You’re writing away furiously on your new book. The important thing is to get it finished before you start marketing, right? WRONG The most important job you have is to build the buzz for your new book. Here are 14 ways to do that from conception, to completion and beyond.
- I made this graphic on Canva about 3 months before my book launch. I didn’t have the cover yet. I didn’t even have the book finished and I certainly didn’t have all the book decisions made. But I did have the title. This graphic was my way of announcing it to my blog list and to my newsletter list. The point is to make some noise so that people know what’s coming.
- With your cover designer work out the colour scheme, artwork, fonts, back cover makeup and setup.
- Talk to people about what you’re doing and get their ideas. This can be for your title, your colour scheme, or any story issues that you’re wondering about. I asked one of my excellent beta readers her opinion on my very rough copy where I was using a framing technique that was not working for me. She helped me see that device wasn’t really working and I ditched the opening prologue. I also got that wonderful title you see above by chatting with a friend about the problem. She mentioned an old hymn with the line “This is my story, this is my song.” Our mutual church backgrounds clicked and I immediately started singing that hymn. I was ecstatic. I cut out a few words and ended up with the title you see. It ties in perfectly with my lifelong affair with music and writing.
- Work with your cover designer, using her expertise but adding your personal flair if possible. Remember she knows the best way to catch the reader’s eye but you know what will tie in perfectly with your written words. This is one of the beautiful things of self-publishing. Your cover designer should give you multiple formats. I do a Kobo book, a Kindle book, a print book and, with most of my books, an audio book. My designer gives me the proper formatting for each cover.
- Plan how to launch your new book. For the first time since Covid wreaked havoc with our world, I’ll be having an in-person launch in the community where I was raised and which figures so much in the book itself. Above is the Canva graphic I made to put up on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and in my newsletters and on-point emails.
- I included this graphic in my latest newsletter to all my subscribers, along with a few words about the connection of the book to the location of the launch. I also reminded people they could pre-order on Kindle and Kobo and gave them the date the book would be delivered to their devices. Quite a number of subscribers connected with me with their lovely comments.
- I asked two well-respected writers for back cover quotations and they acquiesced. People are very helpful in the writing community!
- I updated both my Speaker Sheet and my Media Sheet to reflect the new book and made them downloadable from my website. Copies will be available at the book launch.
- I planned the venue, the participants, the food, the Covid possibilities, chose my MC, made up a program, rented the hall and tried to think of all eventualities.
- Then I continued advertising. I culled my personal family emails from my address book and sent them all invitations. I don’t usually do this but this particular book concerns them as it is the story of the first 20 years of my life, growing up in a rural community in the fifties and sixties. They are part of my story and my song. Did I mention I am one of thirteen children? I am!!!
- Finally I sent the invitation to other people on my personal email list whom I knew would be interested.
- I decided just which part of the book I would read at the launch. It’s a story of an escapade my brother, Wayne, and I had one night when we were teenagers.
- I made a new Canva graphic with all of my books and three author pictures on it. I put it on social media. Oh, I forgot. During all the time I was working on this new book, I gave away free 100 copies of the e-book of my first book, The Loyalist’s Wife. I wanted that to encourage people to read about my books. Maybe they would buy the rest of the trilogy and the prequel.
Try looking up one of my books on Amazon, Kindle, Kobo or Audible. If you haven’t read them, now’s your chance. If you have read them please write a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews are like gold to an author!
