How I prepare for a book launch

I released The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop in October and A Merry Christmas at the Castle in November. It was an overwhelmingly busy time with so much to think about! A book launch comes after the joy of finishing a book and the stress of going through edits and beta feedback. I hope this post can jog your brain and help you towards organising your launch. Please don’t think this post is me saying ‘wow, my book launch went amazingly, and this is how I did it.’ It’s not. It’s me saying, ‘here are a few tips on what I did to give you something to consider when it comes to launching your book.’

ARCs

Don’t underestimate the importance of offering ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies). There are various ways you can find ARC readers, whether that be through a (paid) website, or just trusting others in the community with your work. I reach out on Twitter and ask if anyone would be interested (I limit who can reply to the Tweet to those I follow). If this isn’t your first book, then try reaching out to people who have previously read and reviewed your stories since they’re usually your target audience!

Why are ARCs so important?

If you go online to buy something, do you look at the reviews? Most people do. I’m more likely to buy something that’s been reviewed than take a chance on an unknown seller, with no reviews. ARC reviews allow potential readers to know what they’re about to buy/read.

Pre-Orders

I’m a big fan of pre-orders. It means you can shout about your book, and drum up interest before its release. These pre-orders can also really help your book’s ranking on release day. A high ranking on release day can mean Amazon puts your book in front of more people and sales can snowball.

Preparing your pre-order

When drafting your pre-order listing, I would always recommend looking at the best sellers in your genre. Do any keywords jump out time and time again? Are they listing snippets from reviewers or other authors? Take all this into consideration when setting up your listing.

Those signed up for your newsletter are your biggest fans. They’ve agreed to receive emails from you because they want to hear about you. Therefore, they should be the first ones to hear about upcoming book releases, pre-orders, and cover reveals (I also like to share snippets with them, but I’ll get onto that in a bit).

Once you have a release date, let your newsletter subscribers know. They’re practically your cheerleaders, so make sure you’re giving them something to cheer about.

Pssst… you can sign up to my Newsletter here.

Cover Reveal

I like to set my pre-order up and announce a book release before revealing my cover. This way, you pique everyone’s attention and continue to build interest. How you do a cover reveal probably depends on your social media following. Again, I’d recommend showing it to your newsletter subscribers before anyone else (remember, you need to give them a reason to be receiving your emails).

Blogs

Blogs are great for sharing your new book. You can announce your book on your blog, share snippets, reveal your cover, and anything else! Other people’s blogs are also very important. We all have an individual following, so chatting with someone on their blog will put you and your book in front of a new audience. I would recommend doing lots and lots of this! Several book bloggers/ authors will be happy to exchange blog posts, so it’s mutually beneficial. I have an author Q&A section on my website where you can just fill out the question and I’ll post it. You can find it here.

Share snippets

Let people know what they’re about to read. I share the first chapter on my blog and in a newsletter. Amazon allows people to read a sample, but they already have to be searching for your book to do that. Sharing snippets in other places puts your book in front of new audiences.

Offer for 99p

Offer your book on pre-order for 99p and keep it there for a couple of weeks after release. I’ll be honest, it sucks seeing it sell. I earn 35p for every 99p ebook sold. That’s 35p for hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of work. But, let’s be honest, if we wrote books for the money, we would have given up a long time ago!

A reader is much more likely to grab a 99p bargain. Also, they’re more likely to buy it now and save it until later to read. While this might seem counterproductive (because we need those reviews now) it can help that initial surge in sales upon release and boost your ranking on Amazon.

*On KDP, to list your book for 99p/99cents, you will need to opt for the lower royalty percentage – don’t forget to change this back when you put the price back up!*

There’s lots more to consider. Here’s a short list…

Create your book’s Goodreads profile

Reach out to see if any authors will include your book in their newsletter/ podcasts/ book groups/ etc…

This post focuses on an online launch, but there’s lots you can do to market in person

Create lots of promotional graphics

That’s how I prepare for a book launch.

I would love to hear what’s worked or not worked for you!

How I prepare for a book launch