Endorsements are short blurbs commending the material found within your text. Endorsements should be concise, approximately two to three lines followed by the endorser’s name, job title, and employer (if pertinent or recognizable). Endorsements that are too long or which contain unnecessary info will be cut. Endorsements which are irrelevant or which do not follow these guidelines may be rejected. Acceptance or rejection of endorsements will be left to the discretion of the editor.
Some things to keep in mind:

1. Endorsements are helpful but not necessary. A lack of endorsements will not prevent your book from selling. Please include endorsements in the same file as the teaser and author bio.

2. Due to space limitations, there may not be room to include all of your endorsements on the back cover, so any excess material will be included on the first page of the text. Please download the sample book teaser and bio. This will give you an idea of length, format, etc.

3. Children’s and Young Juvenile fiction books do not need endorsements. If they happen to have them, they do not need more than one each.

4. If the book is nonfiction, endorsements should be written by credible professionals in fields related to the book’s subject area. (Example: For a book on journalism, an endorsement from Tom Brokaw would be excellent.)

5. If the book is fiction, acceptable endorsements could come from a variety of places, both professional (including fellow authors) and non-professional. Sometimes endorsements from “average people” help enhance a fiction book’s credibility. (For example: For a book meant to target a wide age range, it might help to have an endorsement each from a teenager and a septuagenarian.)

6. Endorsements should not be written by family members or close family friends. This reduces credibility, and such endorsements are likely to be rejected by your editor.

7. Endorsements should be short and addressed to the reader rather than the author.

Bad example: Your book captivated me even though I have never read a Christian romance before.

Good example: [Title of book] captivated me even though I have never read a Christian romance before.

8. Endorsements should improve marketability. They should convey to the reader why the book is worth purchasing and reading, beyond that someone “liked it.” Be specific.

Example: Does the author touch on an interesting and original issue? “I have never seen anger management approached in such a lighthearted, clever way.”

Example: Is there some particularly good advice given? “Jim provides brilliant but simple techniques that will leave you scratching your head and thinking, Why haven’t I tried that before?”

Example: Is the theological book easy to understand? “Betty leaves no ground uncovered, making the reader feel as if he is having a comfortable fireside dialogue with the author.”

Endorsements may be submitted when the manuscript and backmatter are submitted. The latest that endorsements should be submitted is during the first month of conceptual editing. At that time, they may be submitted directly to your conceptual editor. The procurement of endorsements is the sole responsibility of the author. Tate Publishing does not provide assistance for contacts.