Under the Cover: The Creation, Production, and Reception of a Novel

“This is a fucking AWESOME book!” Ayelet Waldman offered as a blurb for the book jacket of Cynthia Nixon’s novel Jarrettsville, the central subject of Under the Cover. The publishers at Counterpoint Press recognized this as an unserious quote, ultimately using Waldman’s more conventional, but equally effusive, blurb for the cover. Waldman’s two quotes did important, but distinct, work for Counterpoint. The blurb Counterpoint used on the cover positioned the book for audiences, as Waldman’s reputation in the name economy legitimated Jarrettsville as “literary.” Waldman’s unusable quote did just as important work. It offered to Counterpoint yet another indication of the enthusiasm they might expect from literary peers and reviewers. Given Counterpoint’s razor-thin profit margins, this blurb affirmed the staff’s enthusiasm for Jarrettsville, facilitating the consequential decisions they had to make in advance of the book’s launch. When the market is unpredictable, small indicators like this go a long way in giving Counterpoint confidence in their decisions.