Before launching your book, it’s essential to do some planning and get your audience engaged and excited about your work. The following is a list of tactics to help you prepare for a successful book launch and ongoing book sales. Best wishes to you!
Pre-Launch Tasks
- Consider hosting a pre-sale. Making your book available for pre-sale allows you to build some momentum before the book is officially released. Not only can you generate some buzz, but all the pre-sales you accumulate will count toward your total sales ranking on launch day.
- Alternatively, a soft launch strategy can also be useful. To do this, quietly release your book to Amazon and other sellers about a week before your planned launch date. Check to be sure all book details look good, and the book is shipping properly before announcing it to the masses. You can also claim the book in Author Central and ask some of your early readers to write the first reviews.
- Leverage beta readers, which are a group of five to 100 or more people who get early access to your book for free. Yes, The goal is to get people talking about your book as soon as it’s launched, while you build a base of raving fans and get book reviews on Amazon. Ask them to post book reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other sites, and encourage them to help you spread the word.
- Plan a party (if you want one). Make sure to include a table where you can sign books and be prepared to process credit card payments with a tool like a Square reader.
Identify Your Community of Influence
Start keeping a list of important people to contact about your book. You can create several lists for different purposes. Lists should include:
- Authors who can provide book endorsements.
- Those who should receive review copies including influential people, fellow authors, potential clients, media pros, bloggers, podcasters, book reviewers, etc.
- Peers, clients, and industry friends who you can ask for support in spreading the word.
- Trade associations, Meetup groups, alumni groups, and related groups where you can potentially get support for your book.
- Local and national media contacts, online and offline, including radio shows, podcasts, print publications, television, etc.
- Potential bulk buyers such as past clients, corporations, associations, nonprofits, schools, and other organizations.
- Any person or company that you recommend as a resource in your book. Be sure to notify them and send a review copy. Chances are they will show their appreciation by spreading the word about your book.
- Anyone who contributed to your book in some way. Be sure to send a copy with a note of thanks.
Create Anticipation for Your Launch
- Put your book cover on your website with a big “coming soon” announcement. This can be done months in advance.
- Start sharing details on social media. Invite your followers to sign up for your email list to get notified when the book is available.
- Build your email list. Make sure you have an email sign-up box on your website with a lead magnet (sample chapters, bonus report, worksheets, etc.). Popular email tools include ConstantContact.com, mailchimp.com, or aweber.com.
- Get your social media accounts set up if you don’t have them already. You don’t need to use them all, but it’s wise to pick at least two networks where you know your audience spends time. This can include Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Pinterest. Start sharing news about your book months in advance.
Conduct Pre-Launch Research
Create contact lists for media outreach to include the following:
- Local print, radio, and television media outlets (local is always easiest to get).
- Media outlets across the country.
- Trade association opportunities. What associations do your potential readers belong to? Visit association websites and see if you can contribute posts to their blog, write for their newsletter or magazine, apply to speak at local meetings or a national event or even join their board of directors.
- Bloggers that reach your target audience. See if they post book reviews, accept guest blog posts, conduct interviews or host book giveaway contests.
- Podcasts on iTunes or Spotify to find programs where you should be a guest. Start by searching for keyword phrases related to your expertise. You can also search for other authors in your genre to see what shows they have appeared on. Once you identify a show, visit the show website and look for guest submission guidelines. You can also subscribe to podcast directories like PodMatch, Podseeker, and Matchmaker.fm.
- Groups that reach your target audience on Facebook and LinkedIn. Join one or more groups and start engaging with the community as a participant. Then when it’s time to launch your book, ask the group admin if you can host a book giveaway or other promotion. You may also want to consider starting your own group.
Write Announcements to Share by Email and Social Media
On launch day, you will send out several email announcements to your various Communities of Influence and the verbiage you use may be more casual or more professional, depending on the recipients. These announcements should ask recipients to buy the book, write reviews, and help spread the word with their own networks. Craft written announcements to the following:
Download the full report here (it has six more pages of book launch tasks!).
