You did it. The poetry manuscript you’ve been working on for years won a book prize. Yesterday your new editor called to give you the news and to offer a hardy congratulations. She’s eager to dig in, to help bring your voice into the world. She gives you the lowdown, the tentative timeline, and a to-do list that includes completing a questionnaire, writing an author’s note, and suggesting would-be blurb writers. Blurbs are funny things that can cause excitement, worry, or annoyance to all involved. When deployed, they become part of the book experience and design. Some presses eschew blurbs while some authors would rather rototill a railroad than to bother. But, are blurbs an effective sales tool? Perhaps for certain markets, but I say not so much for poetry. Despite a perfectly curated blend of names, they don’t seem to move the sales needle. Still, it never hurts to shoot for the stars, so ask your heroes and favorite poets to endorse your book. If you’re lucky, you may hit paydirt. In any case, enjoy your blurbs, even if they never boost your sales. They were written for you.
—William D. Waltz, editor, Conduit Books & Ephemera