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As a former children’s editor at a major publisher, I was most surprised by the language of this announcement—specifically, that it was authors who had felt the responsibility and pressure to get blurbs. Maybe it was my company, or maybe children’s is different, but this was definitely considered part of the editor’s job. (For most of us, one of the worst parts of the job.) There were certainly authors who had connections and got their own blurbs or who wanted to do it, but most of the time, they expected their editors to ask for blurbs and were often disappointed and upset if we failed to secure them. If S&S’s announcement had said they wouldn’t use blurbs at all, I would be cheering. But if it just means it’s something that will slowly creep onto or back onto an editor’s plate, not so much. I’m so glad the conversation is happening, though!
It’s interesting you mention this, Diane, because I have a similar experience. At the nonfiction publisher I once worked at, it was the editorial team who secured blurbs, although there wasn’t any pressure on us to secure them for most titles.
And at the publisher of my current book, The University of Chicago Press, it’s the marketing team that asks and secures blurbs, although they do it entirely based on the information I give them. I’m still grateful they are the ones who ask, though!