The Blurb

Kevin Sampsell examines the popularity of book blurbs:

Say you’re a book on a bookstore shelf. A first novel perhaps, or something by a lesser-known author. According to marketing expert Dan Poynter, book buyers look at a book for an average of 23 seconds (eight for the front, fifteen for the back) before making a positive or negative decision on it.

Does it help if you have Bret Easton Ellis or Sue Grafton trumpeting your skills? What if the prospective reader hates Bret Easton Ellis?

And he brings his unique perspective to the piece: He’s both an author and a bookseller.