Having celebrities endorse your book will lend credibility, prestige and authority. It will also help you sell more books.
Big brands have been using celebrities to sell products for ages. Think Michael Phelps on the corn flakes box to Ellen Degeneres in Cover Girl makeup commercials. They pay big fees to the celebrities because these endorsements help sell more products.
The good news is, with a little bit of effort on your part, you can get industry influencers and busy celebrities to endorse your books- and you won’t have to pay a fee.
To understand why celebrities will give you an endorsement, even if they don’t know you, see Part 1 of this series Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement
I reached out to a top industry expert who was also a multiple New York Times bestselling author to get an endorsement for a client’s book. They agreed. We were thrilled! An endorsement from them would add incredible cache and authority to my client’s book. Weeks went by. We heard nothing. After more than a month, I reached out and asked if it would help if I sent some sample endorsements.
The expert’s assistant wrote back with a one word response: “Absolutely”.
We got their endorsement the next week!
The key to having celebrities endorse your book is to put in time up front, and to make it as easy as possible for them to say yes.
Here is how to get celebrity endorsements for your book
Create a simple, ‘package’ with all your information and materials to send via email.
Start by sending a very short, detailed note about your book along with your request and why you think they are the perfect person to endorse it. [Genuine flattery goes a long way!]
Offer a copy of the book as well as a representative sample
Many celebrities and experts will not want to read your entire book; however, you should offer them a copy of it as well as a representative sample [intro, table of contents and a chapter]. Rather than send the sample as an attachment, host your sample chapter in the cloud [drop box, google doc…] and offer a link to the files in your email.
Offer Sample Endorsements [3 -5 samples]
Let them know you recognize that they are busy, so you have drafted a few sample endorsements that they are welcome to use as is, or edit. This can make it easier for them. They can simply select one of your samples and email you back which one to put their name next to, or they can customize a sample endorsement to make it more ‘in their own voice’.
This last step of offering ‘sample endorsements’ can make all the difference between getting an endorsement or not, as you can see from my client example.
Sending sample endorsement works for two reasons. People are intimidated by a blank page. They aren’t sure where to start. By offering them some samples, you are helping to give them some suggestions and direction. They don’t have to think hard about this, and can comply with your request, by customizing one of your samples in a minute or two.
Remember, you are asking a busy people to take an action on your behalf. You want to have celebrities endorse your book. They get a lot of requests. The easier you make it for them, the greater likelihood you have of success.
Fast Track Your Results & Get More Celebrity Endorsements
Related Content :
Part 1: Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement
Part 3: How to Contact A Celebrity for a Book Endorsement
Related Posts: Choosing the Best Self-Publishing Book Company for Your Needs
Listen to our podcast: The Self-Publishing Blueprint