Monday, May 26, 2008

Vol. 10 / Testimonials from Experts

How important are testimonials? Testimonials sell books! For nonfiction books, you should have testimonials from professionals (those who have knowledge in your book’s subject) who are willing to endorse your book included on the back cover. If you have written a medical journal, your testimonials should be written by medical professionals. If the subject matter is golf, your book should include testimonials from golf professionals, and so on.

Send out requests for testimonials as soon as your manuscript is completed and edited. Don’t count on just one or two people for testimonials requests—people are busy and may not respond at all. Send out several requests and make responding as easy as possible. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope along with the manuscript for easy reply. Some people go as far as to send pre-written testimonials where the professional can chose the one they like best. They may suggest the person only need to scroll through the manuscript to obtain an opinion. Anyway you go about getting positive testimonials is fine, just ask politely and get them because they unquestionably matter.

Resources:
PMA article, How to get great testimonials for your book. http://www.pma-online.org/articles/shownews.aspx?id=2169

E-zine Author: Carol Denbow
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1 comment:

A Journey Well Taken: Life After Loss said...

Very smart! Sometimes authors (and publishers) overlook this area. I sought and received 28 testimonials for my non-fiction book "A Journey Well Taken" before going to print. It was time consuming research, but well worth the time involved in creating credibility and author buzz.