Having endorsements on the cover or first interior pages of your book can be a powerful marketing tool. But one question clients sometimes ask me when they are preparing their self-published manuscripts for design is how and when to add endorsements to their book. They have almost everything else ready to give to me to start the design, but the endorsements haven’t come in yet.
Do I need the endorsements before I begin designing? Or is there another way? I don’t have to have the endorsements before I get started, but I do need to know if you will be getting some, so that we can reserve space for them. You will need to specify where: front cover, back cover, or first interior pages. You can deliver them to me shortly before I create the final print-ready files for press.
There are two main options for how and when to start collecting endorsements from your reviewers, which I will share below. No matter which method you choose, if you are planning to approach reviewers and collect endorsements, start early to make a list of your potential reviewers’ names and contact information (e-mail or mailing address). This will allow you to quickly send out your draft for their review when it is ready!
Give your reviewers the final edited draft of your book (pdf format) to review while your book is being designed.
In this scenario, your reviewers can be reading the book at the same time as I am designing it. My layout and design process often takes about 4 weeks, which means your reviewers could work on endorsing the book while the book is being formatted. This is the fastest way to get endorsements, because reviewers can be reading your manuscript while the book is being designed and no time is lost.
Around the time I am finishing your full book interior layout, your endorsements will be ready, and you can send them to me for insertion.
But depending how design- or illustration-heavy your book is, you might not really want to show it to your reviewers until the design is complete. In that case, consider the next option.
Give your reviewers an “advance reader copy” or “proof copy” of the designed book before it is fully released. (Plan about one extra month into your timeline for this reviewing stage!)
In this case, your reviewers will receive either a PDF or printed “advance reader copy” (ARC - also called “advanced review copy” or “proof copy”) of your book after it is fully designed. Print-on-demand companies like IngramSpark or Amazon KDP make it easy to send reviewers printed sample copies of your book through their website if you will be self-publishing with them; the sample printed books are marked “not for resale” or “advance reader copy” so that it is clear that they are not the final book.
Or you can easily distribute PDFs of your book by email. Note: usually in print-ready book files, the book cover and book interior are separate and pages are shown one at a time. But for reviewing on-screen, it can be nice to have the cover and interior files merged into one and the pages shown in spreads (two at a time) to simulate reading a physical book. You can let me know if you want a “reviewer” copy of your pdf, which I will make in this more screen-friendly format just for your reviewers.
If you are not on a tight timeline, this method has some big advantages, especially if you send your reviewers a printed sample, because they get almost the final book experience (holding the book, seeing the final design) and it’s easier for them to not forget that they’re owing you a review, when the book is sitting on their desk or countertop (and not lost in a pile of e-mails).
Once all the endorsements are in, you provide them to me, and I add them to the book and give you print-ready files that are ready for your book launch!
If you’re thinking about when to add the endorsements to your book, you must be almost ready to have your book designed! Read my other articles and then took a free consultation with me and let me help you get your book done!