Blurbing

You don't do that. That's your publisher's PR department's job, not yours.

badducky said:

You don't do that. That's your publisher's PR department's job, not yours.

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Actually, I contacted a couple of authors that ended up giving us blurbs. My agent asked me to feel around and see if I could get a couple, and the authors I contacted ended up fulfilling their promises. My editor did the lion's share of the work, though, by sending out the manuscript and so on. My Dutch publisher passed the book on to David Baldacci, and we got his blurb that way. (True story.)

HOWEVER, no one's going to give you a blurb unless the MS is sent to them by an editor. Don't send your book to someone in the hope that they're going to read it before it has been purchased, because unless they're a very nice human being and/or have a lot of free time on their hands, they're not going to.

because unless they're a very nice human being and/or have a lot of free time on their hands, they're not going to.

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Even if they are nice human beings with lots of free time, they're probably not going to. Reading unpublished work can get them wrapped up into all sorts of legal scenarios, including the horrible "But you stole my idea!" should they happen to be working on something similiar.

katiemac said:

Even if they are nice huma beings with lots of free time, they're probably not going to. Reading unpublished work can get them wrapped up into all sorts of legal scenarios, including the horrible "But you stole my idea!" should they happen to be working on something similiar.

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Yep. My agent flatly told me to never read an unpublished manuscript -- for any reason. And assuming I even have the time, I'll only agree to read an author's first book for a blurb if an editor or agent contacts me.

That said, I've been contacted directly by friends and multi-pubbed authors asking if I'll give them a blurb. I probably agree at least half the time, depending on my schedule.

But I much, much prefer to be contacted by an agent or editor, not the writer. Because the former two don't take it personally if I have to pass.

Varthikes said:

I want to get an author or two to blurb my book. At what point should I contact my prospective authors? I was thinking once a publisher accepts my manuscript.

Is there a better time?

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As stated, the Publisher will eventually bring that up. I was a little impulsive and gave them my wish list. I don't know if they had a laugh?

Nateskate said:

As stated, the Publisher will eventually bring that up. I was a little impulsive and gave them my wish list. I don't know if they had a laugh?

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Nah, your wish list is probably theirs. And it never hurts to ask.

Just please don't take it personally if a writer says no. There are a dozen reasons why an established writer would pass on giving you a blurb, and eleven of them have nothing to do with the quality of your work.