Bookish Hogwash: Book Crimes | Spoilers in Blurbs

So you're looking for a new book (again). You search Goodreads/Chapters/Barnes & Nobles/Something book-related for the next buy, and something catches your eye. The cover's attractive, so you flip it open to the inside flap where you'll find the blurb. Reading...reading...reading...  it seems pretty good so far.

But then.

Right there, in the third paragraph, second sentence, five words and a comma in: A SPOILER.

Now, let me tell you something real quick. I like blurbs. They give me a nice sense of what the story's going to be about, and can get me hooked right away if done right. A juicy blurb is one of two things to get your reader to pick up a book (the first being the cover, obviously. No one really believes the "don't judge a book by it's cover" nonsense. And if you do, stop lying to yourself.), and for many of us it's probably the first piece of the book we'll read. And because it's the first thing you read from a book, it's a universal rule to not put spoilers in your blurb.

I guess some people just didn't get the memo.

I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I know I've encountered my fair share of books at stores that gave away some pretty key points in the blurb. THE BLURB. Like, really? Might as well just chop off that section of the book because we've already read it. IN THE FREAKIN' BLURB.

When there's spoilers in a blurb it makes me not want to read the book anymore, especially if it's a really big plot point or if it's a book I really wanted to read. That tiny sentence took out all the fun in the discovery (shame on you), so I put it down and wait till I forget about it.

This crime is more common with books in a series that aren't the first book (which would totally be your fault for getting a spoiler), but I have encountered such books. It frustrates me to no end.

AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS, if you are reading this, I have four words for you:

No. Spoilers. In. Blurbs.

PLEASE.

(Oh. That's five words.)

What about you? What is your opinion on blurbs that contain spoilers? Share your thoughts!

ABOUT CLAUDIA
A fourteen-year-old girl who loves to read and vastly prefers books over people. I'm big on doodling so if you ever visit my house, chances are you'll find paper everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

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