Most of you know what a blurb is. Maybe you don't recognize the word, but I'm sure you recognize the quotes on the back cover or just after the title page. Someone famous or influential saying how remarkable a book is. That's my marketing focus right now.
Getting blurbs is a little awesome and a little humbling all at the same time. I've made a list of all the people who might blurb The Long Run. Some are friends but most are strangers I admire. One by one, I've reached out and asked if they will read my book. If they like it enough, I am also hoping they will consent to write a blurb. Almost everyone says yes, but there have been a few no's. I learned a long time ago that you can't let a no hurt your feelings.
My list is a mixture of my favorite writers, runners, and coaches. I have written a few blurbs for other people and know that I'm asking for a significant time commitment. It's easy to make something up without reading the book but the best blurbs are written by people who've actually taken the time to work their way through all 300 pages. I have refrained from requesting a blurb from someone interviewed for the book. That's gratuitous.
So the people I've reached out to basically received an email from someone they barely know, about a book they've never heard of, asking them to take time away from their busy lives to read every last word. It never crosses my mind that they'll hate it or lose interest. I'm confident about what I've written. If I was going to blurb my own book, I'd have to say that The Long Run is pretty awesome.
One amazing thing in my favor is that I know a ton of people in the running world. And if I don't know a specific person, I know a person who knows that person, allowing me to get in touch. It's six degrees of separation. I didn't have these sort of connections in all my years writing any other history book.
The next step is following up in about five weeks. That's delicate. I don't want to put someone on my publishing timetable but I also need to know whether or not we should clear cover space for their blurb. I hate to be a nag.
The irony is that no one knows if blurbs actually sell books. I've had some pretty prominent people blurb previous works and I have no reason to believe they were responsible for a single sale. I don't write the sort of books that make Oprah's Club.
So why am I busting my butt to get blurbs? Because sometimes it's nice to place something I've written into the hands of someone I admire and whose body of work I cherish, and who I specifically hope will get enjoyment from my words. To have them say something nice on top of all that is pretty special.