Comments on I Am Excited About: 18-August-08

I'm keen to hear your impressions of the story. I...

2008-08-24T10:11:00.000+10:00

I'm keen to hear your impressions of the story. I thought it was lovely (and, as a writer, familiar and a little worrying).

lunchtime reading will James be: thanks Damon.

2008-08-19T08:19:00.000+10:00

lunchtime reading will James be: thanks Damon.

John Armstrong gave me a very generous, accurate b...

2008-08-19T07:56:00.000+10:00

John Armstrong gave me a very generous, accurate blurb - really spot on.

As for blurbing others, I'm not important enough to be asked! But, yes, you're right: it'd depend on who and what - as much for the author's sake as my own. I don't think a lacklustre, lukewarm blurb is helpful.

Whenever I think of blurbs and prefaces, I think of Henry James' 'The Velvet Glove'. Do you know it?

http://www.henryjames.org.uk/velvet/home.htm

There are some amazing agents out there - if an au...

2008-08-19T07:39:00.000+10:00

There are some amazing agents out there - if an author loves their agent, i take that as a good sign. Who blurbed you, Damon? Do you have a rule on blurbing - do you do them or does it depend on who/what?

As back-scratching, incestuous and contrived as th...

2008-08-18T20:26:00.000+10:00

As back-scratching, incestuous and contrived as they might be, I think blurbs are useful. If anything, they're a telling mark of pretence - they show what semblance the book aspires to.

As for agents, I'm happily, ignorantly undecided. I suspect they're as homogeneous as authors - and their uselessness is equally variable.