Writing a book is a wonderful experience and exercise. It’s beyond an academic or intellectual journey. Your book is a gift to the world and more importantly to your community and those who care about what your book is about.
While writing and publishing a book is one thing, marketing your book is another thing.
So many writers focus on writing their book, but they forget to leave time and plan for marketing the book.
I’ve written 5 books, including “The Celebrity CEO“, which is all about personal branding.
Here’s some key tips in how to launch your book and make it success
Leave plenty of time
One of the big reasons authors are disappointed in their books sales is that they didn’t leave enough time to properly get the word out about their book. Time is your friend (and your enemy).
Don’t wait until your book is OUT before you start marketing it.
You can put your plan together months ahead of time and start building relationships with key stakeholders and influencers.
Your Landing Page
There’s not one right way to build the perfect book launch landing page, but there are a few key elements that it should include:
- It should be well designed. Professionally designed. Not look like you did it yourself with Crayons 🙂
- Have a way to capture emails and cell numbers so that you can directly email those interested in your book when it comes out. Get permission and have people “opt-in” to your email and SMS/txt list.
- The landing page should incentivize people to buy your book in one of several ways. These include incentives for various levels of bulk purchase (100 books, 50 books, 25 books etc)
- For example, $10,000 (or more) worth of books could earn the buyer an opportunity to have you keynote in person at an upcoming event of yours. Buying 25 books could earn the buyer an opportunity to host an online experience with you.
- Sure, you want to “sell” the book, but more importantly you want the book to make the biggest impact possible.
- Of course, those who want a single copy of the book can just buy it on Amazon or another source.
- Bulk orders can be purchased by your clients, sponsors and/or other allies who want to spread your message to their communities.
Fulfillment of Your Book
As pre-orders grow for your book, how you’ll fulfill the book is so important. There’s not one right way to do it.
Selling single-copies, I suggest you let Amazon deal with long-term fulfillment of your book. Work with your publisher or your self-publishing service to have them ensure Amazon is well stocked with copies.
My point? Don’t have 300 copies in your kitchen and try to ship them out yourself, it’s an exhausting task.
One of the benefits of working with a fulfillment house that specializes in book launches is that you can add cool, pre-order add-ons to each book order, as the video above shows.
Having said that, for your bulk orders and initial launch, if you have the staff and space you might consider limited distribution of books, especially as the pro-orders come in.
Companies like Porchlight Book or She Prints It, can help
Publicity for Your Book
As you gear into marketing your book, here’s what you need to do:
- Put together an email campaign to frequently engage your email list to buy your book, You can work with a copywriter to help you do draft copy for your email campaign.
- Work with your marketing automation software so you can build an automated campaign that sends custom emails to your email list based on segmentation and their responses to the campaign.
- Go live. Leverage the power of your own social media platforms to go live on a regular basis and invite your audience to ask questions and learn about the concepts in your book, to help them.
- Get covered in the media. Contact your local (or national) radio stations, TV stations and print media to cover your new book. STOP. Let me re-state that. Not to “cover your book” per se, but to share the insights of your book that can help their audiences. You can hire a publicist to do this for you, or do this on your own.
- Bloggers and Influencers. Don’t just get focused on traditional mainstream media, there’s many bloggers and influencers who would LOVE to feature you. Remember, they NEED content to power their blogs and give insights to their audiences. Bloggers, who have traditional blogs or even Instagram and TikTok influencers who might feature you and your book are also an important part of your mix.
- Blogging platforms. Common blogging platforms include Substack, Medium, LinkedIn articles, Beehiiv and more.
- Get on podcasts. Podcasts are a powerful way to build excitement and generate publicity for your book. Don’t worry about “how big” a podcasters audience is. Just say YES and share your insights and knowledge.
- Mail your book to influencers. Get your book into the HANDS Of influencers and key stakeholders. Those who can take selfies, review, post about and share your book with others.
How to Pitch a Podcaster or Any Media
- How to pitch podcaster? A simple way you can pitch most podcasters? “Hey Megan, I’d love to join you on your podcast and help your listeners understand about the importance of how forgiveness can help their businesses thrive. So many entrepreneurs don’t realize that their upbring is affecting, in a bad way their current business. My new book, is about that, and so much more. Might we schedule some time to share this with your audience. If you’re open to it, I can also send you some suggested talking points, if that’s helpful for you. THANK YOU”
- When you pitch a podcaster or any “media” be sure to ensure your pitch, what you will share, is of relevant to the podcasters theme and audience needs.
Going on Tour
A on tour across the USA or across the world is a great way to expand the impact of your book.
Going on tour takes time and planning and is quite doable. Here’s some guidance:
- Identify upcoming events that might want you to be on a panel or speak at their events.
- Before or after you speak, you can invite attendees to buy your book. Or even better give the book away to everyone in exchange for signing up for your free lead magnet. Use it as an opportunity to build your email list.
- There are many organizations such as local libraries, local chambers, business associations, co-working spaces, and other groups that are having events all the time.
Integrate Your Speaking Into Book Marketing
If you’re already speaking, you can use your book as a catalyst to do more speaking. If you’re not speaking that much, you can use your book as a catalyst to encourage event organizers to invite you to speak.
Part of your speaking campaign could be that in lieu of a speaking fee, the event organizer buys a fair amount of copies of your book.
Paid Advertising Works
While paid advertising, such as on Facebook, is not easy, it’s a way to add “fuel” to the fire of your book marketing.
In Summary
So there you have it. An overview of how to market your book and take you and your book on tour.
Doing this is not hard, it just takes someone with the knowledge and experience to “think outside the box”, to pitch you to media and event organizes and to think how to best leverage you and your book for maximium impact.
Interested in working with Ramon to help you market and launch your book? Let me know.
