Book Endorsements
The subject of endorsements seems to be a hot one, but especially among debut novelists and more and more often even among un-contracted writers. It seems that no matter what writing circle I am in, new and aspiring authors are stressed out about finding an endorser.
As a debut novelist myself, I am nowhere near being an expert on the topic, but since I’m asked about it so often, I’ll give you a debut novelist’s perspective. First, what is an endorsement anyway?
If you’ve ever read a novel, then you’ve seen the blurbs in the front of the book praising the author’s work. Many in the publishing world believe endorsements help sell books. Endorsements can be hard to find, or sometimes an author gets lucky and it’s easy. Either way, the desire to get a good endorsement can quite easily take over the good sense of even the most level headed new author.
Not many things are more intimidating than asking a published author to endorse your book. Most authors don’t even know a published author well enough to ask them. To make the process even more stressful, most published authors aren’t sitting around just waiting to endorse the next debut novelist. Believe me. Asking is not for the faint of heart.
When my publisher asked me if I had a list of potential endorsers, they were very nice about it. I’m lucky that they didn’t pressure or push me to do this myself, but it didn’t matter. I felt the pressure anyway. I’d already heard conversations about it among other writers I knew. Everyone had an opinion. And to make it scarier, just the mere thought of my work being judged and possibly rejected just mortified me.
When I sheepishly approached some of the authors I highly respected, I was shocked that most of them said yes they would possibly endorse my book. You always want to say “possibly” when you ask. This gives the potential endorser a way to change their mind if they get tied up with edits, have a family emergency, or…they simply decide the book isn’t for them.
There were some other authors I was not really sure about, but offered their names up to the publishers anyway. I hoped they might have mercy on me and give it a go. They did not.
I have to tell you their responses of no, even before they ever received the manuscript, did hurt; mostly because I was embarrassed to have taken such a shot in the dark. To me this was a humiliating tragedy. To my publisher it was just run of the mill.
I was glad that the publisher made the official request to the author. In fact, what I’ve learned is that by and large, publishers and agents appreciate an endorser list, but don’t really expect authors to trudge around trying to find endorsers on their own. If the author has some good contacts, the publisher will be pleased, but if not, the publisher and often the agent will help. My agent did a wonderful job by surprising me with endorsers I wouldn’t have even thought about.
This next part might surprise some of you, but it’s just my opinion. I am, after all, not an expert. If you are not contracted yet, don’t even feel pressured to track down endorsers for your fiction. This will be a waste of your time. Spend that time writing instead!
Because there is always an exception to the rule, there probably are some houses that do require prepared endorsements before a manuscript is submitted. I have never heard of them. Rest assured, I had not one endorsement when my book was first submitted to publishers. The only exception would be if a published author approaches you first and volunteers to endorse your writing. This sometimes does happen in certain situations, but rarely.
If you are worried about the process, stop. Your manuscript isn’t going to be rejected based solely on lack of endorsements. Finding an endorser is an important part of the publishing journey, but not something to force.
Finding endorsers happens best when the ask can come a little bit more natural. Get involved in writing circles early and remember that endorsers don’t always have to be authors. Connections you make with other authors or people of influence may turn into an endorsement opportunity years down the road when you are published. In fact, one never knows how things will go. You might even be the one endorsing the books of those same friends in the future.
