Yes, the dreaded blurb captions! We send out for ten and hope to get five. We go after some very famous people and sometimes, if we can get it past their management, we luck up with one or two. Authors pull their hair out of their heads: People they thought who would easily supply a blurb never respond; and are in nirvana when they receive one from someone they least expected. The blurb captions are a roller coaster ride (to say the least) that can drive authors and the poor publisher (me) insane!
But why chase after endorsements? Because they really do help the book along. First, it’s a cool enhancement for the book and a powerful way of connecting with key players in the literary community. They also add credibility in the eyes of readers. And despite the hassles, most people are often flattered to be asked to endorse a book, and when they do, they feel some small sense of ownership because they have spoken up for the author’s work and, their name is on the book. It also gives us a reason to go back to our endorsers and ask for help in generating a buzz for the book.
2Leaf Press has been fortunate in obtaining blurb captions from a prestigious group of poets, writers and scholars. Here are some of the folks who have endorsed our books: Wayne Kosetenbaum, Henry Braun (After Houses); Bonafide Rojas, Sandy Maria Esteves (Our Nuyorican Thing); Illan Stavans, Thalia Pandiri (Birds of the Kiswar Tree), Sharon Keefe Ugalde, Tina Escaja (Incessant Beauty); Oliver Lake, Cheryl Boyce Taylor, Layding Kaliba (Brassbones & Rainbows); Willie Perdomo, Myrna Nieves, Caridad La Luz (Hey Yo! Yo Soy!); Anne Waldman, Gerald Vizenor, Tino Villanueva (Imaginarium); Nikki Giovanni, Bob Holman, Raquel Rivera (Last of the Po’Ricans); Kimiko Hahn, Jonathan Anderson (Providencia); Colin D. Halloran, Margot Bigg, Henry Hughes (Whereabouts); and Roberto Márquez, Sandra Ríos Balderrama (Puerto Rican Folktales / Cuentos folclóricos puertorriqueños).
A number of 2Leaf Press authors have supported each other by providing blurb captions for their fellow authors, which include Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, Lisa Sánchez González, Abiodun Oyewole, J.L. Torres and Tony Medina. Urayoán Noel has the distinction of supplying the most blurb captions: Boricua Passport, Last of the Po’Ricans, and Birds of the Kiswar Tree, and this was before he became a 2Leaf Press author!
In the end, it doesn’t matter who we chase after for blurb captions, it’s all about the book. If the book wasn’t worthy of an endorsement, far few people would be interested in supporting the work, and that’s what really counts! So I thank all of these great folks for their support and look forward to chasing down some more great endorsements as we move forward.
