5 Tips for Planning A Book Launch

The following post has been copied from a ​book launch checklist I put together while brainstorming to help my sister prepare for her debut book launch. This list is not exhaustive, as there are many amazing and creative things you can do to prepare for your book to launch. These are just some of the pieces that I've had the most success with for my own book launches. 

1. Create an Author Website

• This can be very simple to start out, but I would recommend having one. Having a place where your readers can come back to for more information as you expand is crucial!
• I like to use Weebly. It’s free to start, and you have a lot of options on that free avenue. If you want to sell your books on your own through your website, you may need to pay for the upgraded version, but in my opinion, it's worth it. 
• The pages I would recommend having to start…
  • About the Author
  • Published Works
    • Build a page showing off each book (before it comes out)
  • Contact Page
  • Email List Sign Up!!! (I would put this on your homepage with a mission statement of sorts. What do you want people to know about you?)
  • Events page (if you plan on doing events)

2. Create an Email List

• Email your email list at least once per week with updates/thoughts about your book. I waited years after publishing my first book to do this step, and I wish I had done it right from the start. Don't be afraid to ask people if they'd like to join your email list. The worst that can happen is they either say no upfront or unsubscribe later.

 
3. Create a Social Media Account

• Create a social media account for your author work. You can also create one for each book, if you like. I personally don't do this option, because I don't have a lot of time to manage all of them.
• Decide on your posting schedule to post. 
  • When people know when they will hear from you, it boosts engagement and excitement.
• Post consistently. Things I would recommend posting about…
  • Book release announcement (general)
  • Book release announcement with date
  • Cover reveal (see street team section for most effective cover reveal)
  • Book description (genre, brief content description, tropes/themes)
  • Character reveal
  • Countdown to book launch

 
4. Get in Contact With Bookstores

• If you have an independent bookstore that you enjoy going to and you have already built a relationship with, you can absolutely reach out to these.
• Barnes & Noble locations are often very open to supporting local authors. Reaching out to let them know you have a book coming out and that you’d like to host an event at their locations can give you an opening. You will want…
  • To share your ISBN and a picture of the cover, along with what genre of book it is.
  • Share what your release date will be and let them know that you’d love to get an event on the books whenever they have a spot. Some bookstores schedule out 6 months to a year in advance, so it may take you a while to get in, but others may have openings for the same month.

5. Develop Your Teams
ARC Team

• I’ve found that looking on Facebook is the best way to start building an ARC team (more people seem to respond on Facebook than on other platforms). Getting an ARC team can be an awesome way to generate reviews on release day (though this takes some prep work of up to a couple of months). You will want to include your ARC team in your 
  • Cover reveal
  • Shared graphics for your book
  • Descriptions 
• You may want to host online live events with them or run giveaways to those who participate. 

 
Street Team

• Reach potential readers who want to support your work and hype you up, before and after release day! Reach out on your social media accounts and email list to see who’s interested. 
• If you have a children’s book, you can create a draft copy to share with them, share an ebook file, or even have them join you for a virtual Zoom meeting so you can do a read-aloud for them. 
  • Engage your street team with daily/weekly challenges. Get creative!!