A Writer's Tale

It can destroy an author’s career.

Except in a few cases of bestselling authors whose names are enough to sell anything they write, the cover of a book usually means the difference between a hit and a flop. Even with such stars, however, the quality of the cover has an impact on sales.

If readers are browsing, looking for a new experience rather than going straight to books by familiar authors, their first sight of every book will take in nothing more than its title and cover art. If a certain book catches their eyes because of those elements, then they might pull it off the shelf for a closer look.

As for the title, it might be the work of the author. Every novel is submitted with a title.

Maybe half the time, however, the publisher decides to change it. They don’t like the author’s choice in naming his book, so they come up with a “better” one.

The author might not like the new title, but the publisher has the final say in the matter. If he doesn’t like it, he can lump it.

As for the cover design and illustration, the writer usually has no input at all. Every decision is made by the publisher. The writer’s first look at the cover comes after it has been printed.

So the title and cover illustration, the two elements that first draw the eyes of browsers, are out of the author’s control.

What about the browsers’ next step on the path to purchase?

After pulling the book off the shelf, they usually read whatever is written on the front cover. Aside from the title and the author’s name (which they’ve never heard of), there is usually a brief descriptive passage about the book. Something like, “When the horror won’t stay on the movie screen,” or “Come to the carnival of death for a screaming good time!” or “The dead are rising to live and lust again!” Who writes this material? Not the author.

What else is on the front cover?

Maybe nothing, or maybe a quote that praises the book. Maybe even a couple of quotes.

We call them “blurbs” or “endorsements.”

Sometimes, they are phrases plucked from a published review.

Other times, they come from authors who are recognized in the field. Sometimes, they are fake.

My old agent, Jay Garon, was not above making up endorsements and saying they were given by one of his famous clients. ‘“Laymon writes with a typewriter ribbon soaked in cold blood’ Burt Hirschfeld, author of Fire Island.” Nope, Jay Garon. When I found out about the deception, I questioned Mr. Hirschfeld. He said it was okay with him. But he hadn’t read The Cellar and he hadn’t given the quote.

Mendacity.

If you look behind the scenes, you’ll find that a lot of quotes come from writers who share the same agent or publisher as the author whose book gets a favorable blurb. Often, too, the creator of the quote is a friend of the author who is on the receiving end. I even know of instances in which an author provided his own endorsements, penning them under a nom de plume.

(Telling tales out of school, the real question ain’t who wrote the blurb, it’s who wrote the book. Plenty of major bestselling books are not being written by the person whose name appears as the author. Fraud, if you ask me. But that’s another story, and I don’t want to get into it here. If I dealt with it, I’d get my butt sued from fifteen different sides.) Back to cover endorsements.

If I am asked for an endorsement by a friend or by my own agent or publisher, it’s great if I like the book. But sometimes I don’t. This creates a moral dilemma. Should I be a stand-up guy and give the book a good quote? If I do that, I’m saying to my fans, “Richard Laymon recommends this book.” I hate to do that if I think the book stinks.

I’ve gone both ways on the issue. If I decide to cave in, however, I’ll make sure to write something mundane and noncommital. Like, “What a book!”

In other words, my business or personal relationships prevent me from being honest.

Every author probably faces the same problem. No doubt, plenty of them end up saying nice things about books they can’t stand.

Publishers put huge amounts of faith in blurbs. Quotes from Stephen King or Dean Koontz are especially treasured. (Even though, when they get such quotes, they sometimes forget to use them.)

Browsers, however, should not put too much faith in cover blurbs.

I’m sure a lot of quotes are perfectly legitimate. Publishers often send bound galleys of upcoming books to various authors and reviewers, asking for endorsements. This practice can bring in useful comments from people who are unbiased.

I am sometimes sent proofs and requests for quotes, myself.

Strangely enough, I have sometimes been asked for quotes by publishers who refuse to buy my books!

Where is the logic in that?

They don’t think I’m good enough to publish, but they obviously believe my name will help the sales of some other writer’s horror novel.

Give me a break.

I don’t give them quotes.

Let us now return our attention to the bookstore browsers.