Thanks, Sara, for your thoughts. I've just been through the process of asking fellow authors for endorsement. I've also been on the other end of being asked to endorse. I really enjoy providing this kind of support to other writers and am quite chuffed to be asked. However, I find it very awkward to ask for endorsements for my own work as I know the time and effort required - and there are so few reading minutes in a day. Endorsements are probably more persuasive to book sellers and other publishing folk, than readers as, but this is significant as you need book seller/industry support to succeed.
I'm the same Cassie - it's hard to ask! Authors with book coming out should have a collective zoom support session where they have a glass of wine (or whatever their fave comfort food or drink is!) and then do their endorsement request emails ;)
The hard thing about getting the word out about our books is knowing that every small thing helps, but also knowing we can't do it all!
I think if I'm right I've realised that we're release-date buddies too! Hurrah! Hope your run-up to publication is going really well.
I read what I have always thought of a the blurb...but I guess is the synopsis??? to decide what I want to read, the author recommendations on the cover don't sway me.
I know - I find the blurb/blurbing/synopsis thing a little confusing too! I think 'blurb/blurbing' has become author slang for an endorsement. Hope you're going well!
As a reader, I’m not influenced by recommendation blurbs, I’m only interested in the premise of the story. Some books I’ve purchased recently have had several pages of recommendations which I ignored and found slightly annoying. I feel if a publisher has to over-promote the book in this way are they worried it isn’t quite good enough?
However I appreciate I’m a bit weird, and many people would be influenced by recommendations and reviews.
For the writer though I’m sure it means the world to feel supported by others in the industry.
I think many others are on the same page as you here, Janine! Publishers can get really stuck in their ways trying to prove the worth of the book through marketing endeavours like collecting endorsements, rather than focusing on highlighting the content! This latest discussion around blurbing is a great reminder that focusing too much on endorsements is probably not advisable, particularly as readers are extremely smart, and so writers definitely want to make sure that their book can live up to its hype. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Such an interesting topic, thank you Sarah! Having been lucky enough to receive quotes from fellow authors I know how much a blurb can mean to an author (and publishing team) and how difficult they can be to get. I think one or two well-placed quotes on a cover could be helpful at buy-in, and to booksellers and librarians, but less so to the general reading public. (And I don't do it now, but in the past I have picked up books based on blurbs from a trusted author and been disappointed or found the blurb didn't match the material at all - so there's that!)
I love the way you've phrased it - listen inside and find our own comfort levels. This is the personal policy I've taken. It is always lovely to be approached for an endorsement read but I am happy to say no, either right away or after reading. It generally means saying 'no' more often than 'yes!' but it's the latter that is sustainable and ultimately, I think, means a lot more.
Yes! You touch on another topic here which I didn't cover in great detail - that awkward moment of realising you haven't fallen in love with the book and so don't want to endorse it. The whole process asks us to be authentic - and I've heard of blurbing without reading, but that's not great, and collapses the integrity of the process. Knowing you can say no to a request is really important, and you're right, it makes the whole thing sustainable. I've learned more about how to handle this over the years, but I always need to remind myself after a new book comes out as there tend to be more requests around then!
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Kim, and happy writing!
This is a really interesting angle, Emily - and shows that in certain circumstances those endorsements can be really significant. Thanks for sharing this insight.
Thanks, Sara, for your thoughts. I've just been through the process of asking fellow authors for endorsement. I've also been on the other end of being asked to endorse. I really enjoy providing this kind of support to other writers and am quite chuffed to be asked. However, I find it very awkward to ask for endorsements for my own work as I know the time and effort required - and there are so few reading minutes in a day. Endorsements are probably more persuasive to book sellers and other publishing folk, than readers as, but this is significant as you need book seller/industry support to succeed.
I'm the same Cassie - it's hard to ask! Authors with book coming out should have a collective zoom support session where they have a glass of wine (or whatever their fave comfort food or drink is!) and then do their endorsement request emails ;)
The hard thing about getting the word out about our books is knowing that every small thing helps, but also knowing we can't do it all!
I think if I'm right I've realised that we're release-date buddies too! Hurrah! Hope your run-up to publication is going really well.
I read what I have always thought of a the blurb...but I guess is the synopsis??? to decide what I want to read, the author recommendations on the cover don't sway me.
I know - I find the blurb/blurbing/synopsis thing a little confusing too! I think 'blurb/blurbing' has become author slang for an endorsement. Hope you're going well!
As a reader, I’m not influenced by recommendation blurbs, I’m only interested in the premise of the story. Some books I’ve purchased recently have had several pages of recommendations which I ignored and found slightly annoying. I feel if a publisher has to over-promote the book in this way are they worried it isn’t quite good enough?
However I appreciate I’m a bit weird, and many people would be influenced by recommendations and reviews.
For the writer though I’m sure it means the world to feel supported by others in the industry.
I think many others are on the same page as you here, Janine! Publishers can get really stuck in their ways trying to prove the worth of the book through marketing endeavours like collecting endorsements, rather than focusing on highlighting the content! This latest discussion around blurbing is a great reminder that focusing too much on endorsements is probably not advisable, particularly as readers are extremely smart, and so writers definitely want to make sure that their book can live up to its hype. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Such an interesting topic, thank you Sarah! Having been lucky enough to receive quotes from fellow authors I know how much a blurb can mean to an author (and publishing team) and how difficult they can be to get. I think one or two well-placed quotes on a cover could be helpful at buy-in, and to booksellers and librarians, but less so to the general reading public. (And I don't do it now, but in the past I have picked up books based on blurbs from a trusted author and been disappointed or found the blurb didn't match the material at all - so there's that!)
I love the way you've phrased it - listen inside and find our own comfort levels. This is the personal policy I've taken. It is always lovely to be approached for an endorsement read but I am happy to say no, either right away or after reading. It generally means saying 'no' more often than 'yes!' but it's the latter that is sustainable and ultimately, I think, means a lot more.
Yes! You touch on another topic here which I didn't cover in great detail - that awkward moment of realising you haven't fallen in love with the book and so don't want to endorse it. The whole process asks us to be authentic - and I've heard of blurbing without reading, but that's not great, and collapses the integrity of the process. Knowing you can say no to a request is really important, and you're right, it makes the whole thing sustainable. I've learned more about how to handle this over the years, but I always need to remind myself after a new book comes out as there tend to be more requests around then!
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Kim, and happy writing!
Blurbs on books make no difference to whether I read a book or not.
I like this direct answer, Erica - I'm sure many authors will too!
This is a really interesting angle, Emily - and shows that in certain circumstances those endorsements can be really significant. Thanks for sharing this insight.