Social media for authors is essential. In a world where marketing online is a must for both traditionally published and self-published authors alike, it’s no surprise that a book launch is at the height of the fanfare.
For those unfamiliar, a book launch refers to the process of marketing and spreading the word about a newly published book. As a book editor, and someone involved in social media for authors herself, I’ve seen tons of authors launch their books- some with better results than others. While not every marketing strategy is the same, there are common steps that every book launch shares.
Before you launch your book, there are five crucial steps you can take on social media to ensure a successful debut- especially if you’re new to the publishing process.
Keep reading!
Why You Should Start Social Media for Your Author Book Launch Early
Always, always expect your book launch to be more work than expected. I’ve learned this from years of experience as an authorpreneur working on social media for authors. Marketing tasks usually take more time than what you think they do, particularly if you’re unfamiliar with what you’re doing. Give yourself plenty of time to explore your strategy, prepare, and execute your plans. And more importantly, give yourself time to fix your mistakes!
We’ve all heard the expression the early bird gets the worm. In the case of social media for authors and book launches, nothing could be more true. Setting the stage for your launch is not only smart, it’s vital for it to be a success. The more buzz you can generate on social media before the big day the more likely you’ll sell more books. Simple as that.
Many new authors make the mistake of thinking that a few weeks is enough time to spread the word online- it’s not. While you can build this excitement up 3 months in advance, it’s even better if you start 12 months before instead.
Think about your social media plan carefully and give yourself plenty of time and you’ll be flabbergasted by the results!
Here are 5 things you should be doing on your author social media before your book launch.
Focus on quality not quantity:
One of the biggest myths when it comes to publishing is that you need tons of followers on social media in order to sell books. Don’t worry, it’s not true. You don’t need to be Insta-famous or have gone viral in order to succeed. You do, however, need to understand that social media for authors is a numbers game and how to make the most of the audience you have. Instead it’s about loyalty, not numbers.
If you have 100 loyal followers who truly love and support your work, it’s far better than 10,000 followers who don’t know you and don’t care what you’re doing. Those 10,000 won’t buy your book when it comes out, but those 100 will. To build that kind of loyalty takes time- start building connections to your readers as soon as you can on social media for authors! Don’t wait for your book to be about to publish.
For max effectiveness when using social media as an author, you need about 1,000 loyal supporters to make the most of your launch. These people will help to spread the word, which is instrumental to a successful experience. One strategic way you can use your loyal troops is to enlist their help with an ARC review.
An ARC review stands for Advanced Reader Copy, which means that a chosen reader receives a free copy of your book (typically an Ebook) and agrees to read and write a review prior to your launch.
To put this into perspective, reviews help engage the algorithm on book seller platforms such as Amazon. The more positive reviews, the more likely the platform is to promote your book to new readers. New readers = more book sales. While the numbers vary, on Amazon 50 reviews is typically when you’ll start seeing traction.
Moral of the story: Always aim for smaller numbers but more personal connections when engaging on social media as an author.
Plan your author social media media strategy ahead of time:
Plan. Prepare. Double-check. I can’t stress enough how important this is. You can’t dive into a launch and not think about how you’ll get the word out and how you’ll promote without a social media plan for authors. Well, you can, but you won’t see the results you want.
Time and time again, I’ve seen exasperated authors blaming their lack of book sales on the algorithm or on another excuse. More often than not, the true culprit is a lack of planning.
An inconsistent spread of information spearheaded by mismatched posts and sloppy media announcements can doom a book launch on social media for authors. Worse yet, if you don’t have enough time to plan, you’ll probably overlook key media outlets such as local newspapers, book influencers/reviews, and writing blogs. A lack of readers who see and hear the news about your book launch is the fastest way to have a book launch flop.
Consider these while building your media plan:
- Define your ideal audience
- Find your marketing message
- Craft your news hooks
- Professional author pictures
- Professional book cover
- Stylized posts
- Consistent color scheme/fonts
- Build your media package Scripts for all videos/possible interviews
- Your website/email list
- Social media Newsletter
*Note: Before you ever start contacting media outlets such as local magazines, newspapers, blogs, news channels, Influencers, reviewers, bookstores, etc. Make sure you have a solid media package ready to be handed over upon request.
Set a budget:
The most important thing to plan prior to your launch is your budget. Launches do require money (for promotional freebies, author headshots, copies of media packages, book cover design, etc) but it can quickly add up if you don’t account for where exactly your money is going during.
When making your expense spreadsheet consider these:
- Promotional Freebies (merchandise like t-shirts, bookmarks, notebooks, etc)
- Author headshots
- Book cover design work
- Copies of media packages (printing)
- Any professional help (meaning PR, marketing, agents, etc)
- Free hard copies of your book (you can use Ebooks for reviewers and publications that accept them)
- Random expenses like fees or spontaneous materials
Related:
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Ask for recommendations beforehand:
Remember all those beta readers who read your work in the earlier stages? Now it’s time to reach out and ask them for help once again. Ask other authors you know and trust to read your book and give you an endorsement. The great part about the writing community is that everyone is supportive and happy to help. You should have no trouble getting people on board to help you. Once you have these recommendations use them wisely on your social media and in your media package. They can help turn a hesitant reader into a loyal fan!
Organize your launch week:
You know me, I’m all about organization. It’s my belief that the more organized you are, the more smoothly things will flow the day of and I haven’t been proven wrong yet!
Make sure you utilize all the tools at your disposal to help you plan your launch week. Things will be so exciting and hectic during this week that you don’t want to leave anything to chance…or memory.
Consider batching your social media posts with services like Planoly and Later. Write down your full weekly strategy in your Google calendar (or in my case, a physical agenda). Use colored pens and highlighters to ensure that you don’t miss any important announcements or follow-ups. The more you know your plan, the better things will go overall.
Launching a book? Don’t sweat it! With these 5 tips you’ll be in excellent shape for your book’s debut. From organization, to setting a budget, to planning your strategy, the best book launches are the result of careful planning, plenty of time, and a strong social media strategy for authors. Remember, with good management, you don’t need good luck.
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