We have written a non-fiction book that is mostly about history which we hope to traditionally publish. It explains the 20th century as a series of plans that backfired. The book is not political, but its implicit message is squarely conservative given that it demonstrates that social engineering doesn’t work. If somebody’s preferences lean to the left, it is highly unlikely that he would like our book. Before pitching agents, we need book endorsements as we do not have suitable credentials (one of us has two Masters Degrees, neither of us has a PhD). We have emailed 27 PhDs and professors, but so far only 3 have replied. One said he has no time. The other asked for a PDF and we haven’t heard from him since. The third requested a chapter, liked it, and wrote a few words about it (but not about the book as a whole). We are considering paying for a review and checked several book review sites. However, the sites don’t specifically offer a review by somebody with a PhD. All we will end up with would be a review by a site and that’s not impressive. We need a review by somebody who has academic credentials or is a respected author. (Example, Peter Hitchens has no PhD degree, but is a respectable author.) We don’t know whether it would be acceptable to approach some professor or a doctor and offer him or her money. Of course, we would pay for the time they spend, not for a positive review (they may not approve of the book), but we still feel uneasy to do it. In short, we don’t know what to do next. Any ideas? How did you get your book endorsements?
You can pay for a Kirkus Review, $425 to $575 https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie-reviews/ For non-fiction: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/discover-books/nonfiction If it's a bad review though, you're stuck with it. I guess you can get it removed from their site. I think looking for PhD endorsements is a bit too narrow though.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I am looking at their website. I think I may need to go down this route if my Plan A of getting endorsements from experts in their fields (such as Historians or PhD Professors in certain subjects) doesnt happen.
