Hi, Dr. Kelvinstein . . . .
This is a perfectly legitimate question, and I understand completely why you'd question such a thing. Maybe I can shed a little light on the subject, as Brian Keene (author of THE RISING) is a good friend of mine. Also, at the risk of sounding like I'm trying to toss out a bit of shameless self-promotion, it just so happens that Leisure will be releasing one of my own novels (MIDNIGHT RAIN) in August of this year (through their thriller line -- it's not horror).
A lot of times it can be years before these books finally see publication (in the case of Leisure's horror line, it's usually 1 to 2 years on the average, from what I can tell). I can't speak for every Leisure author, of course, but I know that Brian originally sold THE RISING to them way back around early 2003, if not late 2002. Before that, he had been working on it for a while, and I understand that Richard Laymon (R.I.P.) gave him a lot of advice on the first draft or two. Also, you'll notice that more often than not a blurb -- what I call a "generic" blurb -- will not specifically praise a certain title, but the author's talent itself. Case in point: a general "L.P. Hovercraft is one hell of a writer, a worthy successor to the throne of Stephen King!" quote is far more valuable, IMO, than something like "HORROR FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE is one of the best horror novels I've ever read!" 'Cause the former can be used again and again and again on subsequent books written by that particular author. :)
Obviously Richard Laymon was kind enough to give a few ("generic") blurbs like that to up-and-coming writers, based upon their early work he'd read and enjoyed before he passed away.
Does any of this make sense at all? Looking back over it, I'm not so sure. But I've explained it the best I know how. I hope it doesn't sound smart-ass, just trying to help out.
Take care, man, and "stay dark,"
James Newman
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html