Interim Step Nine: Asking For Blurbs

A Controversial and Difficult Topic With A Great Upside

It’s hard. We all have mixed emotions about doing it. But at some point or another, especially when you’re starting out, you will be asked who you think would be a good person to approach for an endorsement of your work.

Why? An endorsement is a signal to readers that the author is a fan of your book. That carries weight in the industry—book buyers, booksellers, librarians, reviewers—who sometimes have to choose between books to stock, buy, carry, review, or recommend. If a title has a glowing blurb from a well-loved mega-bestseller, it can tip the scales in that book’s favor. Plus, different authors have different audiences, and introducing your readers to theirs can change the course of an author’s career. If a blurber really likes the book, they might also promote it in their social world, which gives it even more gravitas!

Sometimes, the publisher will use trade reviews on the cover and front matter, but if you think about the average reader, are they going to be more impressed by a starred Publishers Weekly quote or a ringing endorsement from their favorite author that this book kept them up all night and is perfect for fans of (insert your favorite author here.)

And yet…it’s a practice that is not without its detractors.

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