Novel - in both senses of the word - endorsements

[matt819]

We've all seen endorsements on book jackets, from other authors, book reviewers, etc. They are generally pretty meaningless, since they're all in the nature of "I'll scratch your back, and you'll pay homage." The endorser may or may not have read the book and may or may not have written the endorsement. I read the blurb and make my own decision.

What's my point? In the past couple of months I've seen one endorsement that I've not seen before. Rush Limbaugh. You got that right. Publishers have put endorsements by Rush Limbaugh on the front cover of novels. (Get it? Novel endorsement?) I've seen that twice now, and once I see it, I put the book down. I couldn't even tell you who the authors were or what the books were about. Probably political thrillers, but that endorsement alone is enough to turn me off. I know he has this 400 million dollar contract and is the most listened to comedian (thanks, KO) on radio. But I have this gut feeling that his listeners are not real big on buying novels or visiting libraries. Maybe these are marketing tests. Some books have these endorsements and some don't, and the publisher can judge from the remainders how they sell?

[BrklynLiberal]

1. If I saw a book with Limberger's endorsement, I would probably spit on it.

[Muttocracy]

2. and scrub my hands if I touched it! nt

[gateley]

3. I learned not to pay attention to other authors' rave reviews when

I read where Stephen King was telling how he had to give a review of a book that was just awful - so he said something like "What a book!".

Anyway, I'm with you - if I saw RL's endorsement, that book stays on the shelf, even if it's a favorite author.