Blurbs and Blurb (1 of 2)

 Song: Liz Story “Wedding Rain”

I saw Liz perform this live in the year 7 BA (1985).
Anne and I had snow, not rain:

The happiest I've ever been in snow.

Written to Anne and me:

“Enjoyed getting to know you both today, about 2/3 done [with Losing]. Appreciate that it's an easy read but also introduces important topics. You can look forward to follow-up questions.”

I know the general advice is to get big names to endorse your book, but do readers really think these celebrities mean what say on book covers?

On a podcast, pretty famous author and professor Paul Bloom said that getting endorsements was the worst part of writing a book. This past weekend, I saw a big-time name endorsing an obscure (and mediocre**) book as an "instant legend" and an "instant classic." Really?

Back when I was minorly (in)famous, I was asked to blub books. The conventional wisdom is that you say something nice regardless of the book because 1. You don't want to be seen as a jerk to other writers, and 2. A nice blurb makes you (the blurber) look good to anyone just browsing. Ugh.

Nick Offerman turns this on its head, with one book featuring an endorsement from God and an attack from Stalin or Hitler (I can't remember). And on Where the Deer and the Antelope Play, he has an endorsement from "A badger," and the very funny Sarah Vowell saying, "Um, no thanks." 

Also, some people don't want to put their names to what they've said about Losing My Religions because they don't want to seem to endorse all the ideas and/or they're afraid of the vegan (or climate change) mob coming after them.

**NSFW: OK, maybe less than mediocre: 

"Fin and Carol lost their virginity to each other some two decades earlier when they were both fifteen. ... When he and Carold had sex Finn felt like he was diving into the deepest, clearest water. Becoming the water. When he climaxed, he became the entire ocean."

😬😬😬😬