Spent more days than I planned finishing my research for the next book and didn’t have time for brunch on Sunday. So here it is, late and perhaps a bit stale but edible nevertheless.

What Blurbs Really Mean

I long ago gave up reading blurbs. They’re mostly bullshit and do little more than detract from an otherwise interesting book cover. Much as I often wonder if the person writing the book jacket synopsis actually read the book, I’ve come wonder the same about whether the person blurbing the book actually read it. What may be more likely is the blurber did indeed read the book (or throw it across the room) and wrote a blurb which was then judiciously edited.

“It’s a terrifying thought that some marketing exec in a major publishing house found this collection of crap worthy of publication. Its greatest worth would be as an incendiary device for a cold fireplace. That people might actually buy this book foretells the doom of mankind.”

Becomes:

“Terrifying! Incendiary! Foretells the Doom of Mankind!”

By way of GOB comes this article on What Blurbs Really Mean.

Gimme Your Stuff

Ever been to a swap meet? You know, those places where you take your junk and exchange it for someone else’s junk? Well, now you can do it on line at Gimme Your Stuff.

Google Hits The Literary Big Time

Well, it had to happen, right? Google is now officially a word. A verb to be exact. But of course it would be. Check out all the new words being added at Meriam-Webster.