I recently sent Hurricane Baby as an entry in to an open call for manuscripts and one of the items requested in the call was a list of published authors who might support the book’s publication with a book blurb. I thought it was awfully early in the process to be asking that question, but I sat down and thought: whom should I ask?
It’s a question that can come up at any point at the manuscript selling/publishing process, and it’s a way for the publisher or press to get an answer to another question about you as a writer–who do you know that supports your work so unreservedly that they would be willing to lend their name to its publication?
I immediately had an answer to the question because I had workshopped and read parts of Hurricane Baby in my MFA program, and I emailed three of my instructors to ask if they would be willing for me to put their names down for that list. Each one has their own relationships with the writing community and have published books in their respective fields, and each one is intimately familiar with my work due to having served on the thesis committee for my degree. I also wrote down a couple of other names in case any one of those three felt they could not help me support the book.
It’s a good idea to develop relationships throughout your literary community (whoever might be included in that catch-all term) because so much of this business depends on your ability to form good relationships. You need to be able to form relationships with those editing your work. reading your work, and marketing your work. You need to be able to trust that every part of your team wants the same thing you do–for your work to succeed.
But we writers are often a crochety lot. We have assorted hangups, opinions, and neuroses about our work and about other people’s work. (Roxane Gay is famous for cultivating nemeses as well as supporters). It can often feel impossible to communicate with other writers–we may feel left out of the club for any number of reasons. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying to have relationships because every writer needs a supportive community of other writers–be they mentors, classmates, internet buddies. or simply friendly faces in your particular crowd.
How did I go about asking? I emailed all three and simply explained what the press wanted, and would they be willing for me to list their names as possible blurbers for the work? Within forty-eight hours, each one had returned an email expressing their support. One even said he appreciated being asked! So that was good. I will also email the other three on my list who are a little less familiar with the story to see if they could also be resources if when the time comes for blurbs, any one of those three had to back out.
Other more established writers may have different ideas about asking for support. But my main message is this–it is easier to ask people you already have relationships with to support you than to try to invite people you barely know into your fold. Just my two-cents worth.
Julie Liddell Whitehead 