Riveting!’: The Quandary of the Book Blurb

Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

“A Faulkner for our time!” “Can’t put it down!” “An up-all-night thriller!” At some point, you have to wonder: if so many books are being commended, are they all commendable? It’s the perennial question of whether the blurbs on book covers are still meaningful or have become just background noise. After all, Kindle Singles are doing just fine without covers — and cover blurbs.

Do book blurbs serve readers? Do they help writers?

Read the answers at The New York Times. And the views of novelists, and editor, and an agent.