Many authors who will lend their names to just about any and every book. It makes you wonder if they’ve actually read the manuscripts before deciding on the ten or so words they’ll use to endorse it. But do endorsements really matter?

Have you ever you every bought a book because Mr. or Ms. Super Important Person wrote a pithy sentence or two endorsing it? I for one have not.

Don’t get me wrong. Book endorsements certainly don’t hurt. I’ve actively sought high-profile kudos for my books. To be sure, I am happy that some prominent friends and colleagues decided to lend their names and brands to my texts. From the author’s standpoint, you feel a certain sense of validation that someone says, in so many words, “This book doesn’t suck.”

Have you ever you every bought a book because of an endorsement?

But forget the authors. What about the readers? Have you ever been on the fence about a book and, after reading an endorsement, pulled the trigger? Was that endorsement the deciding factor?

And, if you didn’t like the book, did you ultimately find yourself questioning the wisdom of the endorser?

Brass Tacks

Endorsements are much like covers: both are hygiene factors. An endorsement by itself guarantees absolutely nothing; the lack of one, though, may well make potential buyers question whether the book is worth buying.