To Blurb or Not to Blurb

As an author I greatly value blurbs for my books. A “Blurb” is a short description of a book, a review written for promotional purposes. Blurbs from other authors are valuable, but they are even more valuable if those authors write in my genre or can be viewed as subject matter experts for some reason. So, when I wrote The Orion Assignment, a thriller set in Ireland with a native Irish protagonist, I thought the blurb I got from native Irishman and crime fiction author Ken Bruencarried a lot of weight for potential readers. Beyond saying that he liked my book, it sent the message that I got the Irish characters and setting right.
And what about the subject matter expert angle. If someone requests a blurb from me because their protagonist is ex-military, or African American, or a senior citizen, are they taking advantage of me? After all, they hope my endorsement will increase sales. And is my third-party endorsement a lazy way around doing their research? Don’t they have any ex-military, or black, or older friends of their own to show their manuscript to?
Well, just because they asked me doesn’t mean they haven’t already gotten other experts or members of those groups to read their book. But maybe my voice will carry more weight than theirs. Or maybe he trusts my feedback more than theirs.
That’s a lot of maybe. But I do feel a responsibility to repay the universe for all the blurbs big-name authors have written for me. And I feel a responsibility to help other writers I respect to get their seniors, ex-soldiers and African American characters right. But it’s still me doing a favor for another author, so in general my rule is simple. It’s something I do for writers who are respected friends.