There's a lot of talk about blurbs in the author world. Even if you're traditionally published, you'll be asked to help out with something called endorsements. These are not blurbs. You create a blurb while you're making marketing copy. They sum up the goodness of the story.

Endorsements are those powerful snippets of praise from people who are already known better than you. Famous authors, frequently-published ones with a following, or industry experts deliver endorsements. You can't have too many. More recent books open with several pages of endorsements. Putting them in the opening pages makes them show up as part of the Kindle free sample download.

• You want the right people for an endorsement. These are not the fan reviews from your Amazon listing. Think of what would motivate you to buy a book from an unknown author. A rave from another fan might not do it. You want someone with clout.

• You get endorsements from building relationships with authors. Start before you need the endorsement.

• Go for the gold. If a celebrity has a good link to your subject, pitch them. One way to start is to review their books, then post a note to Twitter or Instagram that points to your review. Tag the author in your post.

• Contact plenty of people while you seek endorsements. Three times what you'll want to use would be a good place to start. Keep them on a reminder email string once they commit.

• Send your most polished version of your book for the endorser to read. Your best work is probably what you'll need to win their approval. Have it in a PDF and a Kindle document, if you can. Have advance review copies ready to mail, too. Paper still outsells digital.

You will show professionally published authors you know your stuff if you call these endorsements. "Blurbs" is used instead, and it cheapens the gift that another author is giving you.