You’re not crazy. The blurb industrial complex has gone into overdrive in the last few years and part of every book’s publicity plan is getting upwards of ten new blurbs if possible. This has meant pressure not only for those who ask for blurbage, but those who get asked. The tide may be turning but the pressure is still there. In my 15-year career I have accrued 10 pages of pull quotes, written by reviewers I don’t know from major publications around the world. Some of them are even complimentary. I also already have blurbs from absolute giants of both literature and the bestseller list, and I went through Preston Sturges–levels of striving and screwball comedy to get to them.
But there’ll always be the request: Nah, we’re going to need blurbs that mention this new book specifically.
So then I’m off to talk to the only people as awkward as I am: other writers. The sad thing is the quest for my own blurbs has started to take up the emotional space that I used for something I genuinely loved doing: writing blurbs for other people.
For me that’s part of the bargain of this art form. After all, those aforementioned giants helped me out with a few donated adjectives and that means I should use whatever clout I have to help my own friends, former students, or strangers. (And yes, in that order.) Yet the frenzy of the last few years has transformed this rite of passage into something like a desperate Kabuki play.
Here’s how to ask for a blurb in 2026 and make it a little less cringe for everyone involved.
Wait until the writer is little a less famous
By this I mean fame is seasonal, especially for writers. For two months every couple of years my photo and book covers get around and pop up on your social media and without a doubt this is when I get the most blurb requests. Think about it. This is right at the moment I’m most exhausted and frantic and wondering if my book child will live or not. Not only that, your blurb request is sitting beside “I saw you on TV” emails from second cousins.
The sweet spot for asking is six months after an author’s book publication date. Trust me, we’re in a whole different mindset by then. Desperate for contact and validation, we just want to know that someone remembers our name.
Have your editor or agent ask
I don’t know why, but having the request come through an intermediary makes my response so much easier to write and I tend to be clearer about whether I’ll be able to look at a book or not. The personal touch is always nice—see below—but there’s something about professional distance that can’t be discounted. Also, it’s your agent and editor’s job to support you.
Be nice
Write a fan letter. And do not use AI; we really can tell. I don’t expect someone to have read every book, but if you can say something nice, it’s never not pleasant. And it would make me want to reciprocate.
Until it’s time to not be nice
Look in the mirror. We fell into this weird career because we were good at being alone, easily distractible, and dreamy. It’s a little frenetic just doing creative brain work and most of us don’t get our daily tasks done without many sticky notes and To Do lists scattered everywhere. These reminders and deadlines are really, really necessary.
Hi, I know you’re really busy, but it would mean so much to me if you still have time to add a few words of support for my book. My editor has said she’d like me to have blurbs by TK DATE.
Now I have something I can write on my calendar and you will likely get a blurb. Do they actually help? I’ve appreciated every blurb I’ve received and kept them on my website for years. I know a couple of them have opened doors, but at the end of the day it’s the writing that matters, not the adjectives.