It's written by someone who has been in the publishing industry for over two decades with a wealth of knowledge, anecdotes and wise observations and yet somehow the writer still exudes the enthusiasm of a new recruit. Really well written and enjoyable Lots of interesting examples and the history of blurbs and titles. And full of other bookish delights. Very enjoyable. specificity is key. vague waffle, in fact most description – whether of a character or the book itself – should be avoided. I understand that the American Federal Trade Commission requires me to state that I received a free review copy from Oneworld Publications via NetGalley. However, my opinions are my own and are unbiased.

Blurb Your Enthusiasm: An A-Z of Literary Persuasion — Inside

Copywriter of hundreds of books, Wilder explores the less is more principle in writing, plus the history of publishing, gender politics in language, implications of typeface and design in different markets, how we read, cliche, punctuation, and so much more.This is a prodigious, monstrous, stupefying, indescribable book (from T S Eliot’s blurb for The White Goddess by Robert Graves)

Louise Willder | Oneworld

the spelling bee, which came out of white foundational myths !!!!!! (also rightfully calls the pilgrims the ‘mayflower colonisers’) It's clear from the outset that the author has a great deal of knowledge, having worked as a copywriter for over twenty-five years and I was impressed by just how many topics were covered in the book. She gives some examples of terrible real-life blurbs which have genuinely been used e.g. for a recent edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: "Mom's fishing for husbands - but the girls are hunting for love" and other blurbs which, in contrast, do their job perfectly: distilling the essence of the book into a few sentences while still leaving you thirsty for more.I absolutely loved Blurb Your Enthusiasm. It was a recommendation and I wasn’t sure I’d be all that keen, but it’s fascinating, laugh-out-loud funny, very perceptive and completely compelling. The ultimate book for any bookish sort, whether that is a reader, writer or collector. Written by an experienced copywriter, this non-fiction book looks in depth at such marketing tools as titles, punctuation, book covers, opening lines, swearing and - blurbs. It literarily is an A to Z of literary persuasion. Following the defeat of the Nazis in 1945, the idea took hold that Austria had been the first casualty of Hitler’s aggression when in 1938 it was incorporated into the Third Reich.’ They’re just a few words on books. But what are blurbs really doing (other than trying to twist your arm)? This book is all about those 100-or-so words that take seconds to read but can make a world of difference – and what they tell us about literary history, the art of writing, authors from George Orwell to Zadie Smith, genres from children’s fiction to bonkbusters, cover design, the dark arts of persuasion and even who we are as readers.