It's my great pleasure to host fellow author Cindy Kirk on our blog today. Cindy's one heck of a gal. She knows her way around New York City like a native and wears the most fabulous jewelry. With no further adieu, here's Cindy! - Diane Kelly
If you’re like me, when I’m shopping for a book, I read the back cover copy first. If the story idea interests me, then I move to the first two or three pages of the book. If I want to keep reading I buy the book. If I don’t really care, I put the book back on the shelf.
That’s why I was, well, disappointed last year when I read the back cover copy of my Harlequin Special Edition, The Christmas Proposition (December 2010). The editor told me they thought it might be fun to do the back cover copy to the tune of a Christmas song. I said, hey, okay, sounds cute.
I’ll only give you the first paragraph because you’ll quickly get the message:
(To The Tune of Jingle Bells)
Dashing through Jackson Hole
A handsome stranger’s come to town
He’s an ex-baseball star by trade
But a broken engagement’s got him down
EEEW….
I told my editor that if they decided to do this again, please give someone else the privilege. She said they wouldn’t be doing it again
After reading that back cover copy, I was seriously tempted to ask my editor to put something in my file (if they even have a file) that mentioned that back cover copy. Thankfully I didn’t ask because I got my first royalty statement and was VERY pleased.
But now, I’m concerned. I really like the back cover copy on my book that is on the shelves now—IF THE RING FITS (book 4 in my RX for Love mini-series)—but now I’m wondering if it’d sell better if the back cover copy was as good (wink, wink) as The Christmas Proposition.
This week tell me how much you rely on the back cover copy of a book to guide your buying decisions and I’ll enter you into a drawing to win a copy of The Christmas Proposition (with that fabulous back cover copy).
And thanks so much to my buddy Diane Kelly for inviting me to blog!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Back Cover Blurbs by Guest Blogger Cindy Kirk
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7 comments:
Welcome to K.F. Cindy!
As for your question about back cover copy, Yes it does influance quite a bit if I'm going to pruchase a book.
However, I'm a bit of an oddball. I always read the last sentence of a book as well as the back copy. Usually the last sentence is forgotten by the time I read the rest of the story, but if I don't like the ending I'm, not going to purchase the book. I hate investing what little "free" time I have on a great book only to be dissappointed by one of the main characters getting killed off or somthing of that nature at the end.
Refhater,
I can identify with reading the last sentence...or the last few pages.
I usually do that if the book isn't keeping my attention but I still want to know the ending OR if I'm stressed that the ending won't be happy and I just want to know for sure. :)
I consider cover copy to be like an ad and I always test the product by reading the first page. I can be turned off by cover copy if it doesn't sound like my type of book, but if the cover copy sounds good I still have to be taken in by the writing. I think the jingle bells thing sounds cute, but i'm a bit of a goofball and i like funny things.
I rely heavily on the back cover copy, especially if it's for an author I've never read before. If the back cover makes me groan I generally put the book back and never think about it again.
I usually read the back cover copy to decide whether to read a book.
Diane,
I like the way you think...especially considering that it would give this book another chance.
Sarah and Chey,
Oh no....this one would have never passed your test...that's for sure. I think you're fairly typical which is why I was worried.
Chey,
You're the winner of the book!!! Please email me through my website with your mailing info and I'll get the book in the mail to you!
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