Friday, February 17, 2012

New ways of writing about books

In which blurb writing - that fine tradition of the publishing industry worldwide - skyrockets to new depths. The invitation card for the launch of Anupam Kher's book The Best Thing About You is You! includes the following note of approbation by India's leading literary celeb of the past month:
"What a powerful title. I believe it."
- Oprah Winfrey
I love the mental picture this blurb conjures of Oprah being led through the publisher's warehouse and handed sundry book covers which she studies intently before pronouncing judgement for generations of readers to come. I also like the Khushwant Singh blurb just below hers (and look forward to his full review, which will no doubt be a chatty account of how he knew Anupam Kher's grandfather in Lahore in 1925).

13 comments:

  1. Jai: Is it something that the author has a control over? As in, if some of the blurbs are obvious, cheap gimmicks, can the author put his foot down and refuse to let the jacket be tarnished by these?

    Or is it so that the publisher has his way?

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  2. Rantings: varies from case to case, I think - possibly depending on such factors as the author's overall standing and relationship with the publisher etc.

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  3. I think "a disillusioned soul can seek inspiration from this book" is the best of the lot

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  4. Love this one! Oprah approves of the title!!! And Khushwant Singh talks about another side to him. And IBN is implying that the book is no miracle (?). Meanwhile, I am a disillusioned soul so I shall seek inspiration from here...thank you HT!

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  5. "skyrockets to new depths" - very well put

    - Sharat

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  6. ha ha ha good one Jai. My favourite one is Konkana Sensharma's quote on the backcover of a dvd of a film made by Aparna Sen saying how great the film is. Bunch of liars that's all they are

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  7. Bunch of liars that's all they are

    Pessimist Fool: I think that's being harsh. It's entirely possible that Konkana Sensharma really did feel it was a great film (and I'm fairly sure Oprah really did approve of this book's title). The real issue is whether these quotes should have been included at all.

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  8. @ Jai - a slightly unrelated story on this...

    I came across Mary Roy's (Arundhati Roy's mother) interview after The God of Small Things was published. And what a book it was! Anyway that apart. The interviewer asked her about her opinion on the book. She very clearly said since she is my daughter, my opinion will not be objective. Such dignity man. The interviewer asked her the same question thrice. She didn't say anything at all.

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  9. Pessimist Fool: well, a more cynical interpretation of that incident (and I know people in literary circles who see it this way) is that she wanted to stay quiet because she had some negative feelings about the book's content and didn't want to air them in public!

    Overall point taken, of course: I was just objecting to your hyper-dramatic comment "bunch of liars that's all they are". The blurb-writing industry, tiresome though I personally find it, shouldn't be dismissed in such a reductive way.

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  10. I should add that I'm a little sensitive to such sweeping statements because I know many people who use lines like "bunch of liars" to describe any reviewer whose views they happen to disagree with.

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  11. I was once asked to write such a blurb... as a "commoner" perspective of a blog novel turned in to a book. I was too scared to do that and rejected eventually :P

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  12. ha ha ha ha ha lol...i find that cynical interpretation of Mary Roy's comment very interesting. And it might have been true of course. The protagonist of the novel says, "My mother died at 30. She was not too young, she was not too old. Perhaps the perfect die-able age" :P

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  13. Wonder how many people buy books based on blurbs.

    It would be interesting if the blurb industry were to give stars to books (akin to film reviews) in the blurbs.This would make the blurb writer think twice before giving meaningless blurbs.

    For example, would the Oprah Winfrey blurb say "I love the title" 4/5 Stars

    I think not.

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