Brace Yourself: Book Launch and Marketing Checklist

You’ve already read my blog on beta readers (or if you haven’t, why not?), so you have an idea of some of the less-publicized steps in the hyper-romanticized world of writing a book. But for independent authors (at least those who overlap with grasping perfectionists), the space between writing and publishing is akin to purgatory. From navigating the ins and outs of formatting idiosyncrasies to the creation and execution of your publication marketing plan, finding time to work on the sequel becomes rather tricky.

In part, this is because many of the elements that require attention take time to complete, and you’ll do a lot of waiting around if you don’t tend to a few of them simultaneously. And you don’t want to realize you misjudged how long a process might take and find yourself scrambling at the last minute, unable to achieve those missing steps before the drop date. 

For those of you who plan to embark on your first publication or those who periodically checked in to verify that I hadn’t wasted away under my laptop, I hope that this pseudo to-do list helps you understand some of the many things that require consideration in the run-up to publication… and why I got so quiet in the first quarter of the year.

Step one: write the book. Turns out, this is the easy part.

But don’t be like me and forget to write any key sections of your front and back matter. This could include acknowledgments, dedications, an about-the-author blurb, an author’s note, table of contents, and whatever else your book may need. (Realm forbid you had hoped to receive a forward or afterward from someone and forgot to chase them down—or even ask them—for it.) Once everything is truly, truly written and edited (you hired an editor, right?), you’ll need to format your manuscript for publication.

This means you’ll need to determine in which formats you want to publish:

• eBook
• Paperback
• Hardcover
• Audiobook (and remember, this one has costs associated with it from talent to production and realm knows what else—this is still on my eventual horizon; I’ll update you when I know more)

If you’re printing a physical copy, you’ll need to select your trim size (dimensions of the book), which will determine how you format it. The process is rather detailed but not super challenging, other than the occasional “oopsie.” It is also something you can hire out if you’re not comfortable with document manipulation. If you do it yourself, save new versions. Regularly. I mean, a lot. Just to be sure you can revert to an old version if needed.

Knowing your formats might help you decide whether you wish to publish through a single publishing platform or “go wide,” as it’s known in the industry, which means distributing your book through multiple platforms. There are tons of options out there, but here are a few biggies I researched:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• D2D Print*
• Ingram Spark

Unfortunately, wholesalers like Ingram Spark and D2D Print (who uses Ingram Spark as their distributor) currently prohibit authors from opting out of distribution through specific retailers on their list. This means going through them would prevent you from releasing directly with individual retailers like Amazon and B&N because it would create duplicate listings and could cause the de-listing of your book entirely. The issue: deselecting certain retailers would allow indie author to list with sites that pay out higher royalties for publishing directly through them. On the other hand, deselecting large avenues like Amazon and B&N could decrease the wholesaler’s reach and profit, which probably begets the prohibition. You see the conundrum. So, you can go wide and take the hit in royalties, or to get around this, you might consider selling directly from your book or author website (which I’ll detail a bit more below).

(*But if I may gush momentarily about D2D Print’s incredible customer service…! If I eventually go wide with a wholesaler, they’re my likeliest choice.)

A couple other considerations may affect which publishing platform(s) you use: whether to buy ISBNs (which I debate in my recently updated blog on ISBNs) and whether to file for copyright (and remember: it takes 1-3 months minimum to process, plus fees). Just don’t waste money on barcodes. Google a free barcode generator to use with your ISBNs if you need one—or use Dave at Kindlepreneur’s generator.)

But these make up only the tip of the nitty-gritty iceberg. 

If you’re self-publishing at Amazon, there are plenty of resources out there to help you figure out the process. This is where Dave Chesson’s Publisher Rocket program comes in handy (and, again, I make no money in saying so—I paid for the program out of pocket, too). Dave is an exceptional resource that you should tap as soon as you decide to publish your work. (Self Publishing with Dale is another great resource in the self-publishing biz, and I don’t get paid to say that either.) Dave also has a course on keywords and categories, which he’d bundled in with Publisher Rocket at the time I purchased it. Best thing I could have done. There are frequent sales on the software, so sign up for his awesome newsletters and seize your moment wisely.

• 7 Keywords – You’ll input these when you upload your manuscript, so you’ll need to research them in advance. Expect to burn a couple afternoons on this… at least.
• 10 Categories – You’ll sort these out and contact Amazon about associating them with your book on the day of launch. But to start, you’ll choose two of the broader categories at the time of manuscript upload. And you can assign different categories for different global regions, too, so there goes yet another afternoon or two if you care to bother.

The eye-opening part about this (because this facet of B&N seems to go relatively undiscussed compared to Amazon) is that Barnes & Noble will ask for the same information. So, once you’ve done the work on Amazon, if you’re publishing directly with B&N, too, you can replicate all the work you did. I have no idea whether there is a system for keywords and categories at B&N that is less widely publicized, but if you did it one place, my hope is that copying will suffice.

Note: Publishing directly with B&N, rather than letting a wholesaler provide them copies, increases your royalties but may hinder your ability to go wide for the reasons outlined in the wholesaler discussion above. B&N also requires a different cover size from Amazon for the wrap-around art, and it’s a huge inconvenience to ask your artist to make two versions, but you’ll thank your artist later when the royalties are (in some cases) double what they would have been from a wholesaler.

Try to decide whether you’re using free ISBNs or purchased ones before you begin, to avoid having to start again from scratch if you change your mind. Amazon will let you switch between the two in perpetuity until you hit publish, but B&N and other wholesalers who issue free ones likely don’t.

If you’re printing a physical copy, like a paperback or hardcover, you’ll set that up first (before the eBook).

1. Upload the “interior” – this is the formatted manuscript (with embedded fonts in a .pdf file) Note: Arial won’t embed, so consider using Calibri for all sans serif font applications (like headers).
2. Upload the cover art
3. Check for issues on the previewer
4. Make changes if necessary and repeat until it’s right
5. Don’t hit publish

Begin your eBook instead.

1. Upload the “interior” – this is the formatted manuscript (with embedded fonts in a .docx file) Note: Arial won’t embed, so consider using Calibri for all sans serif font applications (like headers).
2. Upload the cover art
3. Check for issues on the previewer. On Amazon, the eBook previewer also spellchecks for you. This handy tool may catch something that could have been missed by the editor or altered accidentally during formatting. If you find typos, now is the moment to reopen your final print-book interior file, find and fix them for both formats, and re-upload both interiors.
4. Make changes if necessary and repeat until it’s right.
5. Don’t hit publish.
6. Order proof copy of the print version – you’ll probably order several. Mine are stacking up like library litter. But you’ll need to order at least one from each publishing platform to verify they’re going to print properly. Prices vary, especially with shipping rates included, but they can easily range from $10 to $30. Using the eBook typo trick before ordering your first copy may save you one proof purchase.

I’m not a marketing exec, and I don’t pretend to be. I took an advertising class in college, so I know the occasional phrase, like point-of-purchase and brand positioning. (Yeah, I’m not dazzled by my academic memory either.) I abandoned the idea of taking up advertising as my minor for several reasons, but the one that matters is I don’t have the flare for it. And to complicate matters, I loathe self-promotion. It feels trite and ungenuine and… icky. Frankly, just thinking about it makes me queasy.

Yet, the independent author has no choice but to self-promote. The devilishly necessary task is the cross I bear for wanting my fists clenched tightly around the reins of this project.

What’s worse, the responsibility rests with me. If this doesn’t work, I have no one to blame but myself… which is why I hired a marketing company to help. Because I’d much prefer to share that blame? Yes. But also because I don’t know what I’m doing. Nor do I currently have the time to learn the ins and outs of Facebook and Instagram marketing, which I find cumbersome. But they’re still decent avenues to consider.

Whether you set up Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or Amazon ads (or ads on any other platform), you’ll need images from your artist for them, so get your hands on whatever artwork you can.

Note: You can get certified in Amazon Ads directly with Amazon, so you should be able to learn their process with relative ease and zero monetary expense. You can also take Dave Chesson’s free Amazon ads course. I took that and a free course from Amazon Ad School, which they promote a couple times a year, neither of which do I get paid to mention.

It’s not all social media and Amazon Ads, though. If you have a decent and selfless support system of friends and family, they can assist you in your pre-publication marketing preparation. Before your book is released, start with those lovely people (and the rest of your email list—that I hope you’ve been generating) to recruit for hype teams that will help you sell your book around the day of launch.

• Assemble an ARC (Advanced Review Copy) Team – these are the readers who will receive advanced copies of the book so they are ready to post reviews when it drops. (Make sure you consider the review policies of the site(s) on which you ask them to post reviews to avoid violating their terms and plan accordingly.)
• Assemble Street Teams – these are the followers who help boost your launch date by posting about it on social media (Online Street Team) and getting out the word via the distribution of physical printed materials to whatever public places will allow it (Physical Street Team). Don’t forget to ask your libraries, as well as your coffee shops, retailers, and galleries, if you can leave materials in their establishments.

You should also research any promotional programs, especially those tailored to new releases, as these may eventually become unavailable to you once your book has been around for a while. Amazon has a new promotional program (in beta at the time of this post) that looks pretty cool.

And do a little research on pre-sale programs. Some of these may not behoove indie authors, so you’ll want to be selective. For those publishing through Amazon, who will rely on single-day sales to beat their “best seller” algorithm (this has to do with those pesky categories mentioned above), pre-sales may detract from your concentrated daily numbers. On the other hand, as you’re setting up your book at B&N, you seemingly have no choice but to opt for presale (to publish at a date later than the day you’re uploading your manuscript)—at least until you’re ready to publish, at which time that option can be toggled off, if desired. 

Ah, and don’t forget live events. So many facets to this—all of which rely on timing. Here are a few you might consider.

• Host a release/reading/signing party at a local place that is fitting for your subject matter (and hopefully affordable). Consider timing this with a gift-giving holiday, if possible.
• Go to B&N or other local bookstores to research local author programs and see if you can get in for an author meet-and-greet.
• Take a free copy(ies) to your local library. Ask if you can leave your printed marketing materials out somewhere and whether you can hold a debut gathering there, maybe to read a few chapters.

And if you end up doing live events where your book can be sold, remember not everyone carries cash. You’ll need to establish yourself with a credit card POS system (like Square, Zettle, etc.—again, I’m not paid for listing these options and don’t recommend them one way or the other)

• Some of these places even generate QR codes for you, which you can post on your sales table for touchless payment!
• And get a state tax number for those states that impose sales tax on purchases!

Did you also research the option of setting up a store on your website, so people who visit it can buy the book without being directed away from your site? (This is a great option if you want to go wide without sacrificing royalties from listing with an all-or-nothing wholesaler; just understand your reach may not be as good at the beginning.) Adding an ecommerce section to your website may be pricey, depending upon your website host, but they may have a free widget that links to your PayPal or other online payment account. It may not look as swanky as the full integration, but it’s a realm of a lot cheaper and a great way to get started.

Once your book is released in all formats, you’ll need to set up your authorial pages (like Author Central on Amazon). You can start the process ahead of time, but the pages can’t be completed or go live until your book drops.

And don’t forget to establish a GoodReads account, even if you don’t love the site (some do, some don’t). Lots of readers believe their reviews on GoodReads tie back to Amazon’s page for a book because review requests (like the review link that populates after you finish an eBook) automatically push readers to GoodReads. However, readers must go to Amazon directly to post their review on Amazon’s book page. Since lots of reviewers will unwittingly post only to GoodReads, you might as well have a presence established there… and at other review sites if you’re so inclined.

And finally, you might consider setting up a Kickstarter as a way to reinvigorate your marketing after the initial rush passes. This might be for the sequel, an audiobook version, merchandise, etc. Whatever it’s for, the campaign will give you another avenue to approach readers who have a strong interest in furthering your work. Just remember to be smart about setting up your rewards so you don’t bankrupt yourself in item and shipping costs. And don’t forget to calculate the platform’s fees (and taxes) when you set up a goal, or you may make less than you’d expected. (I’m considering this avenue, too, and will blog again when I know more.)

See? I’ve been doing stuff! But think of how bored you’d have grown with me if I’d sent you a newsletter every time I crossed something off this unending list! And for those of you who know me personally (or know how long my books are) (or read this lengthy blog post), you’re aware that I can be a little verbose if I’m not careful.

And I’m so rarely careful.

For those of you considering self-publishing, my hope is not to overwhelm you to the point of thinking that publication is beyond your reach (and you will probably have your moments, regardless). If you love your work, your passion will drive you through the rough bumps. Just remember that if you’re publishing independently, no company is doing all these things for you, and I wanted to make you aware of some things you’ll need to do for yourself. 

The reality is there are even more nitty-gritty details that I neglected to mention here, as some of them may be more a result of preference than functional necessity. But if you have questions, heather@heatherashle.com is where you’ll find me.

Sure, it can take months from when you type your last word in the manuscript to the time you see your book in print. But if you want a reputation as an author who puts out quality work, you’ll appreciate that time and use it wisely.

Happy publishing, y’all. And happy reading.

-HA

What’d I miss? Let me know in the comments, please!