[btilly]

The one point I disagree with is giving people the suggested testimonial. This may vary by culture and person, but there is no better way to guarantee my non-cooperation than telling me what you want me to put my reputation on the line as having said. No matter how good an impression I had before, I'd have a bad one after that interaction.

Otherwise I agree with your advice.

[nagrom]

I think this is fairly common. I've had two people agree to give me a recommendation on the basis that I write it for them, allow them to see it and change anything that they don't like, and then sign it. As I see it, if you're willing to help me out then I wouldn't want to take up your time unnecessarily. If you want to write the whole thing yourself, then great! But if you're willing to do it but are time-constrained, I'll help you.

[nostrademons]

Different people have wildly different expectations. When my mom wrote a book, she was dumbfounded that she was supposed to write all the back-flap testimonials herself, and then the person they were attributed to just had to sign off on them and put their name on it. All but one of the people said, "Ah great, I don't have to do any work, this is awesome." One person said "WTF is this?" and wrote her own testimonial.

In my limited sample size, I tend to trust & respect the people who say "WTF? It's my name, I'll write it myself" more. Unfortunately, they seem to be in the minority.

[btilly]

If they ask, that is one thing. If you offer out of the blue, that is another.