Launching Your Book – What’s Working?

book launch rocket-launch-67641_640As we wade into Fall and leave the sales doldrums of summer behind, it’s a good time to look at what’s working and what’s not working. Many sales outlets that authors have used in the past have become either less effective or totally ineffective. But, if you have a new book on the horizon there is good news. By executing a successful launch, you can gain enough momentum to earn consistent sales or have a strong enough initial surge that you can comfortably move on to writing the next book.

I polled a couple of authors recently who employed different tactics when launching their books. Some of their strategies were very interesting. Here are a few of their suggestions: Continue reading “Launching Your Book – What’s Working?”

The New Book Release “30 Day Cliff”

1998 quebec cliff photo by K. S. Brooks do not use without permission
Photo by K. S. Brooks

Whatever your writing and pre-publication process is, you’ve done it: your book is edited, proofread, formatted, and you have a cover that you love. You’ve hit the publish button. You’re probably not thinking that the next 30 days may make or break your book’s success. But that just might be the case. So, now what?

For most of us, the first steps go something like this: send an email out to your newsletter subscribers. Those should be your most ardent fans and supporters. They will give your book a nice little boost right out of the gate. Up next, social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Instagram, and wherever else you want. The big question that most authors face is, what then? Continue reading “The New Book Release “30 Day Cliff””

Release Day Mania

Bulletproof - Share the PostEven with the introduction of pre-order publishing across the board, I still think a book’s release day is a really big deal. A song and dance needs to be made on the day your book goes live. You really want as many people to buy your book on the day of release as possible. Your rankings have a better chance of soaring in that first week than at any other time. I mean, yes, you can do a sale later on in the book’s life and pay for advertising – that’s actually a really smart move, but release day rankings are a sweet spot that should be taken advantage of.

So – how do we get the world buying, or noticing, your book on its release day? While there are many different techniques out there, here are a few I’ve used: Continue reading “Release Day Mania”

Are You Prepared For Your Launch?

rocket-launch-67641_640You’ve got a new release coming out and you want it to be a massive hit. You’ve arranged a publicity campaign and told everyone about it, sorted various events, planned a big online launch party and sent emails to the press. You’re pumped and geared up to launch this baby way into orbit. Just before you go racing off in a frenzy of activity, take a moment to read this little post. Publicity is good. You need publicity, but alone it is one small part of a bigger strategic plan necessary to give a book and author a better chance for significant sales.

While book publicity plays an important role in creating awareness, there are several factors that positively or negatively impact book sales in spite of your valiant efforts. In order to have the best possible chance of attracting media attention and potential book buyers, authors need to consider doing the following to set books up for the greatest chance of success. Continue reading “Are You Prepared For Your Launch?”