Blurbing

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Writing a short, compelling summary or endorsement for the back cover or promotional material of a book
2. Creating a brief advertising description designed to promote and entice readers to purchase or read a book
3. Composing a concise marketing blurb that highlights the appeal and content of a book to potential readers

Etymology: Gelett Burgess, an American artist, critic and humorist, coined the word "blurb" in 1907 as a joke. It appeared on the dust jacket of a book he produced for a trade association dinner, where a fictitious figure, "Miss Belinda Blurb," was pictured calling out "YES, this is a 'BLURB'!" Burgess also described her as "in the act of blurbing," which is the earliest use of the verb form here. The joke was a deliberate invention rather than a word drawn from older language, so its sense of promotional praise on a book cover was built into it from the start. Burgess's mock-advertising was aimed at the publishing world, and the word stuck because the practice it named was already common there.

Synonyms: promote, advertise, hype, plug