Consider how much money celebrities make for their 15-, 30-, or 60-second endorsement of a product in a TV ad. Often called blurbs when endorsing books, these personal endorsements carry tremendous weight with potential buyers. So give this step in your book publishing plan high priority.
Here’s how: First, consider WHO you want as an ideal endorser for your book. Before you start to tick off the most famous people in the world—Oprah, Warren Buffet, Michael Jordan—remember that while name recognition may count in politics, those names may mean nothing for your specific book. You’ll need to identify ideal endorsers according to your topic and your target readers.
Having Oprah endorse your book, for example, will not necessarily persuade engineers to buy your book on bridge construction. And having Warren Buffet endorse your book will not necessarily sway college students concerned about climate change.
If you’re writing a business book, your ideal list will include well-known corporate executives, academics well-known for the topic or expertise, and prominent business book authors.
If you’re writing a fitness book, ideal endorsers would be doctors, nutritionists, athletes, and authors of other bestselling health, diet, or fitness books.
So … what if you don’t know “ideal” endorsers? Odds are that someone in your circle of influence does.
A friend of a friend. Someone you’re linked to on social media. Another author that’s published by your publisher. Another author represented by your agent. Your job then becomes to find the link and ask the middle-person to make the introduction or the request.
You recall the often-quoted axiom: There are only six degrees of separation between you and anybody on the planet. So start connecting to find your ideal endorser.
For more secrets about great testimonials—and the other 9 ingredients that go into a great book proposal, . . . along with my 12-step process for writing your book in a couple of weeks—join me at the next Booher Book Camp, February 1-3.
Learn more about the Booher Book Camp at BooherBookCamp.com
