Bookshelves at A Novel Idea Book Shop in the Middle Fork Café, Willmar, MN. Inset: Miss Belinda Blurb, fictional namesake of the blurbing tradition in the publishing industry. I will be signing books at Middle Fork Café 10 am-noon Saturday, Dec. 6.
With three to four million new books published each year in the U.S. (no one really knows for sure), how do you narrow that down to a handful that you might want to read, or give as gifts? Narrow that down to fiction-only and you’re still looking at around 11 percent of the total, or up to 440,000.
You are browsing among the shelves at a bookstore, overwhelmed by the vast array of books and their dramatically designed covers. Taking one from the shelf, what is one of the first things you look at? For many prospective readers it’s the back cover, the so-called “blurbs” that you hope will help you decide whether or not the book is worth your time and money.
My interest in the matter of blurbs landed on a Nov. 23 story in the Minnesota Star Tribune. Interim books editor Chris Hewitt writes: “When book lovers grabbed William Kent Krueger’s early novels because of Lee Child’s praise on the cover — ‘Krueger hits the sweet spot every time’ — there was just one issue: Child hadn’t read the books.”
So begins Hewitt’s story entitled: Book cover blurbs: Can they be trusted? It’s a good idea to read with a skeptical eye author praise of another’s work. “Writing glowing praise for the cover of a book, or ‘blurbing,’ is common practice in the publishing industry…. blurbing helps create a ‘literary ecosystem that often rewards connections over talent’. That struggle is real, says Krueger — who, for the record, says he only blurbs books he has read.”
Miss Belinda Blurb
Not only should blurbs be authentic, they should also have another, more literary and less clunky name. A little research explains its origin. At the 1907 annual dinner of the American Booksellers’ Association, humorist Gelett Burgess is credited with creating the term and its use.
Merriam-Webster says, “Burgess prepared a mock jacket of his latest book Are You A Bromide?, featuring a doctored picture of a woman that he had lifted from a dental advertisement. The woman was dubbed ‘Miss Belinda Blurb’, and she was shown in the picture as calling out a ‘blurb,’ indicated by the caption ‘Miss Belinda Blurb in the act of blurbing’.
“Seven years later, Burgess officially defines the word that he had coined in his eponymous Burgess Unabridged: A New Dictionary of Words You Have Always Needed.
“Blurb, n. 1. A flamboyant advertisement; an inspired testimonial. 2. Fulsome praise; a sound like a publisher. “Blurb, v. To flatter from interested motives; to compliment oneself.
Two blurbs
After learning all that, I am less concerned about recruiting some literary notable to write blurbs for my novels. Although, if the opportunity came along I would have to reconsider. And I confess to reaching out once to a big name seeking such. More on that below.
I have written blurbs for books by two other authors; I actually read the books. One was referred to in last week’s post, “Go with the flow.” It helped sell at least one copy of For Love of a River – The Minnesota. A friend said he bought a copy when he saw my blurb on the back cover.
My other blurb appears on the back cover of a novel written by Dana Yost, author friend and former newspaper colleague. Before I Get Old is inspired by the life of his grandfather, who after youthful adventures, returns to family and farm in western Minnesota.
After reading a pre-publication draft and even providing some constructive feedback, I was sincere about blurbing, “The story is memorable and the prose a pleasure to read, at times like poetry that you want to read and re-read, savoring the words and feelings they evoke.” Dana’s primary literary sphere is poetry. More information can be found here: https://danayostwriter.wordpress.com/.
Begging for a blurb
In a desperate attempt to connect with an agent or publisher, or secure a major blurb for my fourth novel, Beyond All That Matters, I reached out by letter and email to a nationally known author and scientist. I included one of my Substack posts that referred to his books. “I reached out with the slim hope that you might be interested in my fourth novel in which the plot includes quantum physics in a nexus of faith and science.”
Upon seeing my message, he responded, “It was great to meet you at ….., and I love this posting – and not just because you highlighted my two books, but because of the thoughtful content.” He believed that he was responding to someone else that he knew, and with a name similar to mine. I replied, apologizing for the mix-up and promising to keep the exchange confidential (well, mostly).
His reply showed the grace and humor with which he has met major and contentious national issues: “Thanks for your note, and my apologies for the mix up. I guess you could say I got lost in the Forrests.” I will treasure his comments, even if not directly related to me, more than any back cover blurb.
Better in person
In judging books and trying to decide what to read, one form of communication far exceeds reviews, blurbs, and even input from trusted friends. You can meet authors in person at various book fairs and festivals.
Over the past several years I have set up shop at about 10 book festivals. I didn’t sell many books, but I enjoyed meeting readers. In one case a man stopped at my table with the usual opening question, ‘so what’s this book about?’ After doing my best to tell him, he smiled and said, ‘you sold me’, and bought a copy.
If you’ve read this far I am obliged to announce other opportunities to meet the author. From 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Dec. 6, I will have my four novels at Middle Fork Café, 309 Lakeland Dr. SE, Willmar, MN. There you will also find many good novels on the shelves offered by Nicole Twedt’s A Novel Idea Book Shop.
Jan. 17, 2026, Dana Yost and I plan to be in Marshall, MN for talks and book signings 1 to 3 p.m. at the Lyon County Library. In the morning 10 a.m.-noon I may be at the at the Marshall Area Fine Arts Center. At these events I hope to do better than when I attended the Des Moines book festival several years ago and sold one book. At least now there will be much less driving mileage.
Since she purchased the book shop in October 2022, Nicole has done a great job with well-organized shelves laden with about 2,500 quality books, most slightly used and all relatively inexpensive. The total is about 3,500 including books at Middle Fork Café’s location in Prinsburg, MN, and at Nicole’s hair salon, Hair Stories.
I asked Nicole how she chooses her inventory. “It’s really best guess as to what people will enjoy reading,” she said. “I’m fairly knowledgeable about what’s trending so I look for those specifically, then do my best to make an educated guess for the rest. As long as I choose a variety, there’s something for everyone.”
