Marketing your book is going to involve asking people for things. Whether it’s cover blurbs, a foreword, testimonials, or reviews, it’s far more practical to ask than to wait for volunteers.
How you ask makes a world of difference. My goal in this article is to help you do your homework so you have the best chance of getting a meaningful response. Note I didn’t say a positive response; ‘yes’ isn’t always the right answer, much as we’d like it to be. You can’t be too timid to even ask, but it doesn’t work to be so confident you come off as a jerk.