How to Launch a Novel
Third time’s the charm, they say. They also say, “Live and learn.” I’ve launched two books so far, and I’ve learned A LOT from both of them.
So, what will I do differently for my Book 3 launch? That’s a good question. My hope is to release the book on March 1, so I have less than two months to work with. The manuscript is moving through the editorial process, which means I have to finish writing and producing the book, and carry out a plan for launching it simultaneously. If I had never published a book before, I would say it can’t be done. But I have done this before, and I know it can. Still, I don’t have a lot of time to play with.
I’m going to list what I did for Books 1 and 2, and what I’m going to do for Book 3, in the hopes that sharing this information helps you when it’s time to plan your own book launch.
Book One
For They Will Be Coming for Us, Book 1 in The Jovian Universe, I gave myself about six months for book production and marketing after the book was written. That turned out to be a lot of time! More than I needed.
+ The most successful action I took for getting the word out about Book 1 was having professional reviewers read the advance review copy. To my surprise, my first review, from the independent book reviewer BlueInk Review, came back as a starred review. That was amazing. Because I received a star, the book showed up on the first page of BlueInk’s website, and it was published in BookList magazine (for librarians and bookstore owners). As a result, many paperback copies sold. Being a newbie, I didn’t know how lucky I was. …
Then I received a positive review from Kirkus Review, which was equally exciting. When I sent my manuscript to Kirkus, I didn’t realize what a large risk I’d taken. Though I knew Kirkus reigned at the top of the professional reviewer food chain, it didn’t occur to me that there was a good chance I’d receive a not-complimentary review and waste the $400 or so it cost. Luckily, they liked the book and printed the review in their print issue.
Again, that was a gift.
+ I purchased a Book Giveaway on Goodreads, and 100 winners received a digital copy of my ARC. This helped draw some attention to both me as an author and the book itself on the Goodreads platform. Goodreads members started following and friending me. How many of the 100 winner actually reviewed the book? Probably ten or less. Was it worth the $119? I do think so, only because it was a form of advertisement.
+ I built a website, started blogging regularly, and began a subscribers list. Experts say a subscribers list is by far the most important thing you can do as an indie author. It’s a slow build, and the sooner you get started, the better.
+ I hired a book cover designer. An attractive cover not only draws the eye but also makes a statement about the quality of the novel inside. I’m a big believer in well-designed covers because I know it makes a difference to me as a book buyer.
+ Along the same lines, I used a proofreading pool and a professional proofreader to make sure the book was as error-free as possible.
+ I also put together a street team of readers to write Amazon reviews as soon as the book became available. These people tooted my book’s horn. They are so important to the self-publishing process, and I’m grateful to have them in my corner to this day. For more about street teams, click here.
+ I reached out to Instagram book reviewers, but only received a handful of reviews this way. Reaching out is time-consuming, and unless you’ve developed some solid relationships there, the return may not be worth it.
+ I wrote a guest post for JaneFriedman.com. My bio mentioned my new book and garnered some subscribers to my blog.
+ I used NetGalley to distribute free copies to “people in the book industry.” Many of them took the free book but didn’t read it. Some read it and loved it; while others read it and, gulp, hated it. Some of the haters were, how shall I say, unnecessarily rough, which no reviewer should be. In spite of receiving a 4-star average from NetGalley readers, I cringe to this day when I recall the experience. The ruthless ones were a blow to my debut-author self-confidence, not something I’d wish on my writer friends.
Book Two
For Jovian Son, I did not do all of the things I did for Book 1. The foundation was already set: I had a website, subscribers list, weekly blog, etc. I purchased two reviews, and both of them were positive. I had a pool of proofreaders and a street team, and I posted on Instagram.
And that was it. My poor second book-child was pretty much thrown into the world without much fanfare.
Instead, I concentrated on pushing Book 1 via Free Book days and discounts, hoping readers would enjoy it enough to want to buy Book 2. I have to say, this method of marketing does work. But I should have made more of an effort to create some noise about Book 2. Not only would it have made a greater number of readers aware that the second book in the series was available, but it also would have reached new readers who didn’t know me or Book 1.
They say the best marketing you can do for a book is to write another one, but I didn’t take advantage of it. I realize that now … and all I can say is, “Live and learn.”
Book Three
Here’s what I plan to do for Bright Blue Planet. Now that I’ve put the list on paper, I realize it’s a scary number of tasks. Must use time wisely!
+ Create proofreading pool and street team. I’ve already started putting these together:) Contact me at kim@authorkimcatanzarite.com if you’d like to join.
+ Request author blurbs for cover and/or praise page from sci-fi authors.
+ Purchase Goodreads Giveaway prior to publication. When you have the giveaway prior to the book’s release, everyone who enters the contest is reminded of the book’s release on release day. That’s good advertising. I am thinking about running giveaways for Books 1, 2, and 3 at the same time—creating a sort of Jovian Universe blitz—but I’m not sure yet. Maybe.
+ Purchase three professional reviews, preferably those that have print editions that go to librarians and bookstore owners. (Then pray that the reviews are positive!)
+ Write as many guest posts and magazine articles as I can for writing, publishing, and book blogs and magazines. Request a release date near my book’s release date. For an example of a guest post, click here.
+ Update my website with the new book cover and reviewer quotes about and from the book. Continue to blog consistently.
+ Contact a few Instagram reviewers I’ve come to know in the two years I’ve been on social media.
+ Avoid NetGalley. Instead, hire a PR company to organize a blog tour (cost: less than $200). The company will put the ARC into the hands of bloggers, who will post about it and/or write a review.
+ Create social media photographs and captions ahead of launch date. Prepare at least a couple of weeks’ worth, and post twice a day using appropriate hashtags.
+ Set up Free Book giveaways for Book 1 (and maybe even for Book 2) to occur in the weeks leading up to Book 3’s release. Use promotional newsletters to advertise them. Once Book 3 is out, do a promotion specifically for New Releases. (E-reader News Daily and Fussy Librarian offer New Release promos, and I’m sure they’re not the only ones.) Click here for more on this subject.
+ Visit the local library with an ARC of the new paperback. Ask if they’d be interested in an event or book signing.
+ Visit local bookstores and chat with owners. Bring a one-sheet and some books, in case they’re interested.
+ Send a one-sheet about the series to non-local libraries, bookstores, and other places that might want to carry my books. (This is more of a long-term task that continues far beyond the release date.)
+ Upload information about the new book onto all bookish websites, such as Bookbub.
+ Do a Facebook ad and/or Amazon ad during the first thirty days of the book’s published life. But don’t get carried away—keep the budget low.
That’s probably all I’ll be able to do in the time that I have. If I can’t get all of it done, that’s okay. Every bit helps, and I can continue to move forward with these tasks following the release date. Remember, for the first thirty days after publication, Amazon considers the book a New Release, so you’ll want to continue to request reviews and promote it as much as you can during this time to give it the healthiest start possible.
I hope that my tips and experiences help you make your next book launch the best one yet.
What did you do to launch your latest book? I’d love to hear from you.
Kim Catanzarite is the author of the award-winning sci-fi thriller series The Jovian Universe. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches copyediting for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft (www.authorkimcatanzarite.com/blog). She lives on the east coast USA with her husband and daughter.
