The Indie Author’s Guide to a Successful Book Launch
Congratulations! You have succeeded where most have failed: You’ve published your book!
This is an extraordinary achievement and one that you should take time to celebrate and bask in the accomplishment 🥳
But, now what?!
How do you get your book, the one that you’ve devoted countless hours to, into readers’ hands?
While all the marketing and promo can seem daunting and exhausting, let’s take a look at the step-by-step process to get your book successfully launched.
Your readers can’t wait to celebrate with you!
8 Steps to a Successful Book Launch for Indie Authors
While it is easy to get caught up in the numbers and comparisons game, the true definition of a successful book launch is one that generates excitement for YOUR BOOK around release day.
Please note that the following assumes you have taken your book through the steps of publishing (i.e., cover design, editing, formatting, and proofreading; the FINAL files have been categorized accordingly (via KindleSpy and KDRocket) and uploaded to your selected platforms; and a Universal Book Link has been created (using Draft2Digital), and you are ready to embark on the next steps of marketing.
To help ensure any challenges are ironed out before they cause delays, consider starting the following steps 2 months prior to launch. This runway to launch helps pave the way to success and makes it more enjoyable.
If you’re understandably exhausted and/or don’t want to learn how to do yet another thing, please know that author personal assistants (PAs) and companies (noted below) offer these services, so you can focus on your area of genius.
Prep the Big Reveals!
Now for the fun part! Get ready to send out teasers of your cover, release date and your of new book’s blurb. You can do this yourself, or you can put together a reveal team via a sign up (similar to growing an ARC team). Putting together a team can also serve to drum up excitement.
Set Up a Book Blog Tour (6 weeks prior to release)
Usually around your book’s release, a blog tour is a 1-2 week period bloggers will showcase you and your book on their blog to generate hype. FMI on how to set up your very own blog tour, check out Book Blog Tours: Self-Publishing Dream or Total Waste of Time?
Build Your ARC Team (at least one month prior to release)
Your ARC team is integral to the successful launch of your book, since they build hype and lend credibility in the form of honest reviews in exchange for a free copy of your book. To learn about how to find, support and nurture your ARC readers, check out How to Build Your Dream ARC Team.
You can create and send ARCs out yourself, or hire a company, like NetGalley, to do this on your behalf. Although sending physical copies of your book is more expensive than sending out eARCs, know that this is an option, too.
Since people get busy, sending 1-3 reminder emails to read and review your book is appropriate.
Send Out Your Newsletter
If you’re already building your own email list, the recipients have signed up for all of the reveals, sneak peeks, updates, reminders, and exclusive content that having a book launch is full of!
Be sure to make it easy for readers to find your books by including the Universal Book Link that has been created using Draft2Digital.
For more information about how newsletters can help get your books into the hands of readers, check out Book Marketing Ideas and Strategies for Indie Authors and Building Your Author Platform and Community: 6 Actions to Take.
If you don’t have your own newsletter or email list, companies like Freebooksy, Ereader News Today and Fussy Librarian can be helpful. They email newsletters to those who have specifically signed up to get information about ebook promotions.
Update Your Author Website
Since your author website is built to do the marketing for you, take advantage of this by updating it with your new book cover, blurb and links.
Locations to consider:
Home page
Adding a separate page for the book or adding a separate series page if it’s part of a series
Newsletter sign up page
Sales page, including updated links to purchase
Check out 5 Ways Your Indie Author Website Does the Marketing for You and Easy Indie Author Website Tweaks to Boost Book Sales to learn more about your online powerhouse.
Set Up Your Author Page on Goodreads
When used in conjunction with your ARC team’s reviews, having your own page on Goodreads can help with a successful book launch.
Once you’ve set up your author page, be sure to set up a page for your soon-to-be-released book. You can then use the update feature on both of these pages to share updates with your followers. Your readers are especially interested in things like the progress you’re making on your WIP, your cover reveal sign up, and your one month countdown.
You can also take advantage of Goodreads’ blog feature to showcase big events, like your cover reveal and release day.
If you’re doing this prior to release, you might consider Goodreads’ giveaway option to increase the hype.
Share the Excitement on Social Media
Regardless of the platform(s) of your choice, your readers are clamoring for all the bits and pieces you’ll tease all the way until release day!
Be sure to share:
The cover, blurb, interior formatting, release date, etc.
Teasers in the form of quotes and story excerpts
Early reviews via ARCs
Behind the scenes
Lists of books in your genre or with shared tropes
Others’ excitement for your book
Giveaways, especially with other authors
Links to purchase (make sure to update your link in bio, for example)
LAUNCH!
Congratulations! Revel in your amazing achievement, and celebrate accordingly! You can even choose to celebrate with your readers and author friends via a livestream or through a Q&A.
As your book makes its way in the world, continue to take photos of the first reviews as they come in and share them everywhere, such as on your social media platforms, your author website, and in your newsletter.
Share in your readers’ joy as they experience your words for the first time. You will likely be amazed how the above strategies pay off, even sometimes years down the road, as your book is found by readers waiting to discover YOU!
More Ideas to Boost Success
While none of the following is mandatory, as you get your feet wet, you may wish to explore more ways to build the hype around your book’s launch. Many of the following strategies can be used alongside those listed above to complement your team and to boost book sales.
6 weeks prior to release, use IngramSpark to prep print copies and run a presale approximately 2 weeks prior to release.
30 days prior to release, use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to set up an ebook pre-order. You can adjust the price to promote preordering your book. Promote the preorder across all of your platforms, as above.
Offer preorder incentives and/or release day incentives. These can include things like free downloads, physical copies of your book, stickers, and bookmarks. Not only can preorders at a lower price boost sales, you can also make sure any hiccups are ironed out before your big day for both ebooks and physical copies.
Consider running Amazon ads and or Facebook ads.
Utilize Amazon’s tools:
Submit for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Look Inside Program
Central Author Page
Host and participate in giveaways. It can be especially beneficial to join authors in your genre, since you all get in front of one another’s audiences. Consider 5-10 books in your genre via KingSumo or Gleam.
If you have more than one book in a series, BookBub offers the option of discounting your first book while promoting the subsequent books. This can be a great way to get new readers and encourage current readers to finish the series.
Set up a Street Team. While the purpose of your ARC team is to build hype in the form of reviews, your street team promotes it from day one of its launch. This is usually done through social media posts with the goal of hyping your book and boosting sales.
Consider other marketing avenues, such as:
Attending signings and events
Pitching to podcasts, blogs and newsletters
Go live with an author friend or influencer
Be sure to ask for reviews (in addition to your ARC readers) and give updated links to buy your book!
Please write your next book! Your readers are eagerly awaiting it and are wanting to support you!
Regardless of where you are in your indie author journey, having a book launch strategy is key to success!
Although there is much to think about and to do when it comes to launching your book into the world, please know you do not have to do it alone!
Mint Copy Services offers affordable options for both website design and author personal assistant (PA) services.
Not sure what you need? Let’s chat and plot next steps together!
Your supportive side character,
Lisa