I Hate It, Too
Selling Yourself, Asking for Reviews & Why It Matters
I Hate It, Too. Why Selling Yourself sucks Is So Hard
In this “countdown to launch” post, I’m going to be brutally honest with you. At this stage of Get Your Book Seen And Sold’s pre-publication process, five months before book launch, my book marketing plan task is to collect book blurbs and/or endorsements from personal friends and colleagues.
My co-author, Julie and I, have been working on the process of collecting blurbs by:
Finalizing the Advanced Review Copy (ARC) as an eGalley
Creating a Tally.So form - makes the submission and collection of blurbs easy
Crafting an email pitch to instruct friends and colleagues how to download the eGalley and submit the blurb.
Because my co-author, Julie, rocks, everything for this pre-publication outreach is ready to go. Yet, I found myself hesitant to press the button and send the email requests to my colleagues and friends. Why?
Put simply, I don’t want to sell myself.
I’m like you. I don’t like to ask people to do something for me.
Well, this is a problem. Blurbs and endorsements and later reviews are crucial to the successful marketing of any book. We simply have to reach out and tell people about our books and ask them for their help. Why and How follows:
Why Endorsements Are Important
Endorsements that we can gather will be included in future promotional materials (press kit, endorsement sheets, etc). Early endorsements can be printed on a book’s cover, back cover and on interior pages. Endorsements can be showcased on a book’s Amazon page and any other online retailer’s page. Endorsements can be used in pitches to radio, magazine, newspaper, and podcast media for more promotion. Endorsements can also be listed on the book page on your website. There are all kinds of great reasons to gather pre-publication endorsements, so what is holding us back?
If you are like me, you recognize that everyone is busy and you hate to add to it with a request to read and comment on your book.
A New Way of Thinking
Perhaps a new way of thinking about our request for endorsements may help.
Here are a few tips (things I tell myself):
Your book contains what people already desire! Whether a non-fiction book with a specific message or advice or a fiction book with a fascinating, entertaining story you are providing something that the reading public needs. If a colleague or a friend does not wish to provide the blurb, if the book is not their cup of tea, that’s ok, they should say so. “Thanks for having a look,” you should respond! But for those who do respond, you provided information and/or entertainment to them.
One way to lessen the burden on your reviewers is to make the process of downloading your eBook and submitting a blurb an easy process. I created an email with a link to a form I created in Tally.so. The reviewer simply downloads the book PDF from the link on the Tally.so form, then fills out their name, email (if desired), and adds their blurb right on the same page. They may also enter HOW they would like their name to appear with their blurb. That’s right, they will be promoting themselves with a blurb. For example, they could say that they would like to be attributed as: Claudine Wolk, Author of “So and So” alongside their blurb. Since I am sharing their blurb as I promote, their name and book will be promoted, too. Win - Win. The blurber clicks “submit” and they are done. I collect the blurbs on my end. Easy - Peasy.
Authors, Jump That Hurdle
Asking for a book endorsement is a hurdle that all authors have to jump. Yes, you are asking someone to do something for you and that can be tough. Select the friends and colleagues who you feel will be most interested in the material that you’re sending, and also, in you, quite frankly. I try to write a personal note on each person’s email and send it separately (not as a mass email). These are people I know and respect. They deserve a personal note.
Finally, I suggest you put your uncomfortableness aside and push the “ask” button. As Marissa Tomei’s character in the movie, My Cousin Vinny so aptly says to Joe Pesci’s character, Vinny, “You’ll win all these cases and at the end you have to say, ‘thank you.’ What a f’ing nightmare.” Saying thank you is not so bad. Ask for help and say thank you to your blurbers. Attribute them well and blurb them back when they need you!
If you have any comments or suggestions on reaching out to friends and colleagues for support with your book promotion include them in the comments. I have some great interviews for you in the coming weeks: a self-publishing coach, a developmental editor and a mother and daughter book marketing duo with more great advice to get your book seen and sold. Plus, more countdown stories and tips. See you then.
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