The document outlines 7 ways for authors to launch their book and boost sales. It discusses identifying the target audience and their characteristics. It then details the 7 ways as: 1) leveraging personal relationships, 2) encouraging fans, 3) attending industry events, 4) hosting grassroots events, 5) developing a website and Amazon author page, 6) using social media, and 7) engaging traditional media. The author emphasizes starting small with relationships and local events, then expanding efforts to larger audiences and platforms over time.

1. Ways to
Launch Your Book
& Kick-Start Sales
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2. 7 Ways to Launch Your Book & Kick-Start Sales 1
7 Ways to Launch Your Book
& Kick-Start Sales
By Nicole Baker
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I am Nicole Baker, the manager of author education for Author Solutions. I joined Author Solutions in 2011
and helped launch the Author Learning Center. I also worked as a literary publicist garnering global media
attention for authors with interviews on various platforms. To book these interviews, I utilized the very
tips outlined below.
I have identified seven ways to launch your book and kick-start sales. But, before you can launch your
book, you must know where you are aiming.
You need to know who your target audience is.
I can tell you this: Your target audience is not everyone.
As marketing genius Seth Godin says, “Everyone is not
your customer.” Trying to please everyone is a major
key to failure.
How do you determine your target audience? Here are some questions to answer:
• Who is your ideal reader?
Physical characteristics: Are they older or younger? Do they dress a certain way?
Regional characteristics: Where are they from? Where do they live?
What media outlets do they respect? Are they a Fox News listener or do they get their news
from NPR or Twitter?
Give the person a name and maybe even find an image online to help you solidify your focus.
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• What motivates your ideal reader? Money, spiritual understanding?
• What problems does your book solve? Entertainment? Humor? Help alleviate stress?
• What makes your book special?
• Are there other books like yours on the market? Who is buying them? Where is your book in the
bookstore? What genre? What section?
• Mine data on Facebook and Goodreads: See who is reading and commenting on books similar to
your book.
Now let’s dive into the hierarchy of marketing. Each of these marketing stepping stones is important;
some just happen to give you more exposure for your efforts. There are more opportunities for you at the
bottom of the pyramid, but exposure or discoverability increases as you move up.

3. 7 Ways to Launch Your Book & Kick-Start Sales 2
1. Personal Relationships
Make lists of all your circles: business colleagues, college friends, family, church groups, etc. Capture email
addresses every chance you can. These lists will be very important when it’s time to promote your book or
an event. You can start with a simple Excel spreadsheet or an Outlook file. Just make sure your lists agree
to receive emails from you and have an easy way to opt-out.
It’s also good to have your elevator pitch ready for these friends and to practice your pitch with them.
Get comfortable with your pitch and with your new role as self-promoter. In addition, you can ask your
immediate circle of friends/fans to write book reviews after they have read your book. Obviously, you’ll
want an honest review, so your mother might not be the best person to ask.
Your marketing goal with personal relationships in your book marketing journey is to create ripples in
the pond. Each relationship can create ripples in your pond…you tell a friend, they tell a friend, then that
friend tells another person.
2. Encourage your Fans
Encourage your fans to market for you by having a contest. These contests can be something as simple as
picking a fan at random from your Facebook page or blog comments. Get your fans engaged and reward
them in a way that suits you. Perhaps they get a free signed copy of a book or a free poster/bookmark/t-
shirt. Another great way to encourage your fans is to have them post pictures of themselves reading
your book. Author Brad Thor does a great job of this on social media. He has some great pictures of fans
reading his books all over the world. It makes fans want to be part of the fun!
Personal Relationships - lists
Encourage your fans to market for you
attend industry events - Network
Plan Grassroots Events
Website/amazon author page
social media
Traditional media
Discoverability
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4. 7 Ways to Launch Your Book & Kick-Start Sales 3
3. Industry Events
Industry events are key to both new authors and seasoned professionals. Early on you will want to attend
workshops and conferences simply to soak up the education like a sponge. This allows you to network and
learn from others. You can practice your pitch with like-minded people and glean some insight that you
can only get by immersing yourself in the industry. While at these events, I encourage you to wear a pin.
This is a great idea a friend, colleague, and renowned book coach and speaker, Cathy Fyock, has ingrained
in me. It works! Wear something that is a conversation starter and gets people talking. During a long day
of meeting lots of new people, something like a pin will help you stand out and make you and your book
memorable.
4. Grassroots Events
Unlike industry events, which you simply attend, these are events you can do yourself (or with the help of
a publicist). Your goal is to showcase yourself and your book at local events:
• Book signings: Set up a book signing at your local bookstore, farmers’ market, church or
philanthropic event.
• Book clubs: Find the local clubs and see if you can plug in with them; check your library for groups.
• While at the library researching those groups, ask about doing a reading at the library. This works
great
for almost all genres, and audiences love hearing a book read by the author.
• Writing groups: If you have already published, you could be a great point of contact for other writers.
• Speaking engagements: There are always groups out there looking for speakers! Consider how your
book might tie in with their needs and offer to do a short talk.
• Events: Consider how your book might be a launching board for a bigger event. If you have a
cookbook, maybe you plan a bake-off and invite the community.
It’s important to remember that you most likely will need to start small and work up to larger events and
bigger groups to speak with or in front of. Along those lines, another great way to practice with larger
groups is to offer to join a book club anywhere in the world via Skype and answer questions about your
book. This lets you get used to speaking in groups without leaving your home or office.
5. Website/Amazon Author Page
You will most certainly want to develop (or hire a professional to develop) a killer website. Your website
will be the hub to which all other online social media sites point. Consider whether your name or the book
title is the best URL address. In addition, if you think you may write a series, don’t box yourself in with a
URL address that limits you.
Your blog will also be on your website. This is a great place to work together with other compatible
authors. Consider a blog tour where you collaborate with other bloggers and cross post on their blogs.
This is a great way to help each other, and Google LOVES when links are shared!
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5. 7 Ways to Launch Your Book & Kick-Start Sales 4
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Finally, don’t forget to utilize Amazon Author Page as another point on the web with your information.
This is a crucial opportunity to get your book in front of potential readers already in a spending mood.
6. Social Media
Some interesting social media statistics for you: Pew Research reports that 74% of online adults are on
at least one social media site. Ad Week reports that Facebook is the largest social media site, with over 1
billion active users, and the users share 2.5 billion pieces of content a day! These details of social media
can prove to be valuable in your book marketing.
You want to have your book on Facebook. You want people talking about your book. I recommend you
pick two to three social media outposts as your focus. But if that is too much, stick with what feels right
for you. You need to have a strategic plan and stick to it. Post regularly with content that captivates. It also
helps to reach out to book reviewers or other authors you admire. You can look for ways to collaborate
and share the book love.
7. Traditional Media
Here is where you might be able to capture the largest audience, but you don’t get here without starting
small and local. The biggest tip I can give here is that you need to understand what the media wants/
needs. By becoming an industry expert, you are making their job easier by helping tell the story they are
reporting on. Look for ways to solve a problem or explain a current event/topic/trend. This is easier to
see in a nonfiction book, but even fiction usually has a tie-in that the media might find useful. Consider
joining HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to get daily emails about what the media is looking for; this can be a
great way to build that online profile.
Building Blocks of Book Marketing
Many new authors are not aware of the marketing efforts needed to successfully launch a book. You’ve
worked so hard to get your words published; now you need to change hats and get out there and tell the
world. By starting small and working up to bigger audiences you will prefect your approach and skills. You
can do this!
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Visit AuthorLearningCenter.com
for more tips, tools and online community support.

6. version: 4.29.2016
Visit AuthorLearningCenter.com
for more tips, tools and online community support.
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