[Allen Tice]

A thread of general interest.

I have a book coming out soon called Of Course, from Kelsay Books that will need back-cover blurbs. My concern is elementary, you’d think, but since I’ve not done this before, I’m unsure how best to proceed with getting about three blurbs about 100 words long from people that will encourage possible purchasers to purchase Of Course, for their own. It’s highly metrical for the most part, with a lot of attention to re-establishing certain Greco-Roman meters in English. But, be that as it may, this thread is less about that book than the subject of blurb getting.

There’s a bunch of you on Eratosphere whom I know and like. And many of you, known personally or not, have had books out. Before I tap anyone directly, I throw open the question: How did you get your blurbs? What steps did you take? In what order? Did you stray from personal relationships? That is, did anyone successfully get a blurb from a “name” whom you sort of “cold called” out of a clear sky, so to speak? That is, did anyone successfully send a draft of your forthcoming manuscript to a fairly well-known poet or other writer whom you haven’t had much or any contact with at all, with the idea that your style(s) might get a positive response?

I’m a very old-fashioned guy and naive about all of this! Any advice from anyone will be appreciated. (I can include you in the dedication of my next book - not quite a joke.)