When thinking about how to plan a book launch, it’s easy to envision a lovely cocktail reception at the local pub with friends and family members, all of whom are getting free copies.
Or perhaps your plan for a book launch is a table at the local indie bookstore, hoping that someone will stop by and ask you to sign their book.
Did you know that most book launch events attract less than thirty people and sell fewer than twenty books?
Those cocktail receptions are wonderful, and heaven knows the author deserves them! But a book launch—also called a “title launch”—has to be so much more.
The Title Discovery Blitz
Think of a title launch as a title discovery blitz, where timing and planning are everything. During the blitz, authors need to make the most of Amazon volume attention by covering all their prospect bases, across all digital platforms, within a short window of time.
Needless to say, such an idea can be daunting. Just the thought sends most authors to their phone to book that reception at the local pub. However, careful planning and timing can take the guesswork and stress out of a book launch.
How to Plan a Book Launch: The 3:3:3 Approach
We like the 3:3:3 approach, which guides authors to think through how to plan a book launch by making the most of everyone they know and many they don’t. (We like it so much that we’ve made it the core of our new book marketing offering to authors, the 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan.) The customized guide authors receive with the 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan includes detailed instructions on how to:
- Identify 3 audiences
- Strategize 3 rounds of contact with each audience
- Craft 3 messages for each round of contact, tailored to each audience.
By focusing on 3:3:3, authors are better able to concentrate on the audiences that will help them best promote the book. They can quickly strategize how and when to contact each audience, meaning that authors can stay organized and avoid losing track of who, how and when they sent out emails or social media messages. And, limiting themselves to three messages means authors can focus on creating three well-crafted and targeted messages rather than endless emails and posts that don’t generate results.
Support a Title Discovery Blitz with Book2Look
Book2Look is an excellent tool for authors to share and promote their books digitally. The Book2Look Biblet is the global online book marketing innovation for title discovery and sharing that’s received 100 million+ views. With this easy-to-use digital platform, authors can place all of their promotional links and samples into one shareable Biblet, ready to send out to bloggers, librarians, indie bookstores and more.
A Biblet can include:
- Collateral media: video trailers, audiobook samples, chapter samples, book cover image
- All formats of a book (hardcover, paperback, eBook, Kindle and audiobook)
- Unlimited reviews
- Unlimited shop links (Kindle, B&N, IndieReader, Kobo, author website/blog, etc.)
- Publisher logo, author information, metadata, ISBNs, keyword tags
We agree that Book2Look is an invaluable tool for authors, which is why we’ve included it in the 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan package. Authors who purchase the 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan receive a personal username and password for 24/7 access to Book2Look. Included are:
- A beautiful widget and handy URL for easy sharing via email and social media, and embedding on blogs and website
- Built-in performance measurement via a quick-glance dashboard and in-depth reports
- No ongoing fees
- 100% royalties to the author
For Biblet examples, go to www.book2look.com. Click BOOK WALL, and start thinking of the possibilities!
Making the Most of Social Media
Finally, a digital title discovery blitz has to include social media. It’s important to network and build relationships with readers, reviewers, bookstores, libraries and more on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., as well as build SEO for the author website. This activity should start months before the book launch. Some authors are able to build a platform of thousands, but most struggle to attract a hundred followers to their Facebook page or Twitter.
Recognizing how difficult it can be to reach audiences quickly on social media, the 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan includes a targeted list of pages and groups on social media with a total reach of approximately 1 million followers. Authors can also use this list to increase their reach with recommended hashtags and SEO keywords for their websites.
Summary
The 3:3:3 strategy outlined above provides authors with a sensible approach to planning book launches. Timing is everything when it comes to title discovery blitzes. Concentrating on three contacts with three audiences using three well-crafted and targeted messages will keep authors focused, making good decisions and using their limited time well.
The 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan takes the stress and guesswork out of a book launch. The plan includes a customized step-by-step guide to launch a book and get discovered by identifying and targeting audiences with carefully crafted messaging. Included in the 3:3:3 Book Launch Plan is membership in Book2Look, a social media target list, and email support from a book marketing specialist. Learn more about the 3:3:3: Book Launch Plan here or contact us to get started.
