Tips for a Successful Book Launch

Group Discussion, Podcast

Today we interviewed each other and talked about what each of us does for a book launch these days. Jo and Jeff talked about how things go now as authors with established fan bases, and Lindsay talked about her recent pen name launch, where nobody knew about the books, and she was essentially starting from scratch as a new author.

We covered a lot, but here are some of the topic highlights:

  • What’s changed in the last four years (book launches back in 2010 versus book launches today).
  • What we do pre-launch to build buzz and make sure readers are interested
  • Continuing with a series versus publishing a stand-alone book
  • What we do on the social media sites
  • How having a mailing list helps with increasing visibility at Amazon
  • Whether we send out advanced review copies or lobby for reviews
  • The advantage that KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited authors have right now
  • Whether we believe in going wide or being exclusive with Amazon and the pros and cons of each
  • Should new authors consider launching in KDP Select?
  • Why, if you’re starting from scratch or starting a new series, you might want to wait until you have the first two books ready to go before publishing
  • Some launches that have gone well for us and some that have flopped (and why)

 

Click to download the mp3.

Also, for anyone who might want to hear more about the specifics of Lindsay’s pen name launch, I did a detailed write up on my blog at the one-month point.

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5 comments

  • Amelia
    November 27, 2014 at 9:06 am

    Answer to question: Select doesn’t start until the publication date. I’m finding that I can’t even set up my free days while it’s in pre-order. So, for the pre-order period there’s no benefit to being in Select/you’re not actually in Select.

  • Claire Frank
    December 6, 2014 at 9:32 am

    Just wanted to drop in and say thanks to all of you for these podcasts! I’ve been listening over the last several weeks. This one was particularly interesting, as my first release is coming out soon. It is great to have a resource that is aimed at sci fi and fantasy, so thanks to all of you for putting this together!