Blurb It Out

Help!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now entering what legendary NFL broadcaster Scott Hanson calls the Witching Hour, when wins become losses, and losses become wins.

In roughly two months, The Usual Channels will be tearing its way to a bookshop near you—but before it goes careening onto the shelves, I wanted to seek your opinion.

When I pitched the book to my publisher in August 2023, I wrote a synopsis of what (I thought at the time) it would be about. A few months ago, I rewrote this in the style of a blurb for the publisher’s website, Amazon and other distributors.

My question to YOU guys is—do you like it? And what should I change?

I didn’t intend this to be the book's blurb, but I might take over some aspects.

Here is the original copy as seen online:

Once, most political whips swore by a code of omertà…

‘The theory was that you never talked about what went on in the whips’ office until your dying day, as though you worked at Bletchley Park.’

… But not any more.

Decades of silence have fostered intrigue, mythology and suspicions about whips’ activities. From the benign to the integral, they continue to play a pivotal role in how Parliament functions and the lives of their fellow MPs. But while whips appear all-knowing and ever-present, are they still powerful?

Charting eccentric traditions, colourful characters and their crucial role in recent British political history, The Usual Channels pulls back the curtain on one of Westminster’s most notorious elements and explores whether whips still have the upper hand.

We can shorten/edit/tidy this up a bit (‘any more’ should be ‘anymore’ for a start!). How about:

Once, most political whips swore by a code of omertà…

‘The theory was that you never discussed what went on in the whips’ office until your dying day.’

… But not anymore.

From the benign to the integral, the whips’ office has long played a crucial role in Westminster, greasing the parliamentary machine and keeping rebellious MPs in check. But while whips appear all-knowing and ever-present, are they still all-powerful?

Charting eccentric traditions, colourful characters and cunning ploys, The Usual Channels pulls back the curtain on one of British politics’ most notorious elements — and explores whether whips still have the upper hand.

I like this shorter version with reference to ‘cunning ploys’, etc, but I feel it might not quite capture exactly what the book is about (i.e. that it charts the last fifty years of British politics through the whips’ eyes). Let’s try this (firstly, by getting rid of ‘most’ in the first sentence):

Once, political whips swore by a code of omertà…

‘The theory was that you never discussed what went on in the whips’ office until your dying day.’

… But not anymore.

The whips’ office has long played a crucial role in Westminster, greasing the parliamentary machine and keeping rebellious MPs in check. But while whips appear all-knowing and ever-present, are they still all-powerful?

The Usual Channels examines Britain’s recent turbulent political history through the whips’ eyes — and explores if they still have the upper hand.

These need tweaking. However, please vote for your favourite option, and I’ll refine your favourite over the coming days.

Also, if you have any other suggestions, please drop a comment or fire me a message!

RECOMMENDATION

I just finished Robert Harris’ latest book, Precipice, a novel tied closely to real events surrounding the affair between Prime Minister H.H. Asquith and Venetia Stanley at the start of the First World War. Drawing on his skills as a journalist, Harris has tracked down and used verbatim (increasingly desperate/excruciating) letters from Asquith to Stanley and other correspondence from the families of those involved. I really enjoyed it—accessible, gripping, informative and beautifully put together.

Thanks so much, and see you next week!

Seb x