“Allow Me.” “No, Allow Me!”

An interesting article by Rachel Donadio will appear in tomorrow’s New York Times Book Review, on the practice of blurbing — that is, authors (generally best-selling ones who, as the saying goes, Need No Introduction) providing capsule reviews to appear on the back covers and jacket flaps of books by authors who, well, generally need every introduction they can get.

Specifically, the article covers the work of a new company called Blurbings LLC. From their site’s About page:

Traditionally, when a publishing company needed blurbs for a book, they sent galleys in the mail to prospective authors and then waited, usually for months, for the blurbs.

Blurbings LLC is committed to expediting the blurbing process. Most blurbs purchased through our site are delivered within 25 days.

Normally, a blurb will cost an author and/or publisher $14-23, which includes printing of the galleys, packaging and mailing fees. The standard 30–50 blurbs expected per book can range from $420 to $1,150. It is also very time consuming researching and contacting prospective authors as well as conducting follow-ups during the duration of the process.

We offer guaranteed blurbs for a fraction of the cost and eliminate the hassle of finding prospective authors. We limit the amount of paper used for printing and sending galleys thus helping publishers and authors save thousands of trees per year. Blurbings LLC will also plant a tree for every Seeker Package ordered through Blurbings.com.

Right: you actually buy the blurbs. And it’s a bargain indeed, compared to the above prices. They offer two main packages for parties interested in obtaining their blurbs: Basic ($19.95 for ten blurbs) and Standard ($29.95 for thirty). Additional blurbs beyond the numbers available through those packages are $1.49 (presumably apiece).

So yeah, a bargain, right?

But I’m scratching my head here because… uh… isn’t this a little tacky at best? predatory, at worst? It seems tailored for desperate, insecure authors, and I don’t mean to imply that they shouldn’t have such a service available to them. But manifesting your desperation and insecurity doesn’t strike me as a path to best-sellerdom.

And yes, true, the Blurbings service isn’t meant just for authors but for publishers, too — to expedite (as the text says) “the blurbing process.” (Process. Who knew there was a process for this???) I hope publishers come to use it more than authors, but I’m not sure the Blurbings sales pitch is pitching to them.

For instance, notice at the Blurbings site the three icons across the bottom (clickable there, not here):

Setting aside the eBook Service (different topic!), Blurb Seeker is of course the main service and the one which Blurbings will actually sell. Blurb Writer costs the Blurbings client 99 cents for each book s/he decides to blurb. In exchange, they get to:

…[r]each a multitude of new readers by promoting your name and book title on other authors’ books, websites and profiles. Blurbs are a successful word of mouth promotional tool used by most authors to help generate interest. However, writing blurbs also puts a spotlight on the blurb writer.

If you choose to write one blurb per week for a year, you can generate continuous exposure on over 50 different books, websites and profiles. It is a great promotional tool for authors seeking long-term promotion.

As you can see, it’s unlikely the “Writer” service will receive much attention from potential clients among the publishing industry.

You might be wondering whose blurbs you might be paying for, and how good their blurbs will be. The Blurbings site provides two samples:

Pax Authentica by Geoffrey Greer

“Will humanity, in some abstract sense, survive the extinction of flesh and blood? And will social evolution stay a pace ahead of the inevitable deterioration brought by universal enthalpy? Pax Athenica is a worthy exploration of themes left unexamined by the Terminator films–or perhaps left on the floor of the editing room. And at its best, Pax makes us feel the bonds and emotions that develop between these mechanical–but not inhuman–characters.”

(by W. Town Andrews, Jr., author of The Art of Hanging)

A Man of His Word by Melvin Williams

“Part poetry collection and part self-help book, Mr. Williams blends poetry and instructions to live a better life into a breathtakingly wonderful volume. Insightful and inspiring, this book is a joy and blessing to read.”

(by A. Jarrell Hayes, author of Heart and Soul of a Thinker)

Information on both the blurbing authors and their work is readily available around the Web.

Ah, well. The Times article is interesting, anyhow, for the information about how authors themselves, as well as publishers and publicists, feel about blurbs — both getting and giving them.

Update, 8/21/2008: The Blurbings LLC site now includes a Media page with links to coverage of the new service(s):

The Blurbings Debate:

Some think Blurbings.com is useful and others think it’s useless. Articles and Blogs are popping up everywhere with strong opinions and feelings about Blurbings.

Smart, head-’em-off-at-the-pass move. Good for Blurbings for acknowledging both sides (even though the tide of online opinion doesn’t seem at the moment to be running in their favor).