How to Request a Blurb for Your Book

If your book is nearing publication, regardless of the path, it’s time to think about blurbs: short quotes of praise and endorsement that usually appear on the front or back cover of a book.

Why do they matter?

Blurbs demonstrate credibility to agents, increase a salesperson’s comfort in taking a chance on your book, and help readers make a confident buying decision. They’re like a testimonial or a stamp of approval.

When should you request them?

Request blurbs after you’ve been a good literary citizen — active in the literary world and generous in supporting other authors by sharing their work, attending launches, and mentioning their books on your blog with links. Ask when the book is ready to go to press (it’s also acceptable to include a blurb in a book proposal, if you know the person well). Have a clean copy of your manuscript ready. Once you have an ARC (Advance Reader Copy), start building your list. High-profile authors take longer, so eight to nine months before your pub date is safe.

Who should you ask?

Ask people whose books connect with yours in theme, subject matter, genre, or setting. A middle-grade author shouldn’t ask a horror writer, and the author of a book about surviving breast cancer shouldn’t ask the author of a cookbook.

How to request a blurb

• Use email — not text, not Messenger, and definitely not social media.
• Follow the author first. Share their content. Subscribe to their newsletter.
• Make it as easy as possible. Offer your book in more than one format, and don’t offer to send “just a few chapters.”
• Never offer to write the blurb for them. It’s unethical, and you’ll be deemed unprofessional.
• Acknowledge that you’re asking for their time, and leave them a graceful way to decline. Life, deadlines, and illness get in the way.
• Keep your “yeses” to yourself until the blurb is in hand. It’s less embarrassing if something falls through.
• Send an immediate email thanks when they agree, a handwritten thanks when the blurb arrives, and a signed copy when the book is published.

What to include in your request

A sincere, heartfelt note. If you’ve met, remind them briefly; if you’re strangers, be respectful, professional, and polite no matter the response. Say specifically how much you admire their work and why. Include who you are, with links to your website, social profiles, and Amazon author page; what you’ve read of theirs and loved; how their books relate to yours in topic, genre, setting, or theme; a brief synopsis with a link; the ask itself; and the date you need it (six to eight weeks is fair). Put “nudge” dates on your calendar, because you’ll likely need to follow up. Do a little research right before you send: if they have a new book or a recent interview, mention it. And be willing to pay it forward when someone asks you.

Want help getting your manuscript ready for blurbs and the road to publication? Email me.