5 Tips for Your Book Launch

ALESSANDRA TORRE, NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Two owners of book marketing agencies, Kiki Chatfield and Danielle Sanchez, gave an Inkers Con presentation called “What Will Make or Break Your Book Launch.” Of the many best practices they covered, and questions they answered was about the importance of a general release plan covering a book’s pre-launch, launch, and post-launch, plus social media tips.

Here are five important tips and excerpts of those tips from the transcript of that presentation (minor edits made for readability):

#1 Utilize Apple pre-order and Goodreads to help you promote and build up hype. 

As soon as you have a title you can put it on Apple, and you can put it on Goodreads. You don’t have to have a cover and you don’t have to have a synopsis to get those two links that can help build up hype. People are really looking at you on Goodreads. It matters how many people are interested in that book, because Netflix and other companies are really looking for new fresh content. So it’s important to get your Goodreads up and get it promoted.

#2 Remember, different platforms have separate readers. They might have some crossover, but they’re usually different people. 

If you’re really trying to expand on different readerships, you have an Apple reader, a Facebook reader, an Instagram reader, a Goodreads reader, and also BookBub readers. You have all of these different groups. And they all do different things at different times. Apple readers are going to preorder a year out in advance. On Goodreads, they’re constantly looking at things. They’re looking at what other Goodreads reviewers are looking at, and seeing what they’re doing and what they’re adding and what they’re liking. Facebook is the here and now and the drama and that’s okay. And Instagram is a huge tool. If you’re not utilizing Instagram right now, do it.

#3 Even if you don’t have a marketing rep or PR person, definitely build a marketing plan. 

Plan out – I’m going to do this, this, this, and this, if it’s an Excel spreadsheet, if it’s in a Word doc, if it’s in your phone or your notes, it doesn’t matter. Definitely build some kind of marketing plan that’s going to make you do certain things on certain days.

I would have you detail it out in days, for example, on May 21 I’m going to share a teaser, on May 22 I’m going to go to Goodreads, and like all of the people who have reviewed my book on May 23 I’m going to… detail it out.

Not only that, it’s going to make you do it because you put that plan in place. You say, “I’m committed to this, I’m going to get all of this done.” Having a calendar and a marketing plan gives credibility.  Use scheduling software to help you. We use Hootsuite, Grambler, Meet Edgar, there’s so many. Find one that works best for you. We love Hootsuite. Having scheduling software is really going to save you, especially if the book is released because you’re really trying to get focused, and you want to still make sure you’re putting other content out there as well.

#4 Don’t just be active on social media when you know your book’s coming out. Constantly be active on social media. 

There are authors who will just pop in and you’ll just see them right before they’re going to release the book. And then they disappear again. And then they come back right before they’re going to launch, and then they disappear again. Don’t do that because that’s going to hurt your algorithms. Just be active. So if that’s part of your marketing plan, schedule a Facebook post, schedule Instagram posts, plan to do this, make sure you’re doing that. Those are definitely some activities that’ll also make or break your release. 

#5 On that social media topic, stay positive, stay out of the negativity. 

It’s so hard sometimes to hold our tongues, and we don’t want people to go after our friends. Privately discuss negative things on a phone call, get your anger issues out, but stay in the positive light online because it’s really affecting readers. I talk to readers all the time and they say, “I love their books but I do not like their presence online.” So, be as positive as you possibly can. Be happy and let readers see that. You want them to say she’s a really great author. I really enjoy her online presence and her attitude. She supports other authors. Stay positive.

This post is a transcript excerpt and breakdown from Kiki Chatfield & Danielle Sanchez’s Inkers Con 2019 class, What Will Make or Break Your Book Launch.

The upcoming 2024 Inkers Con conference offers dozens of brand new classes (including ten marketing classes!), Q&As, author discussions and more! Join us in Dallas or online!

Kiki Chatfield is the CEO & Owner of The Next Step PR which helps authors be seen and heard. She loves coaching and prepping authors for the launch of their books. Kiki has additional resources on her website — https://www.thenextsteppr.com/ 

Danielle Sanchez is the Owner and Business & Marketing Director of Wildfire Marketing Solutions. She loves to create marketing plans that target all aspects of an author’s business. Dani has additional resources on her website — https://wildfiremarketingsolutions.com/