You’ve seen them on the front and back covers of books. Those one- or two-line quotes from someone famous. Sometimes, there is an entire page or two of endorsements in the front before the title page containing praise for the author and the book. You’ll also see them on Amazon in the editorial review section. Why do authors go to the trouble of asking other people to endorse their work? It can be nerve wracking, as well as time consuming to ask for an endorsement.
Chances are there are hundreds or thousands of books published in the same field of expertise as your book. If you’re a first-time author, endorsements are one of the reasons a reader may choose to take a chance on buying your book. Along with the book title and the back cover copy, endorsements are a way for the potential buyer to answer the questions “Will this book help me?” and “Is this author someone who knows what they’re talking about?”
Endorsements are a form of third-party proof. Instead of you bragging about how wonderful your book is, other people are doing that for you. People want to trust your book will deliver on its promise before they buy and someone they already feel is credible can help them feel more comfortable about purchasing from you.
Here’s a book endorsement one of my clients, Katrece Nolen secured:
“As an organization serving women facing a breast cancer diagnosis, we found this book to be full of practical advice and valuable tips for patients. This resource candidly and openly shares the author’s lessons gained through her personal journey with her diagnosis and treatment. Her true desire to support other women along this path shines through.” Step Sisters – www.StepSisters.org
In her book, I’ve Been Diagnosed, Now What? Courageously Fighting Cancer in the Face of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, Ms. Nolen shares her personal journey as a cancer survivor and offers resources for other newly diagnosed patients. StepSister.org is a well-known cancer support organization. You can see how their endorsement confirms the book as a serious resource.
Here’s an excerpt from an endorsement for another client, Rashid Nuri’s book Growing Out Loud: Journey of a Food Revolutionary:
“Nuri’s Growing Out Loud takes us on his journey and reshapes our thoughts on the scale and importance of urban food systems. Through the chapters of his life, we cheer him on during perennial blooms of prosperity and root for his resilience through cultural and ecological firestorms that attempt to besiege his course, time after time.” Mario Cambardella, City of Atlanta Urban Agriculture Director
If you’re not in the agriculture industry, you probably aren’t familiar with Mr. Cambardella but just by his job title, you know he’s a knowledgeable judge of the quality of Mr. Nuri’s book. Which brings us to the ‘Who’ of endorsements.
The person providing the endorsement needs to be highly credible as it relates to the book topic. Even if they are not a household name, their title should be recognizable as one that carries a high industry status such as in the two examples above. A well-known author can also be a highly credible endorser even if their book topic is different from yours. If your target reader is someone who appreciates the endorser’s work, your book will benefit.
Now that you know the ‘Why’ and the ‘Who’, let’s talk about the ‘How’.
- Start with people in your network with job titles that would provide credibility from an industry or book topic perspective.
- Reach out to them with a personal phone call or email letting them know you’re writing a book and why you are requesting an endorsement specifically from them. This is not the time to send out a group or canned email. Personalize it with a reference to your relationship with the individual.
- Provide a short summary of the key points in the book and describe the intended audience. The individual may be willing to endorse the book but may not have time to read the entire thing.
- Include a link to the pdf version of the book. I recommend using a file sharing app such as Dropbox or Google Docs to avoid sending a large attachment.
- Offer one or two sample endorsements you’ve drafted for them and tell them they can use one if them as is or as a starting point. This makes it easy for them to say yes and minimizes the work they must do.
- Give them a deadline well in advance of when you will need it to add to your cover and send at least one gentle reminder. Remember, these people are doing you a favor, so you don’t want to pressure them.
If there’s no one in your current network who would be appropriate, you can cold call or cold email other appropriate endorsers. Start with a large list of people because you probably won’t receive a response unless your call or email is extremely compelling.
In addition to using endorsements in your book and on the cover, you can also post them to your author/book website, in social media posts and in your media kit. Do you need endorsements? No. In fact, book reviews are what potential buyers tend to focus on much more than endorsements. Can they help sell your book? Yes. You will need to decide if they’re appropriate and worth the effort.
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