I sometimes wonder where they’re coming from. There are so many, and what I’m seeing is the cliched tip of the iceberg. They come from publishing houses, or they are published by outfits that cater to the whims of those who wish to self-publish. The publishing houses publish tons (literally) of books in hopes that they will be purchased. Sometimes they print too many copies. I can tell when they’ve over published because I see numerous copies of single books by individual authors. I suppose that a bad review can ruin a publisher’s and a writer’s day.

The books of those who self-publish usually lack blurbs. The blurbs are written by those who have had good publication luck. And yes, admittedly, I pay close attention to the blurbs, and it is a deciding factor as to whether or not I’ll read a particular book. This does not ensure that what I read will keep my attention. Blurbs further promote the blurb writer’s own interest because their name is then in the eye of the public.

A case in point: A neighbor of mine, Nancy Pfieffer, went to Patagonia a few years back and upon her return she wrote a book entitled Riding into the Heart of Patagonia. A copy came our way. The book was published by a reputable press. I looked it over and noticed that one of the blurb writers was Bill McKibben, he’s a climate change activist and a reputable writer. Another was Jill Fredston, who wrote Rowing into Latitude. The latter was a predictable blurb – Fredston lives in Anchorage and knows Nancy. The blurb was a favor.

And so I thought that since this book had good credentials that it would be a good read. The writer based her accounts on what she’d written in her journals. Salient details were therefore omitted, and characters were not at all well developed. It was an I did this and then I did that sort of book.

She met the man of her dreams back in Alaska, and he accompanied her to Patagonia. No mention was made of him in the text.

Most books with book blurbs are pretty good. This one was an exception. Now I wonder what I would have said, had I been asked to write a blurb for Riding into the Heart of Patagonia. It would have been a tough call because we all need the publicity. But in this case, a good blurb would have been dishonest.

And I won’t ask this writer to write a blurb for my next book.

Next: 71. 3/13/24: All Good Titles Now Gone