Book Launch Party

Holiday Book Sale Campaign Tips

Fireplace

It’s only 10 weeks until Christmas Day.  The coming weeks will be a very busy time for authors, spending long hours of writing and editing, or tinkering about starting pre-sales for their upcoming book or have a book launch.

No matter if you are organizing a book launch for your latest work (or your first book), planning your Goodreads or Amazon Giveaway or if you prepare to have your book on sale, or for free for a couple of days: these campaigns need to be well organized and promoted – and all that well in advance.

I have seen it too many times, that authors decide on Monday morning to have a book sale from Tuesday on and expect it to be a successful one. Or they hurry editing, formatting and slap a cover image together, in order to get the book on Amazon’s sales pages before Christmas.

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Start EARLY !!!
You have about three months to promote a new print book (paperback or hardcover) before the bookstores clear their shelves for the next bestseller. But if you can rack up enough pre-orders BEFORE the pub date, then you can kickstart your book launch.

Once it hits the New York Times or other lists, then a couple of weeks on those lists become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Again: the more time you give your book to be listed on Amazon and other online retailers BEFORE your publication date, the better.

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Organize a Boxed Set With Your Writer Friends
Bundle the several novels and novellas into a book set and give it a great name. And then promote the hell out of it! Brainstorm what you each one of you will do to spread the word – online and off-line. If every one of your writer friends is helping with all their marketing power, it should be a success!
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The Minimum You Can Do To Make Your Books a Success:

Write Several Blogs About Your Campaign Including Images
Tell potential readers the benefits, for example:

  • Low price or even free
  • Send as inexpensive gifts
  • Give them a great incentive for a review

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Write a FREE short e-Book About Your Book : )
Include all the sales links and author biography, and if you will participate in Amazon’s “Matchbox”, bundles of print and e-book, explain your potential readers their benefit of ordering a “bundle“.
.

Campaign Announcement
Cross-promote your campaign: Always post and promote your event on your own website, blog and through email as well, so that non-Facebook/Twitter/Google+ users can learn about it and share your book sales campaign event without having to use these social media sites. What’s more: Use Twitter to generate buzz and use LinkedIn to leverage business communities and post the event to LinkedIn.

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Tweets
At least one tweet per hour, each one in a variety of text and accompanied by a cover image photo of your book or photographs from book scenes or areas where it takes place. Sign up to several Twitter accounts. You can have up to five accounts. But don’t post the same tweets everywhere! And schedule well in advance, using Hootsuite or any other free scheduling service to find the best times to post on Twitter.

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Create a Re-tweet Button in a Free eBook
Give away the first chapter of your book as an immediately accessible PDF on your web page or on Amazon. Include a re-tweet button in several strategic locations in the chapter. This allows people who love what they read, to easily share with friends on Twitter. When someone clicks on this re-tweet button, it shows a pre-crafted tweet that says: “I’m reading @……. new book: … Get the first chapter free here too: http://………” You get the idea?
.

Announce the Campaign in Your Newsletter
It’s one of the reasons you ask your blog readers or website visitors to sign up for your newsletter: to inform them about specials and sales campaigns or book launches – besides giving them regularly useful and entertaining content.
.

Create a Photo Contest
It can be a fun and friendly competition to get people excited about your book. And there’s no better platform than Social Media sites to do just that. You can call it the “Know my Book?” photo contest. All participants need to do, is to take a creative photo with the words “Know my Book?” or “Help Me Launch.” The three best images might receive the book or you can offer an additional first prize for a Kindle or a digital camera.

.
Create Your Campaign Well in Advance
Give your event promotion enough time to spare, this also gives you time to notify and invite the people who you know are most likely to spread the word or to attend your events. With so many book sales to choose from, the key is to know your potential customers. Create your invitations, posts and tweets so as to reach as many individuals as possible with your marketing message.
.

A Lot of Work You Say?
Yes, sure, if you see it as WORK. But if you like to write about your book, tell people about it, help your readers to find inexpensive copies of your book and to sell more books and get more reviews. No one said that having a business involves only laughing all the way to the bank.

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Book Launch: MacGregor’s Wolf

MacGregor’s Wolf: Lessons of Time  by Bil Howard
available in print and e-book,  236 pages.
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MacGregor's Wolf: Lessons of Time

MacGregor’s Wolf: Lessons of Time

Bil Howards seventh! work available at Amazon, launches today and it got already raving reviews from READERS FAVORITE reviewer Jack Magnus: “Bil Howard’s metaphysical fantasy, MacGregor’s Wolf, is haunting and lyrical. Each one of Ray’s adventures quickly becomes amazingly deep and engrossing with just a few deft strokes of the author’s pen.

I particularly enjoyed Ray’s adventures as a wolf, his experiences as a flight pilot, and his work as a surgeon in the frigid Russian north, but I’d be hard-pressed to say that any one of his other experiences were not profound and compelling.

Ray loses himself over and over as he’s transported from one reality into another, and the reader starts to wonder just how he can cope with the marvels and the mystery — but he does, and he does so brilliantly.

MacGregor’s Wolf is not the kind of book you’ll come across often or one you’ll read for an afternoon’s escape and quickly forget about. It’s really quite remarkable and very, very special. MacGregor’s Wolf is most highly recommended.”

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About the Author
Bil Howard is a native of the small ranching community, Powderhorn, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where he was raised on a cattle ranch. In 2013 he exchanged the Rockies for the Andes and took up residence in San Antonio de Prado, Antioquia, Colombia.

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xBilHoward-Author

He has a BA from West Texas A&M University. He studied pre-law as an undergraduate and minored in English Literature. He continued his love of English by pursuing an MA in English and Social Studies Education. He also studied psychotherapy at the graduate level. He has been a talent scout and manager in the Latin music industry. He has experience in vocal performance as well as theatre.   More on his website:   http://bilhoward.blogspot.ca

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Checklist for Successful Book Sales Campaigns

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Sales-Campaign
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No matter if you are organizing a book launch for your latest work (or your first book), planning your Goodreads Giveaway or if you prepare to have your book on sale, or for free for a couple of days:  these campaigns need to be well organized and promoted – and all that well in advance.

I have seen it too many times, that authors decide on Monday morning to have a book sale from Tuesday on and expect it to be a successful one. Or they hurry editing, formatting and slap a cover image together, in order to get the book on Amazon’s sales pages before Christmas.

.
Start EARLY !!!
You have about three months to promote a new print book (paper back or hardcover) before the bookstores clear their shelves for the next bestseller. But if you can rack up enough pre-orders BEFORE the pub date, then you can kickstart your book launch. Once it hits the New York Times or other lists, then a couple of weeks on those lists become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Again: the more time you give your book to be listed on Amazon and other online retailers BEFORE your publication date, the better.
.

The Minimum You Can Do To Make it a Success:

1. Write Several Blogs About Your Campaign Including Images
Tell potential readers the benefits, e.g.:

  • Low price or even free
  • Send as inexpensive gifts
  • Give them a great incentive for a review
    .

2. Write a FREE short e-Book About Your Book : )
Include all the sales links and an author biography, and if you will participate in Amazon’s “Matchbox”, bundles of print and e-book, explain your potential readers their benefit of ordering a “bundle“.
.

3. Campaign Announcement
Cross promote your campaign: Always post and promote your event on your own website, blog and through email as well, so that non-Facebook/Twitter/Google+ users can learn about it and share your book sales campaign event without having to use these social media sites. What’s more: Use Twitter to generate buzz and use LinkedIn to leverage business communities and post the event to LinkedIn.

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4. Google+ Posts
Add your blogs about your book launch or your book sales campaign – not only on your own Google+ timeline and your author / book page, but also at the dozens of Google+ reader communities where you are (hopefully) a member.

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5. Tweets
At least one tweet per hour, each one in a variety of text and accompanied by a cover image photo of your book or photographs from book scenes or areas where it takes place. Sign up to several Twitter accounts. You can have up to five accounts. But don’t post the same tweets everywhere! And schedule well in advance, using Hootsuite or any other free scheduling service to find the best times to post on Twitter.

.
6. Create a Re-tweet Button in a Free eBook
Give away the first chapter of your book as an immediately accessible PDF on your web page or on Amazon. Include a re-tweet button in several strategic locations in the chapter. This allows people who love what they read, to easily share with friends on Twitter.  When someone clicks on this re-tweet button, it shows a pre-crafted tweet that says: “I’m reading @……. new book: … Get the first chapter free here too: http://………” You get the idea?
.

7. Announce the Campaign in Your Newsletter
It’s one of the reasons you ask your blog readers or website visitors to sign up for your newsletter: to inform them about specials and sales campaigns or book launches – beside giving them regularely useful and entertaining content.
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8. Most Important is to Have Your Event/Campaign on Google+
Google+ offers a great tool to invite people to your upcoming event. Are you still thinking about joining? Or are you one of the more than 300 Million users of Google+ yet?
Announce the event or book sales campaign on Google+ and also on Goodreads at least three weeks before the date. They both offer a free event function. A site that is very easy and fast to set up. Promote this event (can be real life or virtual) heavily on FB, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, your blog and to your email list. And if your local newspaper, neighborhood paper etc. has an event page, or if they have an online version, get your event in! Search the internet for events/websites in your area and announce it there too.
.

9. Create a photo contest
It can be a fun and friendly competition to get people excited about your book. And there’s no better platform than Social Media sites to do just that. You can call it the “Know my Book?” photo contest. All participants need to do, is to take a creative photo with the words “Know my Book?” or “Help Me Launch.” The three best images might receive the book or you can offer an additional first prize for a Kindle or a digital camera.

.
Create Your Campaign Well in Advance
Give your event promotion enough time to spare, this also gives you time to notify / invite the people who you know are most likely to attend. With so many book sales to choose from, the key is to know your potential customers. Create your invitations, posts and tweets so as to reach as many individuals as possible with your marketing message.
.

A Lot of Work You Say?
Yes, sure, if you see it as WORK. But you like to write about your book, to tell people about it, to help your readers to find inexpensive copies of your book and to sell more books and get more reviews.  No one said that having a business involves only laughing all the way to the bank.

.
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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months – or less than $2 per day! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/
to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 980 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://www.111publishing.com

http://www.e-Book-PR.com/

http://www.international-ebooks.com/

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: author-publishing, Bargain eBook Hunter, Book Launch Party, Ebook Deal of the Day, Goodreads giveaway, how to organize a book launch, KDP Select, Kindle Prime Members

Top 18 Book Launch Tips

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Book-Launch-Party
A great reason to celebrate the launch of your new book, which might have taken months or years to write, is a book launch party, actual or maybe even virtual. You will want to thank everyone who helped with the creation of your book and introduce your latest work to your adoring readers. With today’s digital printing techniques it is possible to have a couple of print books to sign at your event – even if your book is officially offered only as an e-book.

Plan Your Event at Least Two Months Ahead
The date can be well after the book hit the shelves or the Amazon sales pages. Important is that you invite as much people as possible (they won’t all come! Don’t worry) and that you get as much buzz as possible from book bloggers, from your Social Media followers, local book clubs and hopefully the local press. To use this article as a check list, it is set in chronological order.
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TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE BOOK LAUNCH
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1. Order your books
either as Print-on-Demand from CreateSpace or LightningSource or from an Espresso Book Machine or a local digital printer. If you go with a trade publisher, make sure you plan your event for at least two or three weeks after the first editions date.
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2. Rent a place for your book launch
Invite for coffee or wine and cheese:

  • at the Starbucks Coffee Shop in Barnes&Noble or Chapters
  • at your local library, if you expect a crowd, rent a board room there
  • or rent a side room in a restaurant, hotel or in a museum,
  • maybe even the foyer of a company (after working hours)

Best days are Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 4pm and 8pm
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3. Invite Social Media “Spreaders”
Create a “Spread the Word” page. Set up a special page on your web site called “Spread the Word”, in order to make it easy for people to spread via Social Media.
Create a short story, asking for people’s help. Include some prefabricated tweets that people can share with the click of a button, as well as instructions on how to share the book on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or LinkedIn. Add several images of your books cover, so that people can use your images via copy / past to their sites.
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4. Organize a Bloggers promotion
Create a blog posts why bloggers should do book reviews and included tips on how to write a professional book review. Engage them: “Want a chance to review a new book?”  “I am inviting up to 30 bloggers to review my new book on their blog and receive an extra copy that you can give away to your readers. On top of that there is a draw: one lucky person could win a Kindle Paperwhite / iPad.”
It should create a lot of exposure if done right. Bloggers are like the new press. Also ask people from your email list (you hopefully have one): “I would love to get your help spreading the word about this book launch! See how you can help.
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5. Invite the local Press
A book launch is not necessarily a news-worthy event, as millions of books are hitting the shelves every year. So you have to find an angle for the press to write about it and the benefit for readers to learn about your book. Get lots of tips in this short book: Media Training and Presentation Skills.
Write an igniting press release and a separate article about your book, along with images of its cover. Start with a press page on your website, see our blog on how to do this.
Find out the names of editors / journalists from the department that covers literature or local events, and send your invitation and information about your book to the right person. And mark your calender to follow up after a week.
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6. Retweet button in free ebook
Give away the first chapter of your book as an immediately accessible PDF on your page or on Amazon. Include a Re-tweet button in several strategic locations in the chapter. This allowed people who loved what they read to easily share it with friends on Twitter. When someone clicks on the Re-tweet button, it shows a pre-crafted tweet that says: “I’m reading @……. new book: … Get the first chapter free here too: http://………”   You get the idea?
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7. Ask for book endorsements from influential people
Want to know how you get famous people to support your Book, eBook, or blog? Well, you ask them! Some will, of course, say no. But some will tell you yes. And you never know until you ask, right?

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THREE WEEKS BEFORE

8. Use Event Pages
Announce the event on Google+ and on Goodreads at least three weeks before the date. They both offer a free event function. A site that is very easy and fast to set up. Promote this event (can be real life or virtual) heavily on FB, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, your blog and to your email list.
If your local newspaper, neighborhood paper etc. has an event page, or if they have an online version, get your event in!  Search the internet for events/websites in your area and announce it there too.
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9. Print invitations
Use your own home computer / printer to write the invitation and include a picture of your books’ cover, the location, address, maybe even a map and the time of the event. Send them out by mail or hand-deliver to those in your area. Print business cards or bookmarks as well.
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10. Verify delivery
Verify that your books delivery is ordered, with plenty of time to arrive. Nothing worse than having a date picked for your Book Release Party, and then having no books to sell! Reserve some copies for gifts to volunteers or the host.
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11. Get help for the party
Get a friend or family member to assist with selling your books. You, the author, need to be free to meet and great, talk, mingle, market and sign your books. Ask several people to bring their cameras and take pictures. Check your own camera and video for new batteries and memory card.
Have business cards or bookmarks to hand out as you talk with your potential.
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12. Order “Catering”
Organize your coffee orders, wine and cheese purchases and water/juice. Don’t forget to prepare a couple of folding chairs, table cloth, napkins, pen and paper for notes or if someone doesn’t have a card, to write down their name, email etc.
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13. Order big posters of your book cover
As bigger as better! Get some inexpensive frames to makes them look like a valuable painting. Avoid to tape them to the wall of your book launch party room, it would look cheap.
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14. Create a photo contest
It can be a fun and friendly competition to get people excited about your book. And there’s no better platform than Social Media sites to do just that.

You can call it the “Know my Book?” or “Help Me Launch” photo contest. All participants needed to do was take a creative photo with the words “Know my Book?” or “Help Me Launch.” The three best images might receive the book or you can offer an additional first prize for a Kindle or a digital camera.
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15. Prepare an Event Website
To upload images and videos from your book launch and to introduce your book via a short video (don’t forget to add purchase links!) set up an extra page on your website or even an extra blog. This URL can later be used to blog / post about the event. Don’t stop to promote your book launch several times a day on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Pinterest, your blog and to your email list.
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16. Broadcast live videos
To promote the event party, talk about subjects related to the book, but do not overtly pitch the book. Organize and let someone connect with Google+ Hangouts to show the event in real time. Double check that the person can do both professional: Taking several short videos from an event like your upcoming book launch and knowledgeable with computers to set up the Hangout. Make sure you have WiFi at this location.
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DAY OF THE EVENT

17. Set up early enough
Check once more a day before or in the morning your equipment and the internet connection. Set up tables and chairs if possible and hang up your books’ images. On the big day: come at least an hour or longer before you expect your first guests to place your books, decoration and catering.

18. Gather addresses
You want to stay in touch with people you spend time with at your launch party. Make sure you have a way to capture each attendee’s email address, whether it’s a sign-up sheet, a bowl for business cards, or a laptop or tablet where people can opt into your mailing list on the spot.
These email addresses come handy when you thank every person a day later for coming to your book launch. And don’t forget those who helped you in any way. Write also those that did not make it, kindly tell them they were missed and where your books can be purchased, whether online or in a store. Post your photos and video immediately after the event. Add more images over the period of a week or so, to spread out the fun and reminders.

Enjoy to meet the people who are interested in your book! Have fun at the party! Writing and author-publishing a book, is a great accomplishment and reason to celebrate.

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
To advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 960 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://www.111publishing.com

http://www.e-Book-PR.com/

http://www.international-ebooks.com/

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: author-publishing, Book Launch Party, Galleys, how to organize a book launch, Manuscript, pre-editions, salesman’s editions