#Book endorsements, or blurbs, work in the same way as a resume does. They let readers know that someone is vouching for the quality of your book, even if only in the form of a short one-liner blurb. These are often put on covers and in marketing posts.
- Don't jump the gun and ask for blurbs or reviews before the book is done. Make sure your final copy is polished, proofed, and edited before asking for blurbs.
- For self-published indie authors, make it clear that you have a marketing and distribution plan for your book. This will entice reviewers to take a look at your manuscript and invest their time.
- When searching for someone to write a blurb for your book, make sure it's someone in your area of interest, your genre, people who will matter to your readers. Authors of related books are excellent people to approach.
- Don't wait until you're ready to publish to reach out to reviewers. Your book needs to be done, but give your publishing schedule time to receive blurbs to use in your marketing. You can even start asking around when you're on the last steps of polishing your book. Get the interested people on board, so that once the book is ready, you can send it to them right away, and stay on your publication deadline.
- Be sure to preface each request with why you think this person would be an excellent candidate to review your book and provide a blurb. Be as personal and specific as possible. If you've met them at a conference or a lecture, remind them of it. Give them a frame of reference of who you are.
- Many reviewers don't like reading on screens, so be prepared to send them a print copy. These are called ARCs. Advanced Reader Copies of your books.
- Never pay for a blurb. You will undoubtedly get inundated by people across all social media platforms offering to review your book on all their sites, for a fee. These could add up very quickly. If you're going to pay for a review, start with a trusted source. I've used #Reedsy for reviews and have been very happy with their work. They have a flat fee, and it's very reasonable.
- Set a reasonable deadline for sending out and receiving your reviews and blurbs. Stay on top of it, but don't be a pest. Be courteous and polite when dealing with reviewers. These are valuable connections you want to hold on to.
If you have other tips that have worked for you, I'd love to hear them. Share them here with me and my readers.
