11 strategic Guidelines to a Successful Book Launch in 2023 (with checklist)

Let me guess!

You just finished writing your book, and you need ideas to get it out with a bang.

You found the right post. Congratulation!

Even better if you are just planning to write a book. Proper planning for your book launch is a great idea for book marketing, especially if you are a new author.

The first time I launched my book, I was as clueless as my folks who supported me anyway.

But after successfully launching 2 books and attending the book launch of other authors, I have learnt terrific strategies to make your book launch a huge success. And that is what I am about to share with you.

Let’s get to it!

What is a book launch?

A book launch is an event where the author of a book celebrates the arrival of their book as it goes into the market. The book launch event can be held in a physical venue or virtually on a social media platform.

Why is a book launch necessary?

A book launch is a marketing strategy that helps you promote awareness about your book.
A book launch event fosters a connection between you and your readers. Your readers are your fans, and organising an event to meet them is an opportunity to expand your network and build a stronger connection with your existing reader base.
A book launch also promotes your brand as an author.

As an author, your name is your brand. And your book launch does not only project your book title; your name comes into the spotlight too.

A book launch serves as a way of celebrating the author.

You worked hard to finish this book. You deserve to be celebrated. Yes, working on a writing project and completing it is a big deal. So celebrate!

Now let’s see how to make yours a huge success.

How to prepare for a book launch

Like any event, a book launch requires proper planning to make it a success. Remember, it’s not just a party for eating and drinking with friends. The primary goal of a book launch is to sell your new book.

Don’t wait until your book is in print before you start preparing for its launch. In fact, I recommend you start preparing for the entrance of your book into the market from the day you start writing it.

How?

1. Build a strong online (and offline) presence

It can be embarrassing to plan for a large audience at your book launch event and have only a handful of friends seated to support you. Or worse, you are seated all by yourself at your book launch. That’s why you should start building a fan base for your book before it is published. It’s easier to sell your book when you have a large number of followers on social media who are interested in it.

Establish your presence on social media. Social media has proven to be a powerful marketing tool. Share tips or insights regularly on your timeline relevant to the proposed book. This should start around 4-6 months before the book is finally ready.

If you are writing a novel, establish your presence online as a storyteller by sharing short stories that generate reactions and comments.

Sometimes give your readers hints about the book you are writing. Let them know something is cooking. People should begin to perceive you as a knowledgeable person in your niche before your book is ready. It’s like serving an appetizer to whet your readers’ appetite for the main course. When it finally arrives, they can’t wait to consume it.

2. Write a valuable book

Remember I said earlier that you are better off if you are reading this post before your book is ready? This is why. Newbie authors often start writing a book simply because they have a message and they can’t wait to share it with readers.

It’s not a bad idea to share your message, but it’s not all about you and your message. It’s about your readers, what they are eager to read, and how best to make them understand the message (the best way to pique your readers’ interest). Begin your writing with the end in mind (how to get people to read it).

Everything about your book comes to play here- the title, content, and cover design.

3. Set a budget

With your book ready to be launched, the first thing you want to consider is your pocket. How much can you spare for the event without breaking the bank? Let this figure be the centre of everything you plan for the event.

Remember you are trying to raise income from the event, not to incur debts.

4. Set a date and location for your book launch

You can launch your book online or offline. It is up to you to choose which works best for you. If you are launching a physical book (printed copy), hosting a physical event is more appropriate for effective marketing. However, if you are not in the same location as your target audience or if you are trying to cut down costs, you might want to use the virtual option (hosting online).

If you’re launching your book at a physical event, it makes sense to have a physical copy of your book, so eBooks are best launched online. If you’re doing an online book launch, social media platforms such as Facebook are good places to host events for publicity. There are other online options such as Zoom meetings, Google Meet, and Telegram groups.

Choose a place that is easy to access, has enough room for invited guests and fits into your budget.

Make sure the venue reflects the book setting. For example, a church meeting hall might not be an appropriate venue to launch a romance novel.

Also, ensure your launch date and time don’t conflict with other important events or holidays.

5. Create a guest list

Create a list of the guests you plan to invite for the launch event. This list should include people interested in your book, friends, family, book reviewers, and influencers in your niche. I will get to the reviewers and influencers in a bit.

Also, consider who will be the chairman (chief launcher) of the occasion. Send out your invitations at least a month in advance to give everyone time to plan their attendance. Send a reminder when it’s a week before the event.

6. Plan for side attractions

Some people picture a book launch as a boring occasion that would be all about your book. It’s a great idea to spice it up with a few activities that would bring life to the event.

My last eBook launch was done as an online conference. I invited guest speakers with large followings on social media to speak on relevant topics. The turnout was great. Many people participated because their favourite influencer was on stage. The speakers also provided attendees with great perks, including discounted access to their training courses and free books and workbooks.

You can spice up a physical event with activities like games, music or a spoken word presentation. It refreshes your audience.

7. Set up a book launch team

There are lots of things to take care of when planning for an event (E.g. flyer designs, video editing, publicity, etc.) That’s why you need assistance, whether you choose to have your book launched online or not.

About 4 weeks before my eBook launch, I called for volunteers via my Facebook timeline. Over 100 people offered to help. Of course, I promised exciting offers and bonuses if they helped me. Together for the remaining weeks before the event, we worked tirelessly, and the result was fulfilling.

I specifically called for people with certain skills to join my launch team. Those without skills were helpful with publicity. I kept my word. Every volunteer got what was promised.

8. Get reviews of your book

You can give Advance Review Copies (ARCs) of your book to readers who would read in exchange for their honest reviews.

An ARC is a copy of a manuscript that has been edited but not yet published. It can be a hard or soft copy (it doesn’t necessarily need a finished book cover design). You can give some of these copies to beta readers, influencers, or members of your volunteer team for free. In return, these readers share their reviews online or at the book launch event. This is a strategy for promoting your book.

Social media influencers are people who have an active account on social media with a large number of followers. Imagine someone with over 10,000 active followers recommending your book before their audience. You can guess the outcome.

Send your ARCs at least 6 weeks (depending on the size of your book) before your launch date to give reviewers adequate time to read and review.

Remember you might want to share some reviews on social media before the launch date to promote the book.

9. Promote the book

Share teasers for your book early. Have a book synopsis and ad copy to promote on your social media handles, mailing lists, and website pages.

Share book snippets on your social media timelines from time to time. Your title, cover design, release date announcements, trailers, and more can all be displayed at various times to keep readers anticipating the release. You can share different designs of your book cover and let your viewers choose their favourite design.

10. Promote the event

Make a lot of noise about your book. That’s what advertising is all about. It’s about getting the public to pay attention to your book. You can achieve this by creating a Facebook event for it, posting information about the launch on social media and your website, reaching out to influencers, bloggers and book reviewers, and sending a press release to the media.

Start promoting the event about 4-6 weeks before the book’s release. You can share countdown flyers on social media from about 10 days to the release date.

11. Plan the details

Don’t skimp on any aspect because every detail of the event contributes to its overall success. Decorations, refreshments, entertainment, interview sessions, and parking attendants are all important factors to consider for a successful event. Click this link to download our checklist for a successful book launch. Be sure to check each box.

Other vital tips for a successful book launch event

Arrive early

Get to the venue in good time on the day of the event to be sure everything is in place. This may include arranging chairs, setting up a desk for your books, and checking any audio-visual equipment you will be using.

Make copies available

After the book is officially launched, copies of the book should be available at the sales desk for buyers. Proper sales records should be taken. Go with enough copies of your book (at least 100 copies).

Don’t forget to inform the audience about the bookstores where copies of your book can be bought after the event.

Give a discount

People love giveaways and discounts. Consider giving a special discount as an incentive for guests. Announce your discount before the day of the launch.

Enjoy the launch

Finally, take some time to enjoy the launch and celebrate your success. Remember to take pictures and chat with your guests, and thank everyone for coming.

For other vital tips to consider as you prepare for your book launch, download this FREE checklist.

After the rigorous efforts that go into preparing your book, you don’t want all that effort to go to waste when the book is finally released into the market. That’s why you need to launch your book strategically.

Start planning early enough and collaborate with a launch team for the best results.

Which of these tips stood out for you?

Which of them would you like to try?

Have you hosted a book launch before? Share your winning tips in a comment below.