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By Leslie Miklosy

Reading the piece about blurbs in the latest Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop newsletter brought back many memories of my efforts over the years of trying to procure such endorsements for my five self-published books.

My first one — Which Is More Round, the World or Your Tummy? (subtitled Offbeat Reflections on Serious Living) — was published in 2005; my latest — Out of My Mind: Quotations that Delight, Dazzle, and Confound — came out in 2020.

Chasing after blubs gave me a whole range of memorable experiences — both positive and negative. I found out that notable people, including celebrities, can be unexpectedly generous and kind as well as, very occasionally, even dismissive and rude.

My books have never been great sellers, if I'm to be honest. Even when I was able to obtain endorsements that I could characterize as wonderful, my expectation was not that the endorsement would make my book(s) a huge seller. My ultimate appreciation was a deep satisfaction that someone well known (or not) whom I greatly admired liked my work, and took the time to offer support.

Some of my favorite blurb acquisitions over the years:

A perfect blend between thought and fun — it makes you think but it doesn't weigh you down.

There is so much wisdom here that I feel I could pick this little book up time and time again and always find a new pathway to a thought.

Insightful, wise, humorous, thought provoking ... be prepared to aha, chuckle, nod your head in agreement! This is quite unique and very enjoyable ... kind of like watching colorful butterflies on a beautiful sunny afternoon!

Thinkerer goes beyond the calculated ick of inspirational books and hits the bulls-eye by going around it, leaving you scratching your head, swallowing hard and laughing your head off. It’s right on, subversive, fantastic and heartwarming.

Condensing thoughts, images and wisdom into a few lines is an art which Miklosy has mastered. Read these wonderful aphorisms, and be both inspired and amazed!

As a writer of books of original quotations, I once had a unique opportunity. I happened to be working as a part-time bellman at an inn that was expecting Hal Holbrook to stay there. He was coming to town to give a one-night theatrical performance as "Mark Twain.”

He arrived and I got to be the one to escort him to his assigned room. There was a problem with the loud ice machine just outside the door. I called down to the front desk from the room, with him standing beside me. While we were waiting on the phone for a new assignment, I told him about my book, showed him quotations from it (he chuckled!) and asked if he'd consider giving me a blurb. I admitted it was very short notice, as he was going to do a show that evening and was leaving the next day. He agreed the timing wasn't right, and we went back to getting him a new room.

And that is how I once had the distinction of being turned down for a blurb by the prominent Mark Twain "pretender" Hal Holbrook.

Self-publishing a book requires a tremendous amount of work. Besides creating content, editing, laying it out, choosing artwork and working with the publishing entity on the final product — acquiring half-a-dozen or more endorsements from different sources, many of whom are strangers, is a huge undertaking, requiring great patience. You have to decide who to "pursue," find their contact information, draft and send off a request message — and wait, wait, wait in the interim for their response.

I could write a whole book on failed attempts: rejections for various reasons by those queried, sometimes obviously valid, sometimes not friendly, as well as unsuccessful attempts even to connect with those usually inaccessible by nature.

It’s sort of like mining for gold!

— Leslie Miklosy

Leslie Miklosy is the author of five collections of original life reflections — some playful, some serious — expressed as aphorisms and in short essays. His latest, Out of My Mind: Quotations that Delight, Dazzle, and Confound (2020), showcases 195 of his most popular quotes, best short essays and favorite illustrations from his four previous books.