Anyone else rolling their eyes when a blurb starts with "Meet the new J.R.R. Tolkien in this Twilight meets The Goonies story..."? (exaggerated example, of course)

@janethansen9612

2 ай бұрын

Or 'the new Sally Rooney'. An instant no from me.

@arimcphail4124

2 ай бұрын

I know! I wish they would let authors stand in their own identity rather than under the most popular authors at that time. Yes there can be similarities but that can also lead to low star ratings on platforms if people get something they didn’t expect because of this

My British copy of the Three Body Problem doesn't mention aliens at all in the blurb.

@WillowTalksBooks

3 ай бұрын

Wow okay, so this is a US problem! Thanks!

I never read a back cover. I've found they either: - Spoil key aspects of the plot - Simplify the story to a point it doesn't sound good at all - Are so poorly written, you think the book is too - Say something so general, it literally doesn't tell you anything about what makes the book unique

Someone once told me I spoiled a book for them when I mentioned there is a murder in the book. The book was of the mystery thriller genre

@WillowTalksBooks

3 ай бұрын

Hahaha! Whenever I review manga, I get told I’ve spoiled everything by just giving a brief synopsis. Manga fans are built differently

I heard someone say that if a piece of art can be spoiled, it's not very good. A "journey is the destination" sort of view. Ever since I heard that, I've taken a more relaxed view on spoilers. I don't think I personally have a hard line view like that; I like to be surprised by things. But also I don't think that if I know what's going to happen it's not going to change the pleasure of the words or the plot or the characters. I get more annoyed with misplaced tone or implying something is a genre it's not.

Excellent, nuanced conversation, and particularly appreciated your firm denouncement of the third blurb ruining the reading experience. Sorry it did you - did everyone - dirty like that. 😢 I can relate to the feelings of "how can I ever trust again?"

Omg me too. I just finished “Aesthetica” and the blurb on the back really was totally wrong about what the book was about. I loved the book a lot more than the blurb made it sound like I would.

@amyschmelzer6445

3 ай бұрын

I usually find the opposite to be true about blurbs

I totally agree with you! I’d be interested in a publisher’s perspective on this, I agree I’ve been noticing it more recently than I have in the past.

I kind of like some spoilers. I love knowing what is going to happen in a story. The fun is putting the pieces together as to why it plays out that way. The secret history is a good example of it working really well.

My favorite bad blurb was on a copy of Strangers on a Train. It was a description of the movie, which differs significantly from the book in numerous ways.

@WillowTalksBooks

3 ай бұрын

Hahaha!

Fully agree. I stopped reading blurbs years ago. Sometimes I check the blurb after the fact. I've just finished a three book series (by Karen Lord), where the blurbs were: Book 1 - completely inane, Book 2 - practically a full summary of the entire plot, Book 3 - completely misleading. It also doesn't help that book 3 is longlisted for the women's prize for fiction where they don't mention that it's book 3 in a series and also gives it a description that is completely baffling and did we even read the same book? 🤪

The foreword to I Who Have Never Known Men tried to spoil the whole book! That is an afterword... I was listening to the audiobook and started it in good faith.

@amyschmelzer6445

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the headsup. I hate when forewards do that.

I feel like a blurb should be enough to give the general set up, maybe a small idea of some characters and a hook to get you in. It is confounding why you would put the ending on a book? I wouldn't be surprised if it's not the author that is writing the blurb. While I know the study around people enjoying stories more after knowing the spoilers does exist, I think we forget that most of us like to absorb media in two different ways. The journey of being surprised by twists and turns THEN going back to revisit the material to see how it all connects.

@Gen-yh1jz

3 ай бұрын

Exactly!

@amyschmelzer6445

3 ай бұрын

I fell in love with reading as a kid by reading mysteries such as Nancy Drew. I want to be a detective and figure out what’s happening when I read a book. Sometimes the clues are easy to pick out. Other times there are so many twists and turns that I don’t know which way is up. A blurb that reveals something later in the book takes away the fun for me. I started reading a 550 page historical novel for a book club last month. I read 100 pages before thinking it was safe to look at the blurb. Not a single thing in the blurb had happened yet. It was all spoilers. I tried to push on through but was annoyed and DNFed it.

I used to get so upset about spoilers in reviews. Then i realised i watch too many reviews and never remember the plots of all those books anyway😂 you are right, this is totally a "me problem"

When you mentioned knowing the historical setting might be a spoiler, it got me thinking. I'm a history buff, trying to learn about different historical periods, I occasionally know the stories chosen for movie/tv adaptations. The amount of times I spoiled a movie/show to my friends by just asking "Oh, is that where people do Y and X?" when they were telling me about it, is not small 😅

Check this out. I have the first volume in my native language - romanian. (haven't read it yet) And i have just find out that the translation is from English 😵.. Not Chinese.. Omg 😮 and yes i also hate blurbs and also some phrases on the cover of the books. (mainly for thriller books)

@WillowTalksBooks

3 ай бұрын

Woah, that’s unusual!

Out of curiosity I just looked up the Hungarian blurb for the three body problem, you would like that, it's much better. It does not mention aliens, introduces the two main characters and their initial situations and the game, and lastly mentions a big conspiracy that can endanger the life of everyone on earth and that's it.

@WillowTalksBooks

3 ай бұрын

That’s a perfect blurb! What the hell, America?

I bought Elysium after Literature Science Alliance talked it up. Angela talked about how the characters’ genders and relationships to each other change throughout the book. That intrigued me so if she spoiled it later in her videos I had already jumped out. I asked my local used bookstore to find it for me. They stuck their sticker over the blurb on the back so I didn’t bother reading it until afterwards. DON’T READ THE BLURB! The thing it mentions is revealed to the reader at the very end. It was much more enjoyable reading it trying to decipher what was going on myself. It’s a weird book and I think people who enjoy dystopian speculative fiction will like it.

You're right and you should say it 🙌 I only ever skim blurbs to get a vague idea of what a book is about, maybe even just read the first couple of lines. I feel they should really only talk about the first third, _maybe_ half of the book, but that's still not perfect. Perhaps a one- or two-sentence summary of the 'hook'. Maybe dedicated blurb-writers should be a thing. I still don't know if I prefer a blurb or a back cover with nothing but author/publication praise, though. Both often suck and are misleading. 🙃

In Germany like 80% of the books dont have blurbs anymore it's just quotes from people about how much they like the book. Very helpful 🙄

I just fiinished My Friend Natalia by Laura Lindstedt it was translated from Finnish, I think you would love it. My fav book set in China is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, it goes in great detail about foot binding and as a fellow Iron Widow lover it was very rewarding! I also have Beasts of a Little Land by Junhea Kim and it sounds quita a bit like A Woman of Pleasure exept it takes place a few years later in Japanese occupied Korea.

As an autistic with adhd person , i just cant read blurbs, cant focus on a bookshop reading anything. The way i “know” what the book is about is with videos like yours, posts about books, and the storygraph “theme, genre, and pace” categories. (At bookshops i ask people to read the blurb for me, tell me the main important topics the books seems to be about and/or if by reading the blurb if the person thinks the book is for me (if the person knows me well)).

I feel the same but what is the solution?

@WillowTalksBooks

3 ай бұрын

Dunno

you mean pre-internet clickbait?

I hate them too! It's either spoilers or over-emphasizing of minor plot points that gives me wrong expectations for the book. Both hurt my reading experiences.

I hit like as soon as I saw the title of this video. In recent years I have come across numerous blurbs that suggest the book is something entirely different to what it actually is or that actually spoil the book. Sometimes they are so bad I wonder if the publisher/blurber has actually read the book at all. I don't read them any more.

I feel with blurbs it's pretty much the same as with movie and TV show trailers. They reveal waaaaay too much and they appeal to sensationalism, as if it's assumed that the reader or media consumer is too childish to process things on their own. I get it, our attention spans are shorter now but we can still do without the deceiving, regurgitated info... 😅

The polish blurb sounds almost the same as the US one: trying to contact and suceeding are both mentioned .

I've angrily blacked out the blurbs on the back of some of the Robin Hobb books after reading them and realizing that most of the blurb describes plot points after 50% of the book. Imo, nothing on the back of the book should describe plot points that far into a book. I simply don't expect blurbs to do that and so eventually end up disappointed and dissatisfied. At the same time, I want to go into books at least a little prepared and so often still read the blurb... argh, it's so frustrating. Also very glad I didn't listen to this video while doing something else, because I really didn't want to know too much about "I Who Have Never Known Men" and "A Woman of Pleasure"

You're really smart and wise 💚

Not relevant to the content of the video, but your outfit is giving Lady Beetlejuice and I'm here for it.

@WillowTalksBooks

3 ай бұрын

Omg thank you! It’s a new dress and I am a big fan 🖤

haha the circle thing is a fair point 🎯 blurbs are made to sell in a shallow way so i would never consider you a spoilerist maybe people who are afraid of spoilers should stay away from reviews about books they haven't read yet.

That's why when I get a book, I never read the synopsis or the summary on the back or inside flap.. if I knew enough to want to read it (which is from a review) then that's enough and I don't read any further because yes they often spoil things. I will say in my reviews as well to not read the synopsis of certain books especially.

Apparently some blurbs are written by the authors in their query letters when attempting to lure literary agents. It makes sense that they need to say a little too much as they need to demonstrate that their story is worth it as they need to stand out among hundreds of others. That said, agents are very clear about not wanting big spoilers (never reveal the twist!). I wonder if blurbs are revealing too much because the publishing industry is churning out so much content that no one spends enough time writing an original and seductive blurb. Where do you stand on content warnings?

Completely agree with your frustration, I've stopped reading blurbs for the most part, or just read the first line of them

Yes the I Who Have Never Known Men one is so misleading!! I picked that book for our book club based on it, and while I LOVED it, I would not have picked it for that book club if I would have known what it actually was.

Yes! I have read good books that did not resemble the blurb, so annoying.

It is common for cover copy to be written (or at least approved) by authors themselves. Sometimes editors actually write the cover copy, but they usually base their words on an author’s initial pitch to sell the book to an agent and the publisher-a pitch that clearly worked in those circumstances and intrigued the agent and publisher enough that they asked to see the full manuscript.

So I haven't read Aftershock, but from what you're saying im not sure it spoils anything. What is says is that she realizes the only way to heal is to go there and find her mother....... But I dont think that REALIZATION is the ending of the book right? So you're left with questions. Does she go? Does she find her mother? Does she get healing from finding her mother? Etc. None of that is laid out in the blurb. I can realize I need to go and decide not to. I can go and not find my mother. I can find her and not get the closure I wanted, etc.

i have a long physical tbr so by the time i get to a certain book, i usually forget about the blurb, but i try to avoid it as much as possible

Weirdly, I rarely read blurbs on the books that I pick up. I think they work well for readers who are drawn to plots and sometimes even for readers drawn to character, but they don’t do much if the language or setting is what draws you in the most. I read the first page of the ebook sample or of the physical book in the shop or library. If I desperately want to sink into the book after reading the first page or so, it is the one for me.

I'm not from the US and my copy of the Three Body Problem has no mention of aliens at all (although I somehow already knew it is about aliens and a 'First Contact' story sort of and that is the entire reason I am interested in reading this? I don't know how that fits with this discussion about blurbs but the US blurb has kinda spoiled the entire plot for me which I definitely would not have preferred over the aliens coming as a surprise I guess..?)

5:40 I wonder how the definition or assumptions of blurb vs. synopsis has changed over time - for the publishers, the readers, and the general public. Perhaps movie and fandom trends have shifted expectations as well. Even if the author writes the original blurb, is that the version that ends up on the cover or in the publisher's retail description? A romance novelist I know here in the U.S. bemoaned how authors in mainstream publishing usually don't have any say in the cover art. How much of it is automated, stylebooks, or corporate standardization? How does it affect translations, localization, reprints, or revised editions? Does it vary by culture, region, genre, format? Plus, everyone has different, usually very precise, opinions on content notes and trigger warnings, and on how they are, or are not, shared. It would be interesting if publishers or editors posted on their websites what their processes and criteria are for cover design, blurbs, and other marketing, but I doubt that many would consider it necessary or worth their time. New viewer. Excited to be here!

I felt like the blurbs for "Convenience Store Woman" and "Earthlings" were jarringly mismatched and written by someone who either didn't read the books or dismissed the author and the books as amusingly quaint in a derogatory sense.

Oni wou be a great candidate for a remake. Modern graphics, better camera and controls.

This is off topic but I love your shirt ❤

I read the blurb before reading a book but to be honest I forget what was written by the time I start reading the book 😂 great video idea 🙌🏻

I dont even read blurbs tbh they say you shouldnt judge a book by its cover an a blurb is part of the cover. I usually just rely on booktubers for recommendations an go from there. Im currently reading "days at the morisaki bookshop" if i went off the blurb i would never picked it up

I prefer watching book recs by Youtbers whose taste is similar to mine. Blurbs are generally not helpful. If I can, I'll sit down and start reading the book. I really miss this really nice bookstore in my hometown which comfortable couches.

Blurbs are really weird I recently got into vintage sci fi and a lot of the blurbs are really vague or some times they just don’t have any it’s weird it’s really hit or miss a lot of the time when it come to blurbs in my experience

Blurbs are often referred to as ‘jacket copy’ in the US, as ‘blurb’ is used to refer to praiseworthy review quotes. Jacket copy is typically written by the author themself, adapted from the 1-2-page synopsis submitted to the publisher. Sometimes, a marketing person or editor helps to rewrite the jacket copy. Writing jacket copy is an art in and of itself. The literary analogue of the movie trailer which can go so wrong. I try to avoid both.

Yeah I’m sick of blurbs that spoil things. Also the ones that follow the traditional format because it doesn’t interest me. I want a hint at the themes but without revealing too much 😂

All your words are yea and amen to me. It seems like it shouldn’t be that hard to write a blurb that tells you something about the general tone and setup while leaving room for the vast majority of the book to be fresh. Apparently it is very hard to do that and have it be accepted by everyone with authority over the production process, though. Pfeah, I say, and meh.

Jesus Christ, are these blurbs or mini-Sparknotes? This video gives me a newfound appreciation for the US cover blurb of The Wall of Storms, the second book of The Dandelion Dynasty series, which simply says "Ken Liu is building a dynasty." I used to be annoyed by it, but maybe its useless redundancy is a good thing, actually.

I'm not the kind of reader that needs a book's plot to be surprising or twisty. A good story should be compelling, divorced from its plot. I've never heard anyone complain that they had the PLOT of, like, the movie Titanic, spoiled for them and were mad about it. OMG THE BOAT SANK! If knowing the plot makes someone mad, either they're choosing not to engage with the storytelling, or they're just in it for the jumpscares. Neither should be a reflection of the author or the reviewer (or the blurb-writers, bless their souls)

I've stopped reading blurbs the past 10 books I've read and it made the reading experience more enjoyable! There's a strange joy in going into a book blind.

I find it very bizarre, this entire counter-movement against the concept of spoilers. Why is it bad to want to experience a story with a level of surprise, of getting to experience it unfold how it’s written to be experienced? Why do we have to say “Oh, who cares about spoilers?” just because it’s easier to get spoiled now? Yes, a story should still work if you know how it ends or what happens in it. But why do we have to put up with knowing it, even if we don’t want to, just because somebody wants to be superior and tell us it shouldn’t matter? I think it matters. Why steal that experience from me? What’s gained from it? That’s what rereading and rewatching are for.

I wrote a 168k novel and then struggled to write the blurb.

One could write the publisher to let them know, you know, what they're letting people know in the blurbs is making people despise blurbs and they should cut it out.

In the first example, the blurb makes it seem like the book will be all about the main character returning to where her mother lived, and not the other way around! Grr!!!!

I’ve had to write a few blurbs. Full of cliche’s. I hated myself after each one I wrote. They are harder to write than imagined. I think some blurb writers haven’t read the book so they take the synopsis that they’re given and fashion a blurb, inadvertently giving a spoiler. Spoiling blurbs are the fault of the editor, I think.

great point about the 3 body problem blurb. the netflix series did something similar in that it revealed it way more quickly than the book did, and it was one of the things i didn't like about the adaptation.

I find the crime books especially hardcover ones just lay everything out there. What’s the point in reading it if you just read the blurb 🥲