3 ms·

Private Eye periodically reports on "log rolling" in book reviews - where an author approached by a journalist will recommend books with the same publisher, or

Private Eye periodically reports on "log rolling" in book reviews - where an author approached by a journalist will recommend books with the same publisher, or the same publicist, or the same agent. So I wouldn't be surprised if one found a similar pattern across the entire publishing industry.

ilamont 5y ago
The American magazine Spy used to do this as well back in the 80s, with a monthly column called "Log rolling in our time" calling out authors writing blurbs for each other.
Finnucane 5y ago
Having been through this as an editor, there is an issue where, for instance, how do you get blurbs for a book? You ask people the author knows, people you know, people your colleagues know, if you can thumb-wrestle an address out of them, etc. There's a chain. On the other end, any moderately-successful author is getting a lot of such requests, so they're going to filter in reverse.
- freddyym 5y ago
  A large portion of blurb quotes come from people who haven't read the book... [0] 0 https://www.the-fence.com/issues/issue-9/in-the-beginning-was-the-blurb https://www.the-fence.com/issues/issue-9/in-the-beginning-wa...
- 21723 5y ago
  Semi-troll, semi-serious question. What keeps people from getting blurbs from people with common names that also belong to famous authors--such as Stephen King? I can't imagine it's illegal to get a blurb from Stephen A. King, schoolteacher in Idaho, and use it sans middle initial. So why aren't more people doing it? It may be Saul Goodman-esque, but if blurbs actually drive sales, it makes sense.
  - not2b 5y ago
    Except that when you're found out (generic "you", not the author of the comment), you are disgraced: everyone soon knows that you're a fraud. And social media will expose this kind of fraud very quickly. Doesn't matter if it's legal: the Internet then identifies you as the idiot who tried to pass off a schoolteacher in Idaho as the famous Stephen King. That will tank a career.
    - 21723 5y ago
      Yeah, it'd be a bad look for a self-publisher, but it seems like traditional publishing has enough indirection that it could work... and compared to the sausage-making that drives "book buzz" it's relatively mild.
      - not2b 5y ago
        For traditional publishing the publisher is a suit magnet; Stephen King's lawyers would have a field day. Bette Midler won big damages against Ford when they asked her to endorse a product, she turned them down, so they hired an impersonator: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-24-ca-4461-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-24-ca-4461-s... You really don't want to try this kind of fakery, it could be costly if you have assets to go after.
      - DiggyJohnson 5y ago
        I don't think misrepresenting others and premeditated lying for personal gain are at all "relatively mild". Just because the scope of the lie is relatively small and unlikely to cause significant damages, doesn't do enough to counter the extreme brazenness and tastelessness of this.
  - ipaddr 5y ago
    Usually books include a bit about the author.

ilamont 5y ago

The American magazine Spy used to do this as well back in the 80s, with a monthly column called "Log rolling in our time" calling out authors writing blurbs for each other.

Finnucane 5y ago

Having been through this as an editor, there is an issue where, for instance, how do you get blurbs for a book? You ask people the author knows, people you know, people your colleagues know, if you can thumb-wrestle an address out of them, etc. There's a chain. On the other end, any moderately-successful author is getting a lot of such requests, so they're going to filter in reverse.

freddyym 5y ago
A large portion of blurb quotes come from people who haven't read the book... [0] 0 https://www.the-fence.com/issues/issue-9/in-the-beginning-was-the-blurb https://www.the-fence.com/issues/issue-9/in-the-beginning-wa...
21723 5y ago
Semi-troll, semi-serious question. What keeps people from getting blurbs from people with common names that also belong to famous authors--such as Stephen King? I can't imagine it's illegal to get a blurb from Stephen A. King, schoolteacher in Idaho, and use it sans middle initial. So why aren't more people doing it? It may be Saul Goodman-esque, but if blurbs actually drive sales, it makes sense.
- not2b 5y ago
  Except that when you're found out (generic "you", not the author of the comment), you are disgraced: everyone soon knows that you're a fraud. And social media will expose this kind of fraud very quickly. Doesn't matter if it's legal: the Internet then identifies you as the idiot who tried to pass off a schoolteacher in Idaho as the famous Stephen King. That will tank a career.
  - 21723 5y ago
    Yeah, it'd be a bad look for a self-publisher, but it seems like traditional publishing has enough indirection that it could work... and compared to the sausage-making that drives "book buzz" it's relatively mild.
    - not2b 5y ago
      For traditional publishing the publisher is a suit magnet; Stephen King's lawyers would have a field day. Bette Midler won big damages against Ford when they asked her to endorse a product, she turned them down, so they hired an impersonator: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-24-ca-4461-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-24-ca-4461-s... You really don't want to try this kind of fakery, it could be costly if you have assets to go after.
    - DiggyJohnson 5y ago
      I don't think misrepresenting others and premeditated lying for personal gain are at all "relatively mild". Just because the scope of the lie is relatively small and unlikely to cause significant damages, doesn't do enough to counter the extreme brazenness and tastelessness of this.
- ipaddr 5y ago
  Usually books include a bit about the author.