Introduction

A great way to give your book credibility is with testimonials. Nothing helps lend your book more credibility than a positive quote from a prominent figure or someone knowledgeable in the field your book’s topic is. Credibility is essential to your professional success and to the sales of your book.

Here are eleven sources for finding free testimonials that you can use in your book, on your website, and in your marketing materials:

1. Teachers, professors, educators: Think about some of your favorite educators you had in school, especially ones who taught a subject similar to the one in your book. Be sure to also consider educators with impressive titles, such as “Dean” and “President,” etc. Many in this group will also have been published, so make sure the title of your most famous, most successful, or most recent book is attached to your name.

2. Authors, bloggers: If you’ve already written your nonfiction book, you already know who these people are. Email them to your editor or to your blog and kindly ask for a testimonial.

3. Industry experts: The bigwigs within your industry can be hard to get testimonials for, but you should give it a try anyway. These will be much easier to obtain if you are active within your industry. But anyone else within your industry who has good accomplishments, many years on the job, or author of a book, will be just as good for you.

4. Leaders of professional organizations: For national leaders, this could also be hard to come by because they will fear that by giving you a testimonial, it will appear that their organization is endorsing you and your book. But getting this kind of testimonial will be like hitting the jackpot. It will be much easier to get a quote from the leaders of professional organizations that are local.

5. Local Celebrities: This group is worth following. Small local celebrities, like those featured on the local TV news, or successful business owners, newspaper reporters, and anyone with a fancy title. The biggest celebrities who regularly appear on national TV shows can be very hard to come by.

6. Suppliers, manufacturers: Talk to some of the vendors or manufacturers that you and your company deal with. The best testimonials will be from anyone at these companies with a professional degree. But don’t forget that the ones without a fancy title can be good too, especially if they have direct knowledge of you and your work.

7. Charitable organizations: Any charity or religious organization you belong to, especially if you are actively involved in the group. Again, try to get someone with a title.

8. Government Officials: Nationwide, these can also be very difficult for the average person to come by. Try local first.

9. Social networks: Social media dating can be very good, especially if you want to get a lot of testimonials. Make an effort to get quotes from those who have a large following and who have also written a book.

10. Current clients: These may be some of your most powerful testimonials and should be very easy to obtain.

11. Friends, family: Yes, even these can be good, especially from those who don’t have the same last name as yours. It is imperative that you write an honest testimonial about yourself and your book, using your own words.

conclusion

Be sure to get a variety of quotes from different professions and different industries, as well as some from regular readers that aren’t necessarily on this list. Testimonials from those with big, fancy titles are certainly impressive and can help you sell more books. But testimonials from those who don’t have those fancy titles can also help you sell more books, as well as help you build a larger, devoted following. A variety of voices and opinions is key to building and maintaining your credibility.