Ask the Publisher: How to Successfully Launch a Book – Part 4
Welcome back to our final installment of How to Successfully Launch a Book! We are now down to R-Day and…
It’s a Party!
It’s time to celebrate all your hard work! Break out the confetti, invite all your friends, family and local media and whoop it up. (Coming soon…a post with some tips for planning a kick-ass launch party!)
But before the first champagne cork is popped…
Send your list a launch day newsletter
Remind your keen readers that the book they’ve been waiting for is now on sale! Pro Tip: If you have a publisher, ask them to send one to their list as well. At Common Deer Press, we automatically send out emails, as well as posts on our social platforms, to celebrating the launch.
Update your social media header images
Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter let you update the image at the top of your page or profile. While you may have had the cover of your new book as your banner prior to this, now is the time to freshen it up with key review quotes.
Share your launch party celebrations with your followers
Celebrate with your readers by sharing fun posts on social media. Add URLs and include links to purchase on multiple retailers on the sites that allow this.
Pro Tip: Be careful sharing in real time. Strange things can happen in the throes of a celebratory mood… And not everyone appreciates candid photos. Sometimes, waiting until the next day when you can go through your photos and curate the best ones is a good move.
Post Launch Day
Ride the wave you’ve created and continue to promote your book. A few ideas…
Do book tours and signings
Many publishers, like Common Deer Press, set up book signing opportunities for their authors around the release of the book. If you are free to travel, either volunteer that to your publisher or spread your own net as wide as possible.
Join forces with other authors
A quick search on Amazon will give you a list of other authors writing in your age group and genre. Many would be happy to cross-promote books by collaborating on a multi-book giveaway and promoting the giveaway to everyone’s fans.
Pro Tip: When you are promoting the giveaway on your social media, always tag the other authors and ask for them to do so as well to create the greatest reach.
Organize Q&A sessions
Readers love interacting directly with their favourite authors. What better way than to offer to answer their most burning questions? Facebook Live offers the most ‘high touch’ connections, but Twitter chats and Reddit AMA’s (Ask Me Anything) also work. Another option is to record a video of yourself reading and answering the questions. An ongoing dialogue with your readers creates a sense of community and continuing engagement and primes them for your next book!
Create seasonal buzz
If you can strategically promote a book during a specific season, or run season-specific promotions, take advantage of that opportunity! For example, we are promoting The Boatman as a book for Hallowe’en.
Continue to celebrate your success with your readers
Whenever possible, thank your readers for your success with a celebratory social media post. Have you hit a sales milestone, or make it on a recognized list? Thank your readers because, at the end of the day, it’s them that got you there.
This is the last in this particular series but rest assured, we aren’t done with book launches yet. As new questions and new material and ideas come across my desk, I will be sure to share them with you. Also, in the next few weeks, we will be sharing a handy checklist for you that hits all of the main points in this series.