Book Launch Survival Guide

Congratulations, you sold your book! Now it’s time to get to work!

Getting your book published is a dream come true, but many don’t realize the extensive work that follows. Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, this guide will help you navigate your book launch and ensure your book gets the attention it deserves. Let’s dive in!

Find Your Crew

The first step is important and hard!

Publishing can be lonely and challenging. Having a supportive community of fellow authors can be invaluable. Join debut groups on Facebook, engage with the #writingcommunity on social media, and connect with book bloggers and influencers. Authentic connections matter more than networking with the most successful and sought-after individuals.

Check out sites like:

• Facebook Writing Groups
• Goodreads Author Program
• Scribophile

Be Your Own Cheerleader!

This is the second most essential lesson I can give you — you have to advocate and speak for your book!

Do research into how to spread the word about your title and don’t fear asking your publishing team questions. Your agents, editors, and your publishing team are a support system that wants to see you and your book win. They don’t expect new authors to know everything and they will happily answer questions. Communication and transparency are key to doing well in the publishing game.

Timelines

Everyone wants to know when things will happen, but timelines vary like scores on a basketball court, so this is a broad and general outline.

This is a general guide to give you an idea of what is to come, but communicate with your publishing team for the exact production schedule and details for your novel.

6–12 Months in Advance

• Build Your Author Platform: Create an author website and/or set up a LinkTree for easy access to all of your essential links. Collect email addresses for a mailing list to keep readers engaged and updated on your new releases. People need to see your book 10–13 times before they buy it.
• Create Pre-Order Incentives: Offer contests, exclusive content, and promotional items to encourage pre-orders.
• Cover Reveal: Coordinate with your publisher to plan a cover reveal event. Include cool graphics and videos.

Helpful Links for This Stage:

• Wix or Squarespace for building your awesome website.
• Linktree to manage all of the relevant links to information about you and your book.
• Mailchimp for email marketing and connecting with readers.

3–6 Months in Advance

• Launch Pre-Order Campaign: Update your LinkTree with buy links for your preorder your title.
• Submit Book Galley for Reviews: Connect with industry reviewers, bloggers, and influencers.
• Plan and Promote Launch Events: Schedule book signings and readings at local bookstores, libraries, and literary events. Try buying donuts or cookies for librarians in your area or teachers at local schools and giving them an invite to your author event. Virtual events can also help you reach a wider audience.

Helpful Links for This Stage:

• NetGalley for distributing ARCs.
• Eventbrite for organizing author events.
• Hootsuite to schedule your social media posts.

1–3 Months in Advance

• Distribute ARCs (Advance Reader Copies): Send ARCs to reviewers to generate early buzz.
• Ramp Up Marketing Efforts: Increase social media posts, share more frequent updates, and engage your audience with videos, Q&A sessions, live readings, and cool graphics and posts celebrating your upcoming release.

Helpful Links for This Stage:

• BookFunnel for ARC distribution.
• Canva for creating eye-catching social media graphics.
• Buffer for scheduling social media updates.

30 Days Before Launch

• Promote Your Events: Use your website, email list, social media, and local media to promote your virtual and in-person book launch events.
• Escalate Pre-Order Campaign: Increase the frequency of your promotional posts and offer additional prizes and incentives. Always include the link for pre-orders with these posts.

Helpful Links for This Stage:

• Instagram for images, videos, and visual promotion.
• Twitter for real-time updates.
• Facebook for event promotion.

Launch Day and Beyond

• Launch Day Activities: If possible, offer your book at a discounted price to attract more buyers and boost rankings on platforms like Amazon.
• Engage with Your Audience: Post updates and positive reviews and thank your supporters on social media. Encourage your ARC team to post their reviews.

Helpful Links for This Stage:

• Amazon KDP for managing your book on Amazon.
• Goodreads for connecting with readers.
• BookBub for promotions.

Ongoing Activities After Launch

• Continue Promotion: Keep promoting your book through social media, email newsletters, and collaborations with other authors. Share positive reviews and reader feedback along with fun facts.
• Evaluate and Adjust: Monitor your sales and marketing efforts, and be ready to adjust your strategies based on what works best for your book and your target audience.

Helpful Links for This Stage:

• Google Analytics for tracking your website traffic.
• Social Media Examiner for social media tips.
• Buffer for ongoing social media strategies.

Tips for Marketing and Promo

• Get Assets from Your Publisher: At the very least, get a high-quality version of your cover to use. If they have a certain font for your cover, get that along with any other promotional images you could incorporate in the graphics that you make to promote the book.
• Get 3D Covers: These are great for making graphics and you can make them for free on websites like DIY Book Covers.
• Use Stock Images: These are great for general graphics and making visual and aesthetic posts. Canva has a decent stock image library, but Pexels has more attractive images.
• Create an Elevator Pitch: Be able to sell your book in a few short sentences to get readers’ attention and hook them into buying your book.

Preorder Campaigns

So, why do preorders matter? Preorders let the publisher know that readers want your book, which can result in more promotion and marketing for the book because the publisher now knows that this book is a good investment. Preorders also let retailers know that there’s demand for the title, which can result in more of them stocking it so customers can buy it. Preorders also count toward first-week sales, which means they increase the chances of a book debuting at the top of a bestseller list, which is a huge boost for the book sales and the author!

How do I Increase Preorders? Get more preorders by advertising your book’s preorder link on social media platforms. Figure out who your audience is, and what platform you want to use to reach them, and then be creative with cool graphic posts, captivating videos and reels, and links to a site where the book can be pre-ordered!

What’s a Preorder Campaign?

A preorder campaign is where you give perks to readers for preordering your book to improve those first week’s sales. Campaigns can range from virtual incentives that cost little or nothing, to physical gifts to send out. Here are an example of perks for your pre-order campaign:

• Signed Bookplates: Personalized signed bookplates are a great way to make your book feel special.
• Exclusive Art Prints: Offer character art or book-themed illustrations.
• Bookmarks: Custom bookmarks are useful and collectible.
• Enamel Pins: These are popular and make for a high-value collectible item.
• Stickers: Book-themed stickers can be fun and relatively inexpensive to produce.
• Digital Content: Offer exclusive chapters, deleted scenes, or sneak peeks.
• Virtual Events: Invitations to exclusive online Q&A sessions or book readings.
• Discount Codes: Offer a discount on future purchases or related merchandise.
• Tote Bags: Branded tote bags are a practical and popular choice.
• Gift Cards: Enter pre-ordering readers into a giveaway for a gift card.

When Should I Run My Preorder Campaign?

You should launch your preorder campaign 3–6 months before your pub date. A longer campaign means more time to gain preorder sales. Your preorder campaign should continue through the first week your book is in stores for optimal sales.

Things to Consider

Time: Signing bookplates, stuffing envelopes, and mailing gifts can make a preorder campaign take longer than expected. Allow yourself ample time.

Budget: Figure out your budget for preorder perks. Consider the cost of shipping and international shipping. Shipping larger and heavier items can be expensive, so factor these costs in when deciding what perks and incentives to offer during your campaign.

Accessibility: Make your campaign accessible to more people by allowing readers to enter if they request your book at their local library.

Book Swag: This can vary with the budget for the campaign and can include everything from high-cost items like enamel pins, mid-cost items like character art, and low-cost items like bookplates and free items like digital art and wallpapers.

Campaign Submissions: Use Google Forms to collect data from participants.

Street Team

Build a street team. As a debut author, you may not initially have a team of readers, but you can start advertising for one so that as your readership grows, your team can grow as well. A street team is a group of excited readers who want to promote you and your book. Members of a street team are motivated by their love of an author’s work and their eagerness for a book that’s coming out. Give them incentives like ARCs, monthly Zoom calls, preorder campaign swag, and sneak peeks of your WIP to keep them engaged.

Events

Events are a great opportunity to expand your audience. Virtual events are accessible to a wider audience and can be done via Zoom, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. For in-person events, reach out to local bookstores and libraries.

By following these steps and staying flexible, you can effectively navigate the complex world of book launches and set your book and career up for victory. Remember, the key is to be proactive, find a crew to support you and your work, engage with your audience, and continuously promote your novel. Good luck and good launch!