Recommended by Four out of Five Authors: Do Blurbs Work?

This journey to publication has been full of excitement and learning new things at every turn. One of the things I'd never given much thought to was blurbs--not the summary of the book but those little quotes from other authors that decorate the front and back of the book. So when my editor asked who I had in mind for blurbs, I was like uh...*blinks* *clueless grin*

Yeah, this is when pre-published networking comes in handy. Of course you (or your agent) can ask authors who you are a fan of but who are total strangers to you to blurb you. You may get a yes (in fact, I've gotten a few yeses that way), but you also may get a no because a) everyone's busy and b) if that author has no connection to you they may not be all that motivated to go out of their way. So if you can ask someone you've already met or established some connection with or know through a local writer's group, you're already one step ahead of the game.

This is one of the reasons I was able to get a quote from the fabulous NYT Bestselling author Shayla Black. We share an editor which helped, but Shayla's also in my local RWA group, so I'd already met her a few times. And I know how busy she is, so it's hugely generous for her to take the time out of her schedule to read my book and give me a blurb.

Another blurb I just received recently was from the super fab Jo Davis. She's in the sister chapter of my RWA group so I had never technically met her, but I had attended a workshop of hers at RWA Nationals that I found super helpful (and introduced me to her books). So when I emailed her to request the blurb, I felt  less intimidated because I was able to personalize it a bit and not be just like "you're books rock! please, please blurb me." : )

The other blurb I have is from Tiffany Reisz, who is my agency mate. Tiffany just happens to be a super nice and generous person, so we didn't have to twist her arm to give me one. : ) I'm just sad I didn't get to blurb her back (her book comes out before mine), so I have to wait until SEPTEMBER to read her debut THE SIREN. *stamps foot impatiently*

Obviously getting blurbs is a huge deal to the writer. I get all giddy and smiley every time one comes in and I find out that an author I really admire liked my story. It's like writer crack.

But here's my question: Do you think blurbs matter to the reader? When you put your reader hat on, do you give any weight to the quotes you see on the cover?

I think I usually pay attention to what the quote says because it gives me some idea about the book--"sizzling" means something different from "creepy". So it can give you a quick idea of what the tone is of the book. But I'm not sure I ever paid attention to WHO was saying those things before I became a writer.

Here are my blurbs and some of the books of the authors who were kind enough to blurb me:

"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author

“With her debut erotic romance CRASH INTO YOU, Roni Loren has penned a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more! I can’t wait for Roni Loren’s next tantalizing story!” –Jo Davis, author of I SPY A DARK OBSESSION   

"Watch out. Roni Loren, just like the men in her books, knows how to keep you up all night. Crash Into You is sexy as hell and goes into the dark places other writers shy away from. I can sum this book up in one word--Damn!" -Tiffany Reisz, Author of The Siren and Seven-Day Loan

So what do you think? Do these entice you to buy my book or do you not pay attention to blurbs? Whose on your "dream list" of authors you'd want to blurb you?

5 Surprising Things I've Learned Since I've Sold

So I've been on this post-book deal journey for the last few months and I'm definitely learning as I go along. I don't know if there is really anyway to fully prepare for this, but I thought I'd share some things that have surprised me along the way. Some of these you CAN get a jump on before that book contract is in your hands.

1. Publishers and agents really are respectful that the story is your work. 

You hear all the horror stories--the tenet that publishing is a business (it is) and that once you get into it, you lose a lot of your control (you don't). That has not been my experience. No changes have been taken out of my hands thus far. Both agent and editor edit suggestions, were just that--suggestions. If something didn't resonate with me, we could discuss it. It wasn't do this or we're done. When the editor suggested I change the title, she didn't tell me what to change it to. It was up to me to come up with titles I felt comfortable with.

2. If you're an introvert while you're "pre-published", it will bite you in the butt once you have that book contract.

Editors expect you to be building connections with other authors. They will ask you what authors YOU can approach for blurbs. Yes you. I've been lucky. The lovely and talented (and best-selling) Shayla Black, who I met through my local RWA group, very generously read my book and gave me a cover blurb (you can see it on my books page). I also received one recently from my friend and agency-mate Tiffany Reisz who will debut before me. But I'm still having to approach some authors that I admire but have never met, which is much harder (especially for an introvert like me) to do. Yes, your agent can help with some of this, but you are more likely to get yeses from people that you have already built a connection with. Start now!

3. Writing does not get any easier even when you know the book you're writing is already sold. In fact, writing on deadline just makes it all that more intense.

This is not shocking, but there it is. Writing is ALWAYS hard. Luckily, the fun always outweighs the pain in the end. : )

4. You can deduct BOOKS on your taxes when you're a writer.

Yep, among a lot of other things, because reading is part of your job as a writer. And guess what? You don't have to be published or have a book deal to do so. You can claim writer as your profession and only have make income in three out of the next five years. So that means you have two years to claim it and give yourself time to get a deal. I'm not a tax professional, but go look up the rules.

5. It really is that awesome.

Despite the stress of learning everything on the fly and writing under a deadline and all the other things that go along with the journey to debut authorhood, it still feels amazing. Every day I still have that moment where I'm like, "Holy $#!+! My books are going to be on the shelves." Nothing beats that feeling. :) So all the hard work is definitely worth it.

Okay and before I forget, the winner of the book from Ashley March's guest blog is....

THE COZY READER!!!
(Ashley will email you.)

So what have you learned in your journey so far? What has surprised you the most? Do any of the above things surprise you?