Connect Before You Ask

        

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Part of my commitment in these articles is to write about my journey as a writer and editor. Today I want to tell you about a recent experience with another writer. I’ve changed the details and not used the person’s name because I don’t want to embarrass or call out anyone in the community. I believe my experience can become a “teaching moment.”

In these articles I’ve often encouraged you to ask for help or what you need. You and I belong to a generous community and if you ask in the right way (a big caveat), then you can get what you ask. But there is an earlier action I encourage you to take before you ask, build a relationship.

For years I’ve traveled the country and spoken at writer’s conferences. At this conference, I gave a keynote message and one of my points was encouraging authors to ask me for help and assistance. If someone reaches out to me with a question, it gives me an opportunity to help them but also they can learn more about the world of publishing which is constantly in motion.

During a conference, I meet with a number of people, give them my contact information and my advice. One of these writers who I had met once at an event, reached out to me. He is publishing a new book and asked me to endorse his book. As he suggested, I would only have to read 50% of it then write my endorsement. In the same email he recalled our conversation where I mentioned knowing a bestselling author. In the same email, he asked if I could introduce him to this person.

I respect the courage it took for this writer to reach out to me and ask for what he needed. Here’s the issue from my perspective: his ask had little to no conscious about my own packed schedule and at the moment I have no availability to read 50% his book and write an endorsement. Also I could not introduce him to the bestselling author because I don’t have this author’s email. I responded graciously and declined both asks. Many people would have simply not responded or ghosted this writer but this writer received my response.

Before you ask, there are several aspects that I want to point out:

1. Before you ask, build a connection / relationship. There are multiple ways to get my attention (or anyone else you meet at a conference such as an editor or literary agent) and build a relationship (other than our single meeting at a conference). Here’s some ideas: Review one of their books and send a short email letting them know you have done these reviews. Repost something the person has posted on social media or a blog. Comment on their blog posts or any number of proactive actions where you are visible to this person you are building a relationship. After you build this connection and relationship, then you can ask.

2. Make it easy for them to say yes and ask in the right way. Don’t assume they will read your book. People who endorse books often do not read anything inside the book. This insider information is something I’ve learned from years of working with authors and on endorsements. I encourage you to send a cover with your request and tell them who is publishing the book (a detail this author neglected to tell me). The transparency with this detail is important to include even if you are going to self-publish. Also offer the endorser that if they need your help, you will send a draft or sample endorsement. Dol you see how this offer has cut down the time and energy that other person will have to put out for your endorsement yet you will be more likely to get it?

3. Make only one request in one brief email. You may have a second or third need but don’t load your email with another ask.

I want to help others but this young writer didn’t understand (or likely even consider my intense schedule and the many other things in my life that consume my day. I applaud the courage it took for him to send his request but the shape of the message was an overask and without any work on his part to build a relationship gave me little reason to agree to it. If you don’t take these factors into consideration, then you are basically “begging” to get a “no thank you,” negative response or no response.

The basic principle I’m encouraging with this article is to take visible steps with another person and build your relationship before you ask for their help. 

The writing community is willing to help you if you have become active in it and built the good will and relationships to ask for their help. There are many simple ways you can build these relationships such as active participation in a group where this person also belongs. For the writer that started this post with his overask, it had been at least eight months since we met and during that period, I had not seen his name any place. See why this person asked for something way beyond what I could do or expected from this person? Foundational in this process is the relationship. Build it, connect and reconnect, then ask.

What am I missing in this process from your view? Let me know in the comments below.

Some of My Writing In Other Places

Why I Give Away Books–And You Should Too When you first look at it, it seems counter-productive to give away books that you are selling. If you publish books it is something you should do and I explain the details in this article.

It may not seem like it to a new writer but on Writers on the MoveI explain that beginning writers do get published--especially when you get rejection after rejection as an author. Often new authors will tell me they are writing the next Harry Potter--yet have no idea of the initial struggles that it took for J.K. Rowling to get published. I give the details in this article. 

Once a month I write about book proposals on Almost An Author. In this article I explain Why to Never Submit Your First Draft.

I’ve been using PodMatch.com to book podcast interviews and several of them launched last week and here are those links so you can watch them.

For the second time, Tom Dutta invited me to The Quiet Warrior Show. Our last recording several years ago was only audio but this one included the visual recording and was promoted in many different venues.

Also Coach Jay interviewed me on A New Direction Podcast. We spoke about Publishing Myths. I encourage you to watch this broadcast. 

Also John Brink interviewed me on his On the Brink podcast. John has a remarkable personal story that we discuss during the interview. To promote this interview, the On the Brink team sent several short videos and I’m including one here. 

I show you this information to encourage you to use PodMatch and get booked on a podcast to tell more people about you, your website or your latest book.

In the Spring of 2025, I’m speaking at a couple of conferences. Follow this link to learn more details and hope to see you at one of these events. 

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Serve Before Asking

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Several years ago I was at a conference and in the hallway listening to the director of the conference talking with another leader about a faculty member. This director said, “I encourage you to be cautious about how you use ______. She’s a taker and not a giver.” It was the first time that I’d witnessed this categorization. 

In this article, I want you to consider the importance of your reputation and how you want others to know you. My encouragement is for you to be known as a giver and not a taker. 

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to get connected to as many people as possible through LinkedIN and through exchanging business cards at conferences or events. It is important to know as many people as possible. As I’ve often said who you know is almost as important as what you know.  On a deeper level, how are you serving or helping those people you meet? 

For example, if you have a new book and are gathering endorsements for this book, how can you serve the person before asking for their help? A simple method is to get their latest book, read it then write a review and promote that review to your social media channels. When you promote the review, use their name, hook it to their Facebook page or their X (Twitter) account or any number of other ways to connect your review and get their attention. 

Then when you reach out for their help, add a sentence in the request about what you've done and even include a link. Don’t overdo it but your message is that I’m a giver and helper to you before I’m asking for your assistance. 

For example, several years ago I read and reviewed a new book from author and journalist Piers Morgan. After my review appeared, I wrote about my review to my social media channels and used his X (Twitter) name in my post. Piers publically thanked me for my review. It’s the only exchange we’ve ever had but it happened through social media. If I can do this sort of reach, you can too. Admittedly it takes some effort on your part but is possible.

In the most basic form to build relationships, you want to give the other person a reason to connect with you instead of making a random request. 

Here’s another important element in the asking process: don’t overask. Narrow your focused ask down to one thing. Recently I received an email request from another writer friend--but it included four or five asks in this email. I read it and almost did not even respond. Yes, I could have ghosted this friend and not responded. That can happen if you ask for too much in a single email. Instead, I did respond but picked the easiest element to do for this friend--and said no to the rest of them. The overask made an impression--but not the one that my friend expected or wanted. 

In what ways can you serve another person before asking for their help? Let me know in the comments below.

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The Acquired Skill

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

It seems easy to publish a book. Thousands are doing it every day.  I’ve been studying the market for years, reading and looking at books. What is not obvious to readers and people outside of publishing is this fact: each aspect of the process is an acquired skill. Because it is an acquired skill, you can learn this skill but you will have to make a concerted effort for it to happen.

Let’s take the back cover of books as an example. Many years ago, a publisher hired me to write back cover copy for their books. They mailed a hard copy of the edited manuscript, which I read then crafted the words for the back cover. If you study back covers, you will learn a consistent pattern for how these words are written. At times, they begin with a short and powerful quotation from someone well-known who is endorsing the book or the author. Other times they will have a moving headline to draw you to reading the other words on the back cover.

You only have seconds to catch someone’s attention with these words so they have to be carefully selected. The words often have bullet points and they emphasize the benefits from reading the book. What will a reader gain from spending time reading this book? That is a critical question which you want to answer with the back cover copy.

Sometimes the back cover will include a sentence or two about the author. Other times the entire space is used to entice the reader to purchase the book. This acquired skill is called copywriting and can be learned but the writer has to make a conscious effort to learn this craft. To learn about copywriting, you can take an online course or read a book on this skill. 

One of my long-time friends and a skilled copywriter is Robert W. Bly. His book, The Copywriter’s Handbook is in the Fourth Edition. You can learn a great deal as a writer if you study this text. 

Another acquired skill for book creation is gathering endorsements and/or a foreword for your book. In these articles, I’ve written about this process in the past (use this link to see some of those articles). I’ve encouraged you in these articles to build relationships with well-known authors and other leaders. If you have these relationships, then you can use them to gather endorsements. A foreword is like a short magazine article and typically 1,000 to 1,500 words. I’ve written forewords for a number of well-known people. The key action in this process is to make it easy for the person to say something like, “That looks great. Run with it.” You have to secure their permission to use it from the person themselves. Your editor doesn’t gather this foreword or the endorsements but the writer gathers these words as a part of the book creation process. 

Whether you publish with a traditional house or an independent publisher or self-publish, the back cover copy, the endorsements and the foreword can be critical elements which will help you sell books. Forewords are typically used with nonfiction books--not fiction or children’s books or gift books. To get this detail right, you have to study the type of book you are publishing, then make sure you conform to the expected details in this process. 

Whether you are aware of it or not, every aspect of the publishing process involves an acquired skill. It’s something you can learn and do--but you have to take action in this process or it will not be done. What are other acquired skills in the process of publishing a book? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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5 Steps to Getting Celebrity Book Endorsements

From the Editor: It is rare in these entries that I use a guest blogger. I found this valuable article from my friend Jordan McAuley that I'm going to publish here. Also for the BRMCWC blog, I recently published a two part series about how every writer needs connections. Just follow the link to read it.

Guest Post By Jordan McAuley, Founder Contact Any Celebrity

 

Getting a celebrity, notable VIP, or leader in your field to give your book a short testimonial or endorsement (sometimes called a “blurb”) is a great way to boost sales and garner extra publicity. Remember that this is a trade-off. You get a testimonial for your book, and the endorser gets additional exposure and/or credibility.

 

Below is the five-step process we teach authors and writers:

1) Choose potential endorsers based on your book’s subject.

If your book is about animals, for example, target celebrities and/or notable VIPs who have a vested personal interest in animals.

If it’s about a disease, target people who have suffered personally from it or who contribute to the disease’s cause. If it’s about kayaking, target people who like to kayak.

(Use our Celebrity Causes Database to choose your ’cause’ and get a list of celebrities who support it. (Animals, Children, etc.)

2) Ask potential endorsers to write your book’s introduction or foreword.

This technique can work really well as long as you remember the following: flattery is key. Don’t ask for an endorsement at this stage. 

CONTACT 59,000+ CELEBRITIES NOW!

Instead, flatter the person by saying that because of his or her expertise on your book’s subject, you’d like to ask him or her to write the introduction or foreword.You may want to point out that this is a great opportunity for the endorser to get some additional exposure.

When the book is published, you can mention “Introduction by (Expert’s Name)” or “Foreword by (Expert’s Name)” on the cover.

3) Gather a list of names and contact information.

The reference area of your local public library is a good start, but you can find more accurate information online.

Search Google for “celebrity contacts” or “celebrity addresses” for a list of resources.

If the celebrity has an official Web site, you can usually find his or her contact information there as well.

Of course, you can use our service, Contact Any Celebrity to save time and make your research much easier. Don’t forget personal and professional connections.

Take some time to sit down and brainstorm all the people you know who could put in a good word for you or at least pass along your book and request.

4) Make it as easy as possible to get a response.

Your request should include the draft of your book, a self-addressed, pre-paid FedEx or Priority Mail envelope, an easy-to-fill out testimonial form, and a personalized letter from you.

If you’re nervous about sending a draft of the book, you can also include a Confidentiality Letter.

You may even want to mention that the better the testimonial, the more likely it will appear in your book (and possibly on the cover), resulting in additional exposure for the endorser.

5) Point out the benefits of giving an endorsement.

Potential endorsers usually won’t mind (and will probably appreciate) the extra free publicity, additional exposure, and added credibility their blurb will provide when it’s featured in (and maybe on the cover of) your book.

Let the endorser know you’ll mention his or her name, company name, and city under the testimonial as an added benefit of giving you an endorsement.

BONUS STEP: Follow Up!

If you still haven’t heard anything, send a follow-up letter or email to the celebrities you asked for an endorsement from after a few weeks have gone. Know that getting a good endorsement or testimonial can take time. Celebrities and VIPs are busy, and their mail is often screened by an assistant or representative which can delay your request getting to them.

Always remember the “Three Ps” for getting celebrity testimonial and endorsements for your books: Be Polite, Be Persistent, and Be Patient!

Bio: Jordan McAuley is an American entrepreneur. Jordan started Contact Any Celebrity in 1997.

Have you been able to get celebrity endorsements for your book? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Are You Missing A Key Element to Publish Your Book? Get the details here

 

Why It's Never Too Late To Promote

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, I've worked with many different authors on launching and promoting their books. As a reader, I've been on a number of launch teams, received, read and reviewed advance reader copies (ARCs) of many books. As a writer, I've taken classes on launch plans, seen the checklists from others and much more. While I've written more than 60 books for traditional publishers, it's been a few years since I launched a new book.

Last spring, I finished my manuscript for 10 Publishing Myths, gathered a foreword from New York Times bestselling author and long-time friend Jerry B. Jenkins and endorsements from 18 authors, editors, agents and publicity experts. The Morgan James team designed a beautiful cover and I had some advanced copies to take to a couple of conferences. While everything looked to be moving forward, suddenly there were some glitches.

First as a part of the process, Morgan James showed my cover to the sales team. Normally they get little feedback but in my case, the sales team suggested changes. It was a good thing in some ways to have their engagement and interest.  The feedback changed some significant details on my book cover. 

I took my book to a couple of conferences and sold a few advanced copies. One reader asked if I would like some feedback. I responded yes I'd love your feedback. It turned out she was a proofreader and sent a lengthy list of over 50 errors (missing words, wrong words, typos, etc.). Grateful for such detailed feedback, I worked through each suggestion and made all these changes before it released to the bookstores (print and ebook).

Also I worked with Misty Taggart from Trailer to the Stars on a one-minute book trailer and I ordered business cards with my first cover. Yet now my book trailer and business cards needed to be changed for everything to match and work properly. Also I built my book website but the clock has continued moving and my December 17^th  launch date arrived--and I was not ready and only did a small percentage of my launch plans.
.
I've learned several lessons from this experience:

1. It is never too late to promote or tell others about your book. If you missed launching your book, begin today to tell others. 

2. Take the long view of your book and make a personal commitment to continually look for new ways to tell others about your book. There are over 4,500 new books published every day (includes the self-published books). The book trailer for my Billy Graham biography has been viewed over 11,000 times in the last five years.  

3. Your passion for your book and topic will last much longer than anyone else. Understand that you will drive the promotion and continued sales of your own work—no matter how you have published.

4. Ask others to help you in the promotion process. Ask others but in your asking make it easy for them to say yes. Just look at this page I wrote and prepared for my new book, 1o Publishing Myths. This page has links to the exact pages on Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes & Noble where I need reviews. Also I included a link to a two page PDF where they can fill in the blanks and write their review. Also this promotion page includes several ClickToTweet posts they can share about the book on social media (whether they have read my book or not).

5. Create an interesting and inviting giveaway with your book. When I was gathering endorsements for 10 Publishing Myths, Alice Crider told me I was missing the 11th Publishing Myth. I listened and decided to write this chapter. It is designed exactly like the rest of my book but not inside the book. You can get it right away at this link. What type of inviting giveaway can you create for your book?

No matter what happens with the launch of your book my simple advice is: keep moving forward.

What glitches or challenges have you found in launching a book? Let me know in the comments below.

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Endorsements Sell Books

As a long-time reader, I have purchased a number of books because of an endorsement on the front or back cove or just inside the book. These brief words from someone with name recognition help you sell books. Sometimes these endorsements are called blurbs.

From my years in publishing, the process of getting these endorsements is often a bit mysterious to writers.
Without the author taking action during the production process, endorsements don’t happen. Many books are published without endorsements but if your book doesn’t have endorsements, you are missing this sales tool.

You have to ask people to endorse your book. One of the keys in this process is to understand these high profile people are busy and do not assume they will read your book before they send their endorsement.

What To Ask and What To Send

--Write a clear short subject line in email: like Easy Blurb Request. These people get a lot of emails and you want to make it clear from the beginning how your request is different and easy for them to handle.

--Attach the cover and the edited manuscript (probably not in layout at this point). Don’t assume they will read the manuscript but you want them to be able to read it and see the  designed cover.

--Write a brief email with only a few sentences. Give them a deadline and offer to write a “draft endorsement” if they don’t have the time to write one themselves. As I’ve done this process, I’m always surprised at who will ask for a draft endorsement. You have no idea of their schedule and  whether they are home or traveling or in some intense deadline. You want to make it easy so they agree to do it.

--Ask how they want to be identified. Some of the possible options are bestselling author, editor at ___ or president of ____ or any other way. You will get a variety of answers but want to identify your endorsers as they want to be named. Many of us have different roles in different places.

--Use their website contact form or social media to reach them. Some of these high profile people are hard to reach but you want to ask more people than you will actually need. When I did this process recently, some long-time friends did not respond. Others sent emails and said no for various reasons. 

If you can, you want to gather several pages of these endorsements. Some will be broken into phrases and used on the inside but also on the front or back cover.

For a couple of examples of endorsements, I encourage you to look at the sample of my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams (follow this link). Notice the variety and different types of endorsements in these pages. You can do the same with your book. Also look in detail at the story of Jacqueline Marcell who self-published her book about elder care and had many high profile endorsements. She details her process and some of her resources in this article (follow this link).

After the book is in Print

When you have books in hand (often before the official release date), send a signed print copy to the endorser with your note of appreciation. This person helped you and your gratitude is an important step in the process.

It does take effort to get these endorsements but they pay off in increased book sales. Also online sites will often put the endorsements in the editorial dection of the book—i.e. before any customer reviews for the book—which is another opportunity for you as the author to influence and encourage the book sale.

Some writers wonder about the integrity of this process. The endorser didn’t read the book cover to  cover before adding their name to this process. Even though I understand how this process works, I still buy books because of a particular endorsement on a book.

My encouragement is for you to put the effort into this process during the book production and it will pay off for you.

How do you gather endorsements for  your book? Have I missed anything? If so, let me know in the comments below.

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Sometimes You Have to Push a Little

Sometimes writers need to do some pushing like this baby elephant is pushed.

Several times in these entries, I've written about the power of asking for what you want. I recognize there are relationships where we hesitate to ask. From my experience, if you are professional and straightforward, then you can push past your hesitation and go ahead and ask.

Several weeks ago I noticed one of my authors posted on Facebook about having a meal with a high profile television personality. I knew this author has a forthcoming book to be released next year. I reached out to this author and encouraged him to ask this television personality for an endorsement or foreword for his book. In his initial response, he was reluctant because he had been childhood friends with this person and known her for years. My author was hesitant to ask for this endorsement. I encouraged this author to move forward and ask because of the prominence of this person in the marketplace. He took my advice and I recently heard he had secured this endorsement.

Now with the endorsement in hand, the next question is where it will be placed in the forthcoming book. My encouragement again to the author is to ask for it to be prominent on the front cover. I've had authors gather these endorsements then the publisher puts the words in small type on the back cover with little promotion gain for the author. Once again I pushed this author to ask the publisher to get this endorsement on the front cover. If the author is straightforward and professional with his asking, there is nothing wrong with giving a little self-protecting push in this process.

Some books have endorsements and some do not. Here's what you need to know: your literary agent or your publisher or your publicist doesn't solicit and generate these endorsement. It can happen from those people but it is rare. The bulk of the endorsements come from the author and the author asking people for these endorsements. My encouragement is for you to take action to secure these endorsements because endorsements sell books.

I encourage you to study this article from Jacqueline Marcell about her self-published book. Why? This author had remarkable endorsements from numerous well-known celebrities, business people, athletes and others. How did she get them? Marcell asked—and sometimes she asked over and over to break through and get them. It's a combination of professionalism and perseverance that makes the difference in my view. Yet as the author you have to take action in this area.

Recently I was in Nashville with my Morgan James authors. As an acquisitions editor, I helped these first-time authors get a foreword from a bestselling and recognized author in their field of expertise. During our interaction to get the foreword, this author offered to have these new authors on her forthcoming podcast. The authors reminded me about this generous offer and had not heard any more about it nor had it been scheduled. My immediate encouragement was to give them this author's email and encourage them to follow=up on that offer and book that podcast.

We live in a busy world and the details can get lost in the process without  follow-up. The offer to appear on a podcast may have been done at the spur of the moment and without sending a follow-up reminder, the opportunity may disappear and not happen. As a writer and author, you have to seize all of these opportunities and follow-up. These actions are a key part of this business.

What are you gently pushing on to make it happen? Let me know in the comments below.

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3 things you can do today to get amazing book blurbs tomorrow

By Sandra Beckwith

What’s worse than not making the effort to get glowing blurbs for your book before it’s published?

Not planning ahead to make sure that you get them from the most impressive and influential people possible.

While you can completely “cold call” the rock stars of your genre or industry and get cover blurbs that will make your mother proud, you’ll have a greater success rate – and work half as hard at it – if you take a few steps in advance.

Why? Because you’re more likely to get a positive response from someone who knows your name than from someone who has never heard of you.

When it’s time to ask people to write blurbs – those endorsements and testimonials you place on your book’s cover and inside front pages or on your retail sales page – you will be talking to people who “know” you instead of people who think, “Who is this person?”

Maybe you’ve been in this situation yourself before: Two people ask you for a favor. One is someone you’ve heard of and the other is a stranger. If you’re like most, you’re probably quicker to respond favorably to the person you know of than the person you don’t. That’s just human nature.

Take action now

Fortunately, you can take specific actions now so that you’re no stranger to the people you want to endorse your book in a few months. And the good news is that it’s not hard or painful.

Here are three things you can do today that will pay off when you’re ready to make that important request later.

1. Socialize online.

Connect on social media, but make sure that you’re using the right social media networks. 

Going after high-profile foodies or chefs? Look on Pinterest. Are the people who will blurb your book in the business world? Check out LinkedIn. Looking to connect with Millennials? Try Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr.

Follow them. Retweet or share what they share. Comment on their status updates and blog posts. Use your best judgment about how much of this is enough and how much is “too much.” You don’t want the person to feel like they’re being stalked, but you do want them to learn your name. 

2. Socialize in person.

Is your dream blurber making a presentation near where you live? Attend and introduce yourself before or after. 

Compliment the speaker and presentation in a follow-up e-mail, mentioning something specific that resonated with you.

When author Minda Zetlin attended a conference featuring Tom Peters as a speaker, she was smart enough to introduce herself on site and ask if he’d write a blurb for her book. To her delight, he agreed to do it. 

“It wouldn’t have occurred to me to ask him if I hadn’t seen him speak,” she said.

Attend networking events where you might meet someone who will be an ideal endorser. Register for key conferences, seminars, and trade shows where you will meet the right people while you learn even more about your topic and audience.

3. Ask for introductions.

Do you know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody? Ask for an in-person or virtual introduction. (This is a particularly good approach when you want blurbs from celebrities and other famous people.)

Don’t even think of leveraging the introduction to request a favor immediately, though. Help that person get a sense of who you are and what you do, first. Be generous with your time and information before ever expecting anything in return. You might send that person links to articles you think he might be interested in, or compliment her when you see she’s been quoted by the press. Notice what others do to keep you engaged with them – in a good way – and emulate that.

Add structure now that will pay off later

Do more than connect with these people you think will help you sell more books when they provide an endorsement.

Catalog or document your contacts, too, in an Excel file or a Word grid. Record their name, contact information, why they will be good “blurbers,” and how and when you’re staying in touch with them. You’ll then be able to use that documentation to your advantage later, when you ask them to write an endorsement for your book that will influence the people you know will benefit from your knowledge or story.

What’s holding you back from going after your dream endorsement?

About the author

Sandra Beckwith is an award-winning former publicist who now teaches authors how to publicize, promote, and market their books through her training programs and free “Build Book Buzz” newsletter. Sandra’s new multi-media program, “Blurbs, Endorsements, and Testimonials: How to Get Experts, Authorities, Celebrities, and Others to Endorse Your Book,” takes the guesswork, uncertainty, and mystery out of this important process and shows you how to get the blurbs of your dreams. Use coupon code BLURB before June 27 to save 33% off the already low purchase price.