 Start Your Launch Plan Early
Don’t wait until you novel is finished before starting to plan your book launch. A successful book launch contains many activities, and they need to be planned well in advance. New novelists need to start planning when they are about half-way through the story. Yep, the mid-point of your story is a good time to start planning.
If you haven’t finished setting up your author platform, now is the time to make certain everything is in place. Keep growing your email list. Add names on your street team (beta readers) list. At launch time you will rely on those fans and beta readers to spread the word and write reviews once the book is out. You are going to be coordinating many activities the week of your book launch. Plan for the time. For your first book, do as much as you can and stay within your budget. It is possible to create and market your books inexpensively at the beginning (your first book). Your success on Amazon and other book distribution platforms takes time. The more you write and produce, the greater potential for growth. Many authors start seeing a spike in growth once the third book is published. As you publish more books, you’ll not only grow your audience, but will become better at the book launch process. The Best Tool
Jenny Blake created a powerful and detailed spreadsheet of actions to take for a book launch. The 15-Tab Book Marketing Spreadsheet is free and helps authors become organized and stay organized at the time of a book launch. Tabs include: online promo, offline promo, advance copy distribution, book tour, a planning calendar, and more.
The spreadsheet is developed for a traditionally published book, but independent authors follow the same procedures. This is a fantastic tool to keep you sane at book launch time. Don’t forget to send Jenny a thank you. Resources
For Free BooksIf your book is free at launch time, here are some resources to promote free ebooks.
Kindle Book PromotionsIf your book is on sale or even full price, check out these paid resources for spreading the word. Kindle Nation Daily http://kindlenationdaily.com/ — A variety of paid options Book Gorilla http://www.bookgorilla.com/ — Ereader News Today http://ereadernewstoday.com/ — scroll down to the bottom of the page to submit your book. OHFB (One Hundred Free Books) https://ohfb.com/advertise/ — Offers listings for free and deeply discounted books. The Fussy Librarian http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/for-authors/ — Carefully read the submission guidelines to make sure your book qualifies. Organized Planning is the Key
Book launch time will be busy. Start now to plan, gather the right resources, set target dates, and coordinate emails with your fans and street team. Mark every task on your calendar. When launch day comes, you'll be busy, but in control.
Zara Altair Zara Altair writes mysteries set in ancient Italy. Argolicus thinks he has retired, but he and his tutor, Nikolaos, are drawn into puzzles, politics, and murder. |
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Plan Your Book Launch
Monday, March 20, 2017
Writing Advice From Raymond Chandler
the psychopathology of everyday life - Adrian McKinty's blog: Writing Advice From Raymond Chandler
A long time ago when I was writing for pulps I put into a story a line like "he got out of the car and walked across the sun-drenched sidewalk until the shadow of the awning over the entrance fell across his face like the touch of cool water." They took it out when they published the story. Their readers didn't appreciate this sort of thing: just held up the action. And I set out to prove them wrong. My theory was they just thought they cared nothing about anything but the action; that really, although they didn't know it, they cared very little about the action. The things they really cared about, and that I cared about, were the creation of emotion through dialogue and description; the things they remembered, that haunted them, were not for example that a man got killed, but that in the moment of his death he was trying to pick a paper clip up off the polished surface of a desk, and it kept slipping away from him, so that there was a look of strain on his face and his mouth was half open in a kind of tormented grin, and the last thing in the world he thought about was death. He didn't even hear death knock on the door. That damn little paper clip kept slipping away from his fingers and he just wouldn't push it to the edge of the desk and catch it as it fell."
A long time ago when I was writing for pulps I put into a story a line like "he got out of the car and walked across the sun-drenched sidewalk until the shadow of the awning over the entrance fell across his face like the touch of cool water." They took it out when they published the story. Their readers didn't appreciate this sort of thing: just held up the action. And I set out to prove them wrong. My theory was they just thought they cared nothing about anything but the action; that really, although they didn't know it, they cared very little about the action. The things they really cared about, and that I cared about, were the creation of emotion through dialogue and description; the things they remembered, that haunted them, were not for example that a man got killed, but that in the moment of his death he was trying to pick a paper clip up off the polished surface of a desk, and it kept slipping away from him, so that there was a look of strain on his face and his mouth was half open in a kind of tormented grin, and the last thing in the world he thought about was death. He didn't even hear death knock on the door. That damn little paper clip kept slipping away from his fingers and he just wouldn't push it to the edge of the desk and catch it as it fell."
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Author, Don't Be Shy
You Want Readers. Tell Them About Your Books.
When readers see your header on your website or on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or anywhere else, do they know your genre right away? If you don't tell them, they won't know. They're not going to scroll down your page or your social media posts to try to discover the type of story you tell. More importantly, you are missing potential readers by hiding that information. Even a header with book covers may mislead them. Tell them right up front. Romantic fantasy. Horror. Thriller. Entice new readers with a straightforward tip on your genre. Take a look at the image above. Are you ready to read Miranda's books? I'm a member of several author groups. Recently in two groups, there was a call to post Facebook pages and websites. I was astounded at how many headers told me nothing about the books. I had to dig around--these were fellow group members--to discover the genre or look for books by the author. Their headers were as mysterious as the one above.
Your Name, Author. Won't get you readers.
Your responsibility as an author is to let readers know what you write. Appeal to readers who resonate with your story elements. Your Name, Author, may be an ego boost but does not invite your core readers to find out more or buy your books.
Simple Promotion
Adding a bit more for your readers will help new readers discover you and lead to more book sales.
- Your Name
- Your Genre - A tagline.
- Where to buy your books
Robust Author Promotion
Your header is the first visual people encounter when they reach your website or social media site. Give potential readers the basics. You want readers who love your genre. They will be happy to discover a new author if you give them the right clues. However much you prefer writing to building your author platform, give the platform a boost with simple cues for your reader audience. Zara Altair Zara Altair writes mysteries set in ancient Italy. Argolicus thinks he has retired, but he and his tutor, Nikolaos are drawn into puzzles, politics, and murder. She consults with a select group of writers as The Story Bodyguard.d
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