I once gave a blurb to a book I didn’t read. Why? Because I didn’t want to read it, but I wanted to be a nice guy. I know how hard it is to get blurbs when you’re just starting out. Then I met someone who told me that she read a book because of my blurb. I confessed my sin. She was really upset. What about your good name, she asked. How could you do that?
Am I a bad person?
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Betsy Lerner 
i don’t think you’re a bad person.
blurbs are hard to manage–asking for one and giving one.
once, i heard that richard van camp, an aboriginal writer, only blurbs books he loves and tells each author that approaches him the same. “so, if you don’t hear back from me, i didn’t love your book. it’s what i do.” delivered with a smile.
he’s so funny + caring that i thought, that’s it. blurb like richard. then i thought, only read like richard. so i only read what i love, that’s it. people probably dislike me but why not–they probably disliked me anyway. hell, i dislike me.
one life to live over here and it’s getting late, you know? the light’s dimming, and i’ve got shit to say and not enough time.
but your life in the book business is another life. you know things.
rea
I wrote a review for a friend’s book without reading it in advance. I knew the subject, her talent, and I loved her heart.
And, Miguel de Cervantes “There is no book so bad…that it does not have something good in it.” I wasn’t misleading.
We judge ourselves too harshly. A favor for a friend is honorable. Friends are a gift. We certainly can appreciate our true friends right now…
No,
“Am I a bad person?”
Yes, of course you are. And you keep good company in that. Next question, please.
Nah. If what you wrote said, “I didn’t read this book, but if I did, I’d probably say that it was good if I liked it, but if I didn’t like it, I would still find something good about it, like the font type or something, maybe chapter titles or cover art, because the person who wrote it looks like Dr. Fauci.” Or perhaps, “There are a lot of nice words in this book.” But if you wrote, “This book is better than any book in the NYC library system!”, well, that might put you in the category of misguided and untruthful. But you’re still not a bad person. I mean, define bad ….
“Define bad.”
Exactly. We’d have to rate it on a scale, like sexual identity.
No – but talk about tight spots. (Especially when it’s a blurb for a buddy thing.) I truly feel uncomfortable about this with some books – and I’m swearing to myself here and today I’m gonna take Rea’s stance on this going forward.
Here’s what makes it even harder. What about when a writer friend asks you to blurb AND you’re with the same publishing house – AND you truly disliked parts of the book? Yeah. So, my damn name is going on a book with parts I thought asinine. This writer friend is picked a choice morsel from a hot political topic (or it was before COVID-19) and used it in this story and to me, it came across as preachy. (think American Dirt) To ice the cake, one character intended to be sympathetic came across as stupid. Out and out stupid.
Gah.
Anyway – been there, done that, as you can see.
been there, too. gah.
rea
Sounds more like a mitzvah, to me. If you’re ever in that generous mood, again, send me an email!