The clock is ticking… Your book launch is almost here! I often find authors wondering what they can and should be doing in the final days leading up to their book launches. And here is advice I always share: Don’t just sit pretty while you wait for the press and media requests to come in. As I preach to all my clients and author friends, your PR campaign is just one piece of the promotional puzzle, and actually, YOU are your best secret weapon for promoting your book. While it is i
mportant for you to be a constantly collaborating with your publisher and your publicist to ensure you are making the most of your precious time in terms of book launch promotion, YOU are the most powerful tool in your promotional kit.
Why? No one knows your book or cares about your book more than you do, so get out there, and shout it from the rooftops… everywhere!
Of course, putting yourself “out there” can feel incredibly dauntin
g and even a bit arrogant if you’re not used to it, but trust me, if you’re excited about your book, the people around you will be excited too. On the other hand, if you find self-promotion difficult (don’t we all?!), those around you likely won’t even know you have a new book. Which means it is your responsibility to make sure your network, community, fans, followers, and more, know about your book and can help support you in spreading the word!
As both a publicist for dozens and dozens of authors and an author myself, I know how overwhelming it can be to promote your book on your own.
That’s why I collaborated with Nicole Symeonides, marketing expert and founder of YDG Marketing, to create a “10 Days To Book Launch” Timeline chock full of ideas you can use to promote your book in the final days leading up to launch. Take about 30 minutes to an hour each day to try these ideas and let me know how you do!
10 Days To Book Launch Timeline
*8- 10 DAYS OUT*
- Utilize your “ask list” – This includes contacts from people in your network and specific promotional asks that you have for each individual person, whether you’re asking for them to write a review, get on their podcast, guest speak at their book club, post it to social media, go LIVE on their social channel on launch day, etc.
- Reach out to at least three people on your ask list every day.
- Remind and share – Rally your launch team (if you have one) to gather as much information about any incentives you have (i.e. if your book is 50% off with a special promo code for launch week), any social/newsletter copy and graphics you have, and any press hits you already have of you talking about your book or talking about topics related to your book. Then, share them with your network!
- Check in with your publisher – Ensure they know about your recent and forthcoming media hits so they can alert the distribution/sales teams to give them another incentive to promote your book! Also, are there enough books in stock to support the sales?
- Ask your network to go LIVE on their social ch
- annels – Ask about doing this in the days leading up to launch day, on launch day, or in the days following launch day, and provide them with a Q&A to make it as easy on them as possible.
- Reach out to previously recorded media – Remind them of your launch date and ask if they’d mind publishing/promoting your podcast, blog, or online interview during launch week. If you’re working with our team, we have you covered!
- Collaborate with your publisher/publicist – Ask if they think any new media pitches are needed for launch week.
- Create a 7-day content calendar – Creating a calendar of the content ideas you want to share on your social platforms and email/newsletter leading into launch, and being prepared with photos/graphics and copy for each platform, will help you stay organized and keep your audience more engaged.
*6-7 DAYS OUT*
- Get on your own social media – Go “LIVE” for just 15 minutes each day starting one week ahead of launch and discuss a different topic or chapter from your book, then re-post it; po
- st 7 days out to celebrate one week until your book launch date.
- Write a “one week until launch” email – Share it with your network to create excitement, re-attach the promotional materials you sent them at the 10-day mark, and at the very bottom, gently remind them how you’d love them to support you.
- Write a “one week until launch” newsletter – Similar to the email, this is the time to get your audience/clients/etc excited about your book and to gently remind them at the very bottom of your email of how they can support you. If you don’t have a regular newsletter, don’t worry! The email will suffice.
- Continue ongoing items:
- Reach out to at least three more people on your ask list.
*4-5 DAYS OUT*
- Post recent or past media placements – Use this as a way to gauge interest and highlight your expertise to give your network a taste of what they’ll read in your book. Already posted every media placement you have? If it’s been a month or more, you can re-post them!
- Continue ongoing items:
- Reach out to at least three more people on your ask list and follow up with others you reached out to but haven’t heard from yet.
- Follow up with your network about going LIVE on their social channels if you haven’t heard from them.
- Continue collaborating with your publisher/publicist on additional pitches if needed.
- Go “LIVE” on your social media channels and continue to post!
*2-3 DAYS OUT*
- Write a “3 days until launch” email and/or newsletter – Share it with your network to create excitement, re-attach the promotional materials you sent them at the 10-day mark, and at the very bottom, gently remind them how you’d love them to support you.
- Continue ongoing items:
- Reach out to at least three more people on your ask list and follow up with others you reached out to but haven’t heard from yet.
- Go “LIVE” on your social media channels and continue to post!
*1 DAY OUT*
- Continue ongoing items:
- Reach out to at least three more people on your ask list and follow up with others you reached out to but haven’t heard from yet.
- Follow up with your network about going LIVE on their social channels if you haven’t heard from them.
- Continue collaborating with your publisher/publicist on additional pitches if needed.
- Go “LIVE” on your social media channels and continue to post!
*LAUNCH DAY!*
- Conduct media interviews (if any) – It’s OK if you don’t have any media hits lined up on launch day. Don’t panic! Hopefully, you will have been so busy leading up to launch that this will
- be a “light” media day outside a major TV appearance, if that happens. And if it doesn’t, that is still OK because you’ve been doing all of your own promotional efforts for the past 10 days! That’s what it’s for!
- Write a “today is launch day” email and/or newsletter – Give a big “thank you” to all the people who helped you along the way. Again, re-attach the promotional materials you sent them at the 10-day mark, and at the very bottom, remind them how you’d love them to support you on this big day!
- Go on your own social media – Go LIVE throughout the day to talk about your book and repost the recordings! Use Instagram and Facebook stories to share how you’re spending launch day “behind the scenes” and to share any book reviews you’ve gotten!
- Go LIVE on your networks social channels – I once had a client who went live all day on her launch day on her friends accounts (LinkedIn, IG, etc.!) when she wasn’t doing a media interview, she was on her own IG or on a friends!
- Celebrate! – Invite your friends, family and network to join you on Zoom for a celebration! We’ve hosted countless numbers of virtual launch parties since 2020. But if that feels like too much, it’s not necessary, and you can still find a simple way to celebrate, whether it’s dinner with your family or gifting yourself something you’ve been eyeing.
- Finally, REST! – Launch week is exhausting, so make sure you take the time to rest and soak up every amazing second!
For more PR and media relations insights from Nardi Media, read more of our blog posts here or contact us here. For more marketing and promotional insights, click here for a free consultation with Nicole at YDG Marketing!