The amount of preparation that you put into a book launch determines how successful that launch is. Seems obvious, but what exactly should you do as an independent author to maximize the momentum of a book launch?
- Develop your platform. That means a lot of things. Branding yourself as an author (and more specifically what kind of author) is critical. And creating a presence for yourself on the web is also part of creating an author platform. You should have a website, you should have social media accounts set up where you are actively engaging with people in an organic way. Hint: That is not “buy my book” spamming posts. In case you wondered. It is extremely helpful to know who your target audience is and then talk to them. If you are spending time in Facebook groups that are not built around your ideal reader, you may be wasting your time.
- Create a newsletter list. You need to have a way to reach the people that you have spent time building relationships with. Building an email list is a fabulous way to do that. You can use a service like Mailchimp. Be careful not to over or under send newsletters. It’s sort of a balance. Email when you have something to say, not just for the sake of emailing them. You could send your email subscribers sneak peeks of your book cover or glimpses of your behind the scenes writing process.
- Distribute ARC’s and secure reviews and press. Find folks who are willing to read and review your book. Don’t send out a million copies and be sure to ask first. Contact media outlets and drum up some press for your launch. Bibliocrunch has a great FREE webinar coming up later this week that will give you tons of details about reaching out to press and increasing your book reviews as well. Sign up for that. You’ll be glad you did!
- Announce your launch to your email list. You know that list you’ve (hopefully) been cultivating? Well, now is the time to let them know about your book release. If you are doing any events around your launch on Facebook or even live at an indie bookshop, let them know. Readers love to come out and meet the author, even if it’s a release party on line.
Happy Writing (and Launching). Incorporate these four tips into your next book launch and you’ll feel great come release day!
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Not sure how to get press of your book or secure reviews? Check out this FREE webinar hosted by Bibliocrunch this Thursday.
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