4 Steps to Create a Successful Book Launch

Publishing a book is an exciting time but can be stressful if there is no clear plan to create a successful book launch. The book launch is so important that starting the process early allows authors enough time to research and optimize the strategies needed for today’s book market. Below are 4 concepts that will put you on the right track and help create a successful book launch.

Planning Makes Perfect- While some authors focus on one task at a time, the successful author looks at the entire process and what’s involved with each phase. Staying ahead of the process will empower you to keep to your timeline, avoid distractions and navigate any issues that arise. Just as will keep the writing phase moving, starting to while you’re still writing will benefit the book launch.

Build a Book Launch Team- In the current market, most book sales will come from online resellers, with Amazon being the dominant one. Building a book launch team will allow you to take advantage of the tools for successfully launching a book. Your team should consist of readers within your genre who are active on social media, understand the business, and are authentic with their marketing approach. If you are active within the writing community, it should be easy to find people to help. If you are not active in groups or organizations, you should ask friends, family, alumni, and anyone you know or have a relationship with. With this approach, you will need to ask a lot more people to yield the results you are looking for. If you plan on writing other books this is where being involved in the book community can make a huge difference.

How can authors benefit from building a book launch team?

One of the biggest benefits is having an active team ready to write reviews before and after the launch. Since Amazon does not allow reader reviews before the publishing date, your team should be prepared to post them immediately after. Amazon does not have a policy for how many reviews can be added in one day if the reviewer follows the posted rules. The more reviews you can get within the first few weeks, the stronger your launch will be. Try for at least 15 reviews within the first two weeks.

Another benefit is knowing how to take advantage of Amazon’s analytics. As the world’s largest online seller, Amazon tracks every ‘click’ a customer makes and will reward those books that have a lot of activity. When readers visit your book page the algorithms monitor all the activity. If an author has a lot of presales, the book can reach the top position in a category. They will also print your book right before the publishing date allowing readers to receive the book shortly after its release. If this trend continues after the publishing date the book will not only have consistent ratings, but Amazon can lower the price to entice additional sales. They also send out email reminders to readers who visited your page. There are other benefits for having a lot of activity to your book page.

Use Giveaways and Promotional Opportunities– another way to get the word out about your book is to set up a giveaway on a website like Goodreads. There are a lot of readers who will write a review on Goodreads and eventually Amazon in exchange for a free book. We have had success using services like Book Sirens who offer ARCs to readers/reviewers for free before the book is published. These readers can post a review on Goodreads before the release and Amazon once the book is published. This is a great way to get the buzz going for your book.

Authors can also look at eBook promotional companies to get the eBook version out to readers who have subscribed to receive books within your genre. Some companies allow for books that are not published yet, while others want published books with strong reviews.

Set the Right Expectations- Book marketing is a process that takes time, effort, and consistency. The more you put into your book launch, the larger return you will get. You might not see the results from your effort initially, but rest assured you will if you remain focused on your goals. Steady always wins the long-distance race, so be prepared mentally by setting realistic expectations upfront and stay upbeat throughout. Continue setting the right expectations throughout the entire marketing process.

There are other strategies to consider for creating a successful book launch, but it’s important to master the basics before you try implementing too many strategies. With some books, less is better. Other books might require a lot of diverse marketing strategies for creating a successful book launch.