February 2023

How to Market a Book: a Launch Plan

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Launching a self-published book requires careful planning and execution to ensure that the book reaches the right audience and generates sales. Here’s an ideal launch plan for a self-published book:

1. Establish Your Author Platform: You should establish your online platform (long) before launching your book. Create a website about yourself that highlights your expertise and showcases your work (a website is also absolutely necessary in this day and age, just for general reputation management purposes). Use social media platforms to connect with your target audience and build relationships with influencers in your niche. I basically talk all about this in “Funny You Should Ask:  How to Market a Book.”  Author platform is key!  Do not proceed without it!
2. Start building your email list. Seriously, the list is everything! Start your list right now!
3. Build an ARC team: Build a team of people who will leave reviews for your book when it first comes out. Encourage them to share your book with their networks and leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. This is sometimes known as an ARC team, “ARC” being an “advanced review copy,” which you would send to people in advance.
4. Choose Your Launch Date Carefully: Choose a launch date that is at least 2-3 months in advance, so you have enough time to plan your marketing and promotional efforts. Consider launching your book during a relevant holiday or event, or tying your launch to a news event or trend.
5. Get Your Head Around Setting a Budget: Determine how much money you’re willing to invest in your book launch.  Plan your budget carefully and prioritize your spending on the most critical aspects of your launch. This is going to come in handy when you go to spend money on paid advertising.
6. Get Reviews: Reach out to book bloggers and reviewers in your niche and request reviews for your book, or join Pubby to get reviews.
7. Leverage Social Media: Use social media to promote your book launch. Create engaging content, share teasers, and host giveaways to generate buzz around your book. Use relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience.
8. Monitor Your Sales: Keep track of your book sales during the launch period and adjust your marketing efforts accordingly. Use analytics tools to track your website traffic, social media engagement, and book sales.  We recommend KDPChamp for monitoring book sales on Amazon.

Book Publishing by Amazon: a Guide to Kindle Direct Publishing

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I get this question alot (so much so that I wrote an entire book dedicated just to this topic, the Kindle eBook version of which you can buy for only 99 cents).  I thought I would also make a post about it, in case someone didn’t want to read an entire book on this subject.

In fact, I now have an entire website dedicated to the self-publishing process!  Go on over to SelfPublishingChecklist.com, where we walk you step by step through the entire self-publishing process.

Here are the basic steps to publishing a book on Amazon through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing):

1. Write and edit your manuscript: The first step is to write a book and revise and edit the manuscript until it is in the best possible shape. It’s often helpful to get feedback from beta readers or professional editors to improve the quality of the manuscript.
2. Start building your audience.  Whether this is your first book or your twentieth, ultimately you need to get those people on an email list (which you can do with the help of this book), but you can start with a website and some social media.
3. Create an Amazon KDP account: If you don’t already have an account, you’ll need to create one. You can do this by visiting the KDP website and clicking the “Sign up” button.
4. Prepare your manuscript: Before publishing your book on Amazon, you’ll need to format your manuscript to meet their requirements. Amazon provides detailed guidelines for formatting your manuscript, including recommendations for fonts, margins, and spacing. You can use Word or Pages for this, but the industry standard is to use something that makes it look more professional, like Atticus or Vellum.  I cover all of these options  at length in my book “Funny You Should Ask:  How to Self-Publish a Book.”
5. Get your cover ready.  You can make a cover yourself using a graphics program like Photoshop, Affinity Publisher, or even Canva, or hire someone to make your cover for you.  Fiverr is an option for this, as is Upwork.
6. Create a new title: Once your manuscript is ready, log in to your KDP account and click on “Create a new title.” You’ll be prompted to enter information about your book, including the title, author name, and book description. You’ll also need to upload your manuscript file and cover image.
7. Set your price and distribution options: You can choose to publish your book in digital format only, or in both digital and print formats. You’ll also need to set the price for your book, and choose the territories where you want it to be available.
8. Preview and publish: Once you’ve entered all the required information, you can preview your book and make any necessary changes. When you’re ready, click the “Publish” button to make your book available on Amazon.
9. Promote your book: After your book is published, it’s up to you to promote it and drive sales. You can use Amazon’s promotional tools, like Kindle Countdown Deals and Kindle Unlimited, as well as other marketing strategies like social media, email marketing, and book reviews to reach potential readers and build your audience.

Overall, publishing a book involves a lot of hard work and dedication, but it can be a rewarding experience for authors who are passionate about their writing. Whether you choose traditional or self-publishing, it’s important to research your options, hire professionals to help you, and put in the work to build your audience and market your book to them.