You may remember Kurt Walker from his recent post, 9 Ways To Market Your Book With No Money. Kurt is a digital marketer and a college paper help writer at Easyessay.org. Besides that, Kurt is a guest blogger at AustralianWritings, UK.bestessays.com, and Superior Paper writing service. Kurt specializes in email and social media marketing. He is the father of three kids and a passionate New York Knicks fan.
Today, he’s sharing with us some ideas, both offline and online, to help make your book’s launch an event to remember!
7 Things to Do Before Your Book Is Released
A book takes a lot of time and dedication to create. From drafting to the actual writing of the book – grueling. The revision bit is also tiresome.
Thankfully, there are several things you can do before releasing your book to increase the odds of your book’s success. Here are the top 7 tips:
1. Host a launch party
You need to release a book professionally if you want it to go viral quickly. Talk to your local bookstore and book a launch party for the book. It does not have to be something big. Do this as soon as you learn of the release date for the book from your publishers.
Many bookstores will be delighted to host a launch party for your book. This is more so the case when you are a local author. Having a launch party specifically at a bookstore is a strategic plan for boosting sales. Sure, you may opt to host one at a five-star hotel. However, will it bring you the desired sales?
Bookstores have their own way of handling sales, which free you from that hustle. Besides, they have a large number of people who are ready to purchase new books, making it a win/win situation for both parties. Since you may have a large demand on the day of the launch, you need to liaise with your publisher to make sure that there are enough books present. It would be very embarrassing to have lesser books than demand!
2. Leverage on social media and website
The world is going digital, and everyone seems to notice this. With over a billion social media users – and rising – you need to have a steady online presence long before you release your book.
This starts with having an intuitive and user-friendly website for having active social media handles. Your website should contain all the latest material relating to the new book. Things like positive comments and reviews, release information and possibly a book cover. Conversely, you can share the content across your social media handles. Besides, you can create a hashtag days before the launch to get people excited and talking about the book.
If you have any dormant social media accounts, make sure to delete them, as they may mislead followers and fans. Make it a habit to update content regularly across the handles to keep them active.
3. Build an email list
Emails are imperative, especially when you are launching a book. Most novelists will agree to this point and tell you to take your time and build an email listing. It is one of the essential marketing tools for books.
You can create your mail list through visitors on your website and social media platforms. You may have to give incentives such as discounts on the text to encourage visitors to subscribe. Once you have a concrete database of subscribers, send out preorder links, excerpts of the book, blogs, offers and any other thing that offers your readers value.
Check out this series of posts on Nicholas’ blog for some great tips on building and maintaining an email list.
4. Give away a few books
It may be a few days before your book launch or on an actual day. Giving a few copies of your book free will attract attention and excitement amongst readers. You can do this by organizing a trivia question on your social media platforms. The persons who give the right answer win the free copies. You can even have several trivia questions and ask them on different days. This will get many people following and help to grab attention. See it as a means of marketing your book.
Many authors also have an ARC (advance review copy) list. This helps generate lots of reviews fast on your Amazon page. If you’re wondering, Amazon still allows this, as long as it’s clearly stated in the review that you received a free copy and were under no obligation to review.
5. Know your target readership
Who should read the book? What is your audience? It is crucial to answer these fundamental questions in the run-up to your book launch. This will help you strategize on your marketing and know who exactly to send out messages to.
However, it is essential to not only concentrate on your exact target audience but also go beyond. Everyone would be interested in reading something appealing. Simply put, a good book will enjoy readership from every person.
6. Be aware of local opportunities
Know what awards and prizes are present in your local area and learn the ones that you are eligible for. This can help to build your brand and grow your reputation before the book launch. Check local book festivals and fairs going on and learn how you can participate.
Be careful about the dates, as most of these events need you to make early reservations. You can start early, even months before the event’s date. This will help the panel vet you faster and, if possible, give you a slot. All of these events will help to increase your popularity and that of the book before the launch. Plus, they will let you build a local network that can help boost your future sales.
7. Network extensively
Your list of contacts is critical, especially as an entrant to the publishing world. Take advantage of seminars and workshops to get to know people related to the book world. They can be of great help when it comes to advancing the book to the public when it finally gets out.
Conclusion
As every author knows, books are nothing like essay papers. You have to structure your dialogue, manage your beats, work your pacing, “show, not tell,” build suspense, stick to a genre’s rules, break a genre’s rules… Writing a book can sure be exhausting!
But none of this compares to the pains of book marketing. With an estimated 2.5 million books released annually, it’s easy for your book to get lost among the thousands of books released on that same day. No wonder most writers supplement their income by working for services like top essay writing services review, the edubirdie review, or do my assignment. Some even get hired from professional assignment service agencies to provide students with assignment help. Others find themselves working for resume services, or research papers writing.
Hopefully, the tips above will help you sail through the rough storms of marketing and ensure the success of your book’s launch.
Happy writing, happy launches!
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Saving this valuable info. Thanks, Nicholas!
Yay! Thank you, Dorothy 🙂