Marketing is an essential part of authorship, and it starts with your book launch.
You’ll need to start planning this at least three months prior to your book’s publication date and the more creative you can be, the better your book will land.
The place to start is with your ideal reader. How many of these are already in your email list – and how many of those are engaged?
The most successful book launch I’ve seen was for an author who already had a highly targeted list of more than 7,000 people – so, on launch day, he sold 200+ copies of his hardback book and just under 100 ebooks – and the book has continued to make sales over the three years since publication. That’s unusual, but it’s not impossible.
Another author I know has spent 18 months building a community focused around the content of his book, with weekly podcasts and newsletters. He aimed for his community to reach 5,000 before he publishes the book.
The essentials
You’ll need to add an email campaign to your list, letting them know the book is coming out and detailing, or teasing, any launch day offers. You’ll need this to start running 4-6 weeks before your launch day.
Ideally, you need to use social media to announce your book’s launch date, also with info on your launch day offers. Again kicking off 4-6 weeks prior to launch.
Educate your network – get excited about your book at any networking meetings you attend. If you’re a regular attendee, it’s likely that quite a few people in your network will purchase on day 1.
Powerful extras
A special ‘launch day only’ reduced price. So if your book is £18 at full RRP, then offer it for £10.
A launch day bonus bundle. This is where you gather more value to offer, just on the launch day. This might include:
- Relevant webinars
- Other ebooks or pdf documents with useful information
- Existing products like video courses or ecourses
- The ebook version free with every hard copy purchased
- Entry into a draw for something of value – this can be a 1-2-1 with you, the author, a Kindle or tablet, or a guest place on a course you’re running. One author offered the winner of the draw a place on his 4-day workshop with a value of £5K+.
Targeted advertising. Facebook, Google or interruption ads. This will extend your reach beyond your current community. Facebook and Google enable you to highly target the audience you want, interruption ads are random, but if your book has a wide potential audience they could be useful.
Print and broadcast media. Local press like local success stories, so let your local newspapers know about your book. The same goes for your local radio stations, both BBC and the independents, and don’t discount the digital only stations, they have loyal followings.
Get interviewed. Who do you know who has a podcast or a YouTube channel? Could you get on their interview schedule? Ask on social media and in your networks for introductions.
A book is rarely successful by accident. A plan is essential.
