5.13.10: Pre-Pub Marketing: Book Endorsements

Prior to being published, there is one sure step that authors can proactively take to increase the odds of their book’s success.  That step is to acquire back cover endorsements.  The power of a single high level endorsement can be astonishing—just think of what life would be like for you if Oprah endorsed your book.

While you may not think you have access to celebrities or famous people, you can easily approach experts and authors.  As a service to both publishers and authors, I have acquired endorsements from politicians, bestselling authors, technical experts, military brass, national magazines, and nonprofit directors.  And you can too!  Each of these endorsers are opinion influencers who have followings of their own that will be attracted to your book because of what the endorser says.

The first step to acquiring an endorsement is to know your cover lock-down date.  Once that date is identified, you want to ship galleys to your targets at least two months prior to be polite and honor the travel schedule and existing commitments of your targets.  You want to give them time to read and review your material.  If your publisher cannot provide galleys that early, you will need to adjust your schedule (and budget) to produce the galleys and cover drafts yourself.

The second step to book endorsement acquisition is to make a list of your target endorsers.  I recommend aiming higher than you ever thought possible and requesting the endorsement directly from the target.  When direct contact is not possible, then add to your list the person you intend to work through to reach the endorser, whether it be an agent, personal assistant, aide, or publicist.

As a rule of thumb, I usually approach 10-20 targets to get three endorsements by cover lock-down date.  You may get more at a later date that you can upload to the book’s website and press materials, but your goal is to get three short statements for back cover consideration by cover lock-down date.  One or two sentences per target are plenty.

The third step to acquire an endorsement is to write your appeal.  You might want to begin by flattering your target, i.e. the reason why this person would make such an esteemed endorser for the topic.  This is where you tie your material to their interests, avocation, charitable inclination, or expertise.  If you don’t feel comfortable requesting their remarks on your own behalf, then write your appeal on your publisher’s letterhead, stating that your publisher is requesting an endorsement for your book.  Make sure to include the date by which you must receive remarks.  Tip:  I pre-request via email and only ship galleys to those who both respond and express interest in endorsing.

The fourth step is to either thank the endorser or follow-up with those you have not heard from about two weeks out from your due date.  When you follow-up, if you know the target to be especially busy, you might want to include two or three sample endorsements.  As added incentive, you may also want to mention who has endorsed and who is pending endorsement.

Asking for an endorsement is an exercise in both humility and confidence.  You want to appear humble and courteous enough to flatter your target, but also want to come across fully confident that your material is worthy of multiple high powered testimonials.  Although it is perfectly fine for an author to request an endorsement directly, a book publicist is the right professional to ask for assistance.

Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist specializes in nonfiction & historical fiction and is a 2010 Finalist in More Magazine’s Reinvention Story Competition.  Visit Stephanie at www.authorsassistant.com/Barko.htm.