One of the most stressful things in publishing a book is asking other authors/writers/illustrators to blurb your book (if you’re not familiar with what a blurb is, it’s those comments that typically appear on the cover, back cover, and inside first pages of a book where other writers and media types praise the book). It always feels weird/awkward to approach someone whose work you respect and then ask them to read your work and hopefully enjoy it enough to comment positively on it (not everyone agrees, and not everyone comments positively).
Anyway, we got some amazing blurbs for my new graphic memoir Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag.
The first is from Tom Hart, an amazing graphic memoirist who wrote the heartfelt, and heartbreaking NYT best-selling graphic memoir Rosalie Lightning (read this graphic memoir when you’re in need of a cathartic crying session). Tom also wrote the book The Art of the Graphic Memoir: Tell Your Story, Change your Life, which was a book that I devoured while writing my own graphic memoir, so it was amazing to hear that he would actually be reading my book and that he was willing to provide a blurb (truly, an amazing guy).
Tom’s blurb for Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag: “A charming, often hilarious look at how love is actually the worst.” It’s a short and sweet blurb and exactly what an author is looking for, it’s also the blurb that made it on the front cover of my book!
The next blurb is from Josh Neufeld an amazing writer and artist who wrote and illustrated A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, and who was the illustrator of the fantastic and NYT best-selling book The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media. (Both books are quick reads and ones that I can’t recommend enough!)
Anyway, here’s Josh’s blurb for Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag:
“Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag offers a lot to chew on — not just the carnivore/vegetarian/vegan debate, but also questions of war, speciesism, ethics, and religion. The meat of the book, though, is a star-crossed love story, and Anthony’s confident, self-aware narration, spiced with Simone’s engaging art, makes for a fulfilling meal.” It’s another excellent blurb that made it onto the back of the book.
And last, but not least, a blurb from Global Vegan Magazine, an amazing company and magazine based out of Canada, but reaching globally, to spread the word about veganism and animal rights (two themes touched upon in my book).
Global Vegan Magazine’s blurb of Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag:
“A refreshing, skillfully-illustrated novel that provoked all the ranges of emotions. Michael’s ability to write with humor quickly draws you into his personal experience as a meat-eating boyfriend learning about compassion for animals in the midst of a schemey plan. His perspective of a military veteran offers readers the opportunity to learn compassion from a different lens.” And there you have it, another great blurb that made it onto the back cover of my newest book.
I’m honored that these individuals took the time to read my work and felt strongly enough in it that they would lend their names to the blurbing and promotion of it.
If you’ve read and enjoyed any of my work before; or are someone who loves graphic novels/graphic memoirs; or are someone who loves books on veganism and animal rights (don’t need to be all three) then I think you’ll enjoy this book (and if you’re doubting it, then just reread what those blurbers had to say!)
