Launch reflections
When I launched The Turncoat in Carrington Park back in July, it was my first book published in over seven years. It was also my first attempt at anything like a proper launch, though I fell woefully short of achieving any big sales numbers or visibility. And I am okay with that! I’m still very new to this part of writing and I definitely learned a lot. Here are some things that worked for me:
Having a plan. Note that I didn’t say “Having a flawless plan” or “Having a tried and true plan.” Because I didn’t. I didn’t have book signings lined up, or even local media appearances or big social media announcements. I did, however, open my calendar and write one task per workday in the 30 days leading up to the book’s release, as well as the 30 days after. These tasks could be as simple as “work on website” or “buckle down on book two.” There were also some very specific tasks like “tell X about the book” and “send message to Booksprout readers.” This gave me the satisfaction of checking off one item each day - or if I didn’t do the thing, reevaluating and trying to decide why I’d ever said I’d do it in the first place, or if I was just chickening out. I did chicken out a few times. Okay, several times. But I checked off about 70% of what I set out to do, which meant the launch happened smoothly and on time. This was a big win for me!
Using an ARC program. I went with Booksprout, because I had never used an ARC program before and I had no idea what to expect. I tried for Book Sirens but they rejected me (I never found out why). Booksprout was great! I only had one taker for my ARC, but she left me a fabulous review and I am so thankful for her. I learned a lot on how to run an ARC campaign and who knows, maybe next time I’ll have more readers. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?
Chilling out. The last time I launched a book I was dead set on making this my full time career. I wasted a lot of money and took a lot of stupid risks in an attempt to make that happen. This time around I had a full time job so I wasn’t worried about trying to pay the bills with this one book. The very thought is kind of laughable. Instead it was basically just my attempt to put my little hobby out there, and start laying the foundation for the kind of writing career I want to have one day. I know from experience now that the odds of striking gold on one book’s release are not good. Especially without a huge publishing house’s marketing budget behind it. I know now that the keys to success are volume and consistency. If I put out a book every year (maybe two books someday?) and build a nice backlist, that will be the key to my success, not some viral blowout of one book. Doing it this way takes time, but it also gives me great practice and allows me to write the kind of things I’m interested in, without being beholden to a publishing house. Would I love to be traditionally published one day? Sure! But I’m not there yet, so slow and steady is the way to go for now.
Have you ever launched a book, or another creative endeavor? I’d love to hear about your experiences!