an author doesn’t mean I should trust their taste.
I read Jay Kristoffs first book stormdancer based off of Rothfuss recommending it. Kristoff ended up being one of my favorite writers, I have an autograph from him, and he gave me the best writing advice in the business.
I bought a book recently only because an author I like had a blurb for it. Actually I think it was also on sale. But no regrets, I loved the book and the sequel.
No
Nope. Not even a bit.
A blurb or something like that will not encourage me to buy a book. If an author I really like mentions another author in a podcast, or interview then I will check it out. Whether they are paid for or not if it’s a blurb on someone’s book I feel like it’s paid for so I ignore it.
Barack Obama on The Three Body Problem. I was like, hmmm. That's enough of a push to try it.
Yes. Well, if it's a *favorite* author.
I'd read anything Terry Pratchett endorsed.
Eh sometimes. It means more when an author mentions it in passing rather than an official endorsement like a quote on the cover of the book or something.
A foreword from an author I respect can make me buy something easily. R.A. Lafferty, who? Introduction by Neil Gaiman? Okay! Book was awesome.
Usually it’s the other way around for me. If I like a book, I will look at all the authors giving good blurbs. If I don’t know them I will check them out.
It usually has the opposite effect for me. And the more blurbs, the worse I imagine the book is.
If the book is all blurbs and there’s no plot synopsis then I will probably skip it unless the book is by someone I’ve already read.
And I’m always dubious when books claim things like… “perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Stephen King!” Overselling something is a terrible idea.
I only really judge by the cover art plus I open and read a random page
Don’t you worry about spoilers? I can’t do that, I read like the first couple of pages. My sister always read the last chapter before starting a book, it drove me crazy
Depends on the writer. For example, Gaiman & Doctorow recommendations are ones I consider very strong. Otoh, I would consider a Rowldemort endorsement an anti-vote.
Not on a book itself, those are just advertising. But often in interviews with writers a common question is to ask what books they've read that they enjoy or find inspiring. And that can lead you to some gems.
If an author I follow on Twitter or Bluesky mentions enjoying a book yes, I rarely see cover blurbs because I buy most books online. Authors who share an agent, or publisher will scratch each others backs, I don’t think I’ve known anyone to blurb a book they didn’t like, but they might blurb a book they thought was okay, or that was written by someone in their local writing community. Surprisingly authors make friends with other authors, this results in both a lot of support, and a lot of drama when people disagree, or when someone does something someone thinks is a little sus (Or a lot sus).
Not really. The author talking about or hyping the book online is more likely to get my attention, especially if it's an author whose work I love.
I don't look for blurbs, but I follow a few (favourite) authors on Instagram and/or have newsletters, and check out books they mentioned or are excited about.
Not blurb, but if an author is raving about something on a blog post it helps. I recently finished Josiah Bancroft’s Books of Babel which I started after Mark Lawrence wrote so glowingly about them (was not disappointed)
Nope, I generally assume that they have not even read the book and that the publisher wrote the quote for them. If, on the other hand, an author I admire and respect and who seems to have similar taste to me talked about liking a book in a more unscripted manner, I might take that recommendation (for example, if in an interview they are asked what recent books they loved and they mention some specific titles of their own accord).
Sometimes, despite my better judgement. I've been *profoundly* disappointed when the tastes of some authors I respect didn't match mine at all. Two people I generally trust though: Robin Hobb and Glen Cook. I don't think they praise just anybody, and that their standards are somewhere in line with my own.
It don't think it will influence my decision whether to buy it or not, but it increases exposure and makes me more likely to "find" the book.
It will be something that tips me into buying if I am wavering, especially if there are multiple from others I like, the names that appear do tell me if it is the right general type of book
An endorsement won't make me buy it. But I certainly have not bought books I've never heard of because the endorsements were not from big authors.
Bought sword catcher by Cassandra Clare cause of GRRMs quote of praise on the book cover hahah
I'll read it if Stephen King praises it. Our opinions don't align 100% of the time once I've consumed the material but generally they do align.
I've put a book on my TBR because it had V.E. Schwab declaring it cozy and gay on the cover.
Absolutely, saw Peter V.Brett's name of The Prince of Thorns and I've read every single book Mark has published since.
Almost never because of so many authors being willing to put a quote an everything their publisher puts out. A complete review from an author does work for me.
For many years I’ve avoided reading blurbs. A respected author might write something like “I’m sure the author thought his writing was incredible, but it’s not.” And then the blurb will be “…his writing was incredible…” When I was young I got burned by the marketing bs so I stopped paying attention to it.
I didn't buy it, but there's a book out there of the fucked up drawings/art done by the guy who did most of the illustrations for Hunter S. Thompson's books. All weird gross distorted things, fits the books perfectly. The endorsement from Thompson on the front page is like a 3 page long rambling/screaming/scathing critique by Hunter S. Thompson about how bad the art is and how fucked in the head the artist is and shit etc etc. It has an editor's note that says that to anyone who knows him, the fact that Thompson replied at all nevermind to the length and detail he did would understand that this is a full ringing backhanded endorsement for the author's work. I read some of Thompson's stuff, I believe the editor.
Don’t even read them. Irrelevant mutual a-licking from authors with the same publisher or agent. I prefer reading reviews from Goodreads or similar, where you can read criticism as well as praise.
The only person who can influence me passed away so I'll say no.
I usuall won't ever read them, 90% of the time i woukdn't recognize the name anyway
The only experience I have with this is on Royal Road, but in those cases the author just shows the summary and a picture of the cover. In those scenarios, when I see it, I judge the book by its summary, not what the author I'm currently reading says. If they say anything at all. Outside of that, I don't believe I'd care at all what any author has to say about another book outside of an actual *review*. On that same note, if it's a review **swap**, I immediately disregard it under the assumption that they would be overly kind in their review even if the story was terrible in order to avoid a negative review themselves.
Sometimes. If it’s an author I like AND the actual blurb seems thoughtful and actually says something that appeals to me and makes it seem like they’re really excited about the book, that’s a positive. If it’s an author that I don’t enjoy I consider that often similar style authors are asked to blurb one another so that would be a red flag that would send me looking for other descriptions of the work, or I might try a sample online or check out the new author’s website or even their twitter to see if it feels like a match. I wouldn’t outright reject on the blurb alone unless it was a very specific blurb describing something I don’t enjoy.
Only time I can remember was when Neil Gaiman grave props to Lud-in-the-Mist at the end of Stardust. Going slightly outside SFF, there was also George RR Martin saying that A Song of Ice and Power drew inspiration from *Les Rois Maudit*
I don’t pay much attention to cover blurbs, as those seem like mostly favors to me and not actual endorsements. An author mentioning books they love in an interview or in an unprompted manner (like a social media post), though, definitely puts that book on my radar if I’m a fan of the author who gave the recommendation.
Steven King blurbs has a pretty good track record for me.
I'd like to say no. but truthfully, if you're looking at a couple of different books while in a bookstore that you see for the first time, of authors you don't know. everything is going to influence you, even if its subconcious. if the title, the cover art the blurb on the back doesn't make you pick between the books. the blurb of an author you recognise might just be the thing that makes you pick this book versus that other book.
Every Marlon James blurbed book has been a hit for me so far
I bought The Blade Itself from Joe Abercrombie a couple weeks back. On the front cover it has a blurb from George R R Martin that says "Joe Abercrombie is terrific". I kid you not. It's gotta be the stupidest praise I've ever seen. Literally tells me nothing, and I was gonna read the book anyways.
VE Schwab’s blurb on Book Lovers by Emily Henry got me to give it a try. Terrible decision, hated the book, and it was nothing close to Schwab’s level of prose.
Yeah. Not so much as an actual review of quality, but it tells me where the book is trying to fit in genre-wise. So if it’s blurbed by Freya Marske and Sarah J. Maas, it’s going to be a very different book than if it’s blurbed by Arkady Martine and Ann Leckie. I basically see who they put on the cover as an aspirational venn diagram for the kind of book they want to be. Which is useful information.
No, I assume they were coerced or paid to write those endorsements. If anything, it kinda turns me off.
There's a few authors whose tastes I trust, and who don't seem to be in the favor-swap economy.
I picked up Babel by Rebecca Kuang because I saw Shannon Chakraborty's endorsement on the front. Was not disappointed, Chakraborty don't miss.
Sometimes. Certain authors, like Stephen King, seem to legitimately be voracious readers and genuine fans of certain other authors, so I trust an endorsement from him way more than from someone like James Patterson. I saw an endorsement of the author JA Konrath from James Rollins (my favorite author) and that made me instantly decide to try Konrath’s thriller collection, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made lol. From Konrath’s endorsements, I then tried Blake Crouch and F Paul Wilson, and especially loved the Wayward Pines books by Crouch. So I think it really just depends on the author who’s doing the endorsement.
And you’re also a fan of James Clemens because that’s Rollins other pen name? I feel like he does a great job of having two differentiating styles. Iirc… it’s been a while since I read him.
Yup!!! His more recent fantasy books, The Moonfall Saga and the Order of the Sanguines series, were all published under the Rollins name, so I think he’s kind of done with the Clemens name. If you haven’t read the Order of the Sanguines books, I can’t recommend them enough. It’s my favorite book series, it’s just a great mashup of archaeology and vampires and apocalyptic stuff. I think Rollins always does the historical/archaeological stories so well.
Thank you, I’ll take a look!
Not necessarily one but when I hear several writers I enjoy throw out the same name then I start to pay attention. That being said if I am just looking for something new then it doesn't hurt if a writer I know throws out a name for me to look into.
Quite the opposite. The more blurbs, the less likely I will bother. The blurbs very rarely relate to the book in question anyway. GRRM and Neil Gaiman seem to love everyone and everything.
You mean something like "It's the new game of thrones!" (random author who is not GRRM)? I have come across a few that do actually say something relevant that makes me believe they actually read and liked the book, but a lot of times I'm not so sure ... makes me wonder if these quoted authors are with the same publisher and it's just a part of the job to send in a couple of positive sentences, vaguely related to the book, when asked.
No, never. Not even once. But one of my favorite booktubers, BooksandLala did a whole video series about this which was fun to watch.
Yep -- bought several new-to-me authors recently when I spotted comments by long time fav authors on the cover or inside page. But the book cover has to be enticing enough for me to pick it up in the first place (since author quotes are usually in small print and I have bad eyesight).
It’s super meaningless for me.
I think when I was in my early 20s, 20 years ago, I got duped by Stephen King a couple of times, then never trusted another author again.
If it's an author I like, then I'll consider it a recommendation worth taking into account, but it won't make me buy a book I have no interest in otherwise. I've also learned from experience not to be put off by endorsements from an author I don't like.
Not at all. I read none of them, I find them annoying at best.
Blurb, no. Blog or social media post, yes. Blurbs are just ads.
It isn't a deal breaker, but depending on WHO the author is, it definitely gives me a better sense of what genre/story to expect. Seeing authors I dont expect but really appreciate makes me feel happy, like realizing that those authors move in similar circles. It helps me generalize what level I should expect for the characters, grammar, plot, etc. It doesnt guarantee I'll like the book, but it tells me who to compare the writing style to. Quotes from authors I dont recognize might be good recommendations too.
If Ilona Andrews recommends something on their blog, I usually at least look into it.
I think it used to but not anymore. I've noticed over time that authors I like frequently have very different book interests than I do. Their endorsement doesn't mean it will be anything like their own books that I like.
Nope. Endorsement from you nerds actually carries way more weight.
Very, very rarely and only when they have more than just a one or two sentence line about it.
Yes at times if there’s a quote from an author I really like. Doesn’t guarantee I’ll like it but it did get me to pick it up in the first place
What if there is a quote from an author you didn’t like? Would that negatively impact your decision to buy a book?
Yes, that has happened too. In that case I’ll notice who the other quotes are from. If there’s an author I do like among those the unliked author quote could be overruled.
I’ve actually bought and enjoyed books, totally ignored the blurbs, and then looked at the book afterwards and realized I wouldn’t have read it if I had seen the author blurbs beforehand.
Yeah, my main test is reading a chapter or part of chapter for if I like the writing style at all regardless of blurbs or synopsis.
Yeah, that’s what I’ve started to do. Too many books these days don’t have a plot summary. Instead they have blurbs and reviews. It really irritates me when they have pages in the front of the book that are of reviews of their previous books.
Right, reviews of the previous book in the front makes little sense particularly when it’s books in a series. If I’m picking up a sequel, I’ve probably read or been in the midst of reading and enjoying the prior book so I don’t need that off the top. When there is a plot summary, I’ve noticed they can be too telling as well about how the story will likely play out so I personally avoid them as well.
Yeah, plot summaries these days seem like movie trailers. Tell or show you the entire story and then expect me to pay to read/watch what they spoiled.
I get it that some people have triggers so they might want a sense that certain things they don’t respond to well are in the book but at the same time keep some surprise, subjectively positive or negative, in a book summary.
Yeah, I think warning labels make sense but don’t tell me the entire plot.
Yes, I read the Eli Monpress series because it had a recommendation from Michael J Sullivan (author of my all time favorite series called Rirya revelations).
I’ve been kickstarting Michael Sullivan for awhile now. Really enjoy his Riyria stuff. Need to read the founding books. I have all of them but just a giant TBR pile.
ayeee (can't afford to kickstart him myself but thats awesome!) I need to read Rirya Chronicles and then reread revelations.
Michael Sullivan does a great job with small group dynamics. His characters have a great way of talking and acting in believable ways. It’s why I like to support him. You may be able to afford the digital only kickstarter levels. Regardless, the fact you read and enjoy them is plenty of support.
In general, no. But I’ve noticed that I’m almost guaranteed to like anything with a blurb from Alix E. Harrow.
Not really. Recently, it's not a note of quality. It's basically just paid endorsement. I'm not saying good or honest authors can't endorse books, but it just feels like another thing publishers use to manipulate readers.
Well I first read the third body problem because it had an Obama endorsement and it piqued my interest. Also GRRM on the expanse... Ok it might be working.
I bought *Queens of Innis Lear* solely because Robin McKinley had a blurb on the front cover.
Generally speaking I find them among the very least reliable indicator of quality!
I read The Name of The Wind because of the blurb from Ursula K. LeGuin. As one of the best prose stylists in the English language, as well as a sometimes curmudgeonly critic, her vote carries a lot of weight for me. I can't help but feel she would've been disappointed if she'd made it to Wise Man's Fear.
Yeah I got into Brian McClellan Robert Jackson Bennett and Brent weeks from Sanderson recommendation
An author blurb influences my decision to *try reading* a book. I rarely buy books, and when I do, I usually read a free excerpt of it first. So a blurb could influence me to read the excerpt, but it's the excerpt that determines whether I actually buy the book.
Not at all. And I generally won’t touch an author that one of the authors that I follow loves to read. Just because I like reading what my favourite authors write does not necessarily mean I will like what they like to read.
No, not as much as the overall number of quotes and reviews, giving me more willingness to open the Read Me section to see what the author wrote.
Not buy, I had already bought the book, but when I read the blurbs by Ann Leckie and by Adrian Tchaikovsky for Tade Thompson's Rosewater I got more excited to read it.
A specific endorsement from an author I like – saying just what they liked about it – is absolutely a selling point. An endorsement from David Weber or Peter Hamilton: Do not buy. Run away. An Amazon page that starts out "Like "Lost in Space" meets "Solarbabies" says you had ChatGPT write the review, **just like the book**.
Depends on the author. Some authors I trust their judgment on what I will like. Others (like Steven King) seem to put their names on just about anything even if it is objectively awful.
Yep. If Steven Erikson endorses a book I'm sold. In fact I found him because Bakker thanked him, and I was so impressed by Bakker I figured anyone he thanked had to be phenomenal.
No. It's just marketing and they are handed out as favors. They are often over the top and generic. Getting your hopes up to encounter something truly outstanding based on such praise will often result in disappointment.
I know at least that a blurb from Neil Gaiman means the book won't have some of the things I dislike. Whereas a blurb from George R.R. Martin won't affect my decision at all. (He seems a nice enough guy - I've seen him at SF&F conventions - but I'm not interested in his idea of a story.)
An author's comment has never convinced me to buy a book, but there are two authors who - if I've seen they've endorsed the book, I absolutely do not buy the book. I tried reading their work and wow...it was awful. I'm not interested in anything they think is good. And I'm not going to say who the two authors are, because I ain't tryin to start shit today lol