The difference between a book and a bestselling book solely lies in the marketing. You can write a great book, but if you don’t promote that book, you won’t reach readers. Authors have a variety of ways to promote their books.
You can share your book on social media, tell everyone on your email list, and even run a free promotion for your book if you are a new author with a small audience.
But in my experience and based on what I’ve seen, the most powerful way to get book sales is to build a book launch team. A book launch team consists of your early readers and people who will eagerly promote your book when it comes out.
Getting People On Your Book Launch Team
The more qualified people you can get on your book launch team, the better. If you have a book idea, start building relationships now. I knew many of the people on the book launch team for Content Marketing Secrets before I told them about the book launch team.
If you want to start the relationship by telling someone about your book, give them some incentives for becoming a part of your book launch team. Briefly explain what you have accomplished and share some credentials. Talk about what you aim to do with your book. Finally, and this is a big one, offer exclusive gifts (private content, early copy of the book, consult etc.) to that person if he/she joins your book launch team.
It’s easier to get the yes from people you already know. If you intend on reaching out to people you don’t know, plan to send many emails to increase the likelihood of getting at least 20 team members for your book launch.
Communication
Once you get people on your book launch team, you need to communicate with them. The first way you communicate with your book launch team is through a custom email list. In the first email, provide an update on your book that includes a link to a Book Launch Facebook Group.
The two most popular places on our computers are Facebook and our inboxes. Your messages to your book launch team members needs to find its way on both of those platforms.
When you communicate to members in your Facebook Group and your email list, focus on fulfilling some of your promises from earlier, updating people about your book, and making requests.
The small requests are important because they reinforce your members’ commitment towards your book. If you only ask for help during the book’s publication date, you’re leaving a lot on the table.
Here are some of the requests you should ask your team members to perform leading up to your book launch and during the book launch:
- Share the link on social media
- Share pics of your book on social media when they receive their copy
- Tell their email lists about the book
- Leave a review
- Tell their friends
- Create a video, blog post, or podcast episode based on the book. As a side note for podcast episodes, take a bunch of interviews leading up to your book’s publication date. Make this well-known in the group that you’ll available for podcast interviews.
Getting your book launch team members to perform small request like sharing on social media will make them more likely to perform bigger requests like leaving reviews for your book on the day you publish it.
The last thing I want to mention is that you celebrate your book’s success together. Don’t view the book as your victory. View it as the shared victory between you and everyone on your book launch team. When you publish your book and reach readers, thank everyone for their help.
Thanking your book launch team members will make them feel acknowledged. Some of them will get inspired to take even more action during the promotion and even after the promotion.
When I was on Daymond John’s book launch team, one of the requests was for book launch team members to put a new avatar on social media in which they were holding a copy of his book. I have kept that profile picture on my Twitter account months after the promotion ended.
I continue talking about his book in my videos, podcast episodes, and blog. I continue recommending his book on others shows.
That’s what happens when you treat your members right and share the victory with them. I got to meet Daymond at an event and talked with him on the phone for about two minutes (another story for another time. It was awesome!).
Go above and beyond for the people on your book launch team, and they will go above and beyond for you.
In Conclusion
A book launch team is essential for the success of any book. Almost all bestselling books are built around book launch teams. Even if this is the first book you’re publishing, build a small book launch team for it. You can scale up your book launch team for future books.
You can also get people from your first book launch team to help you with your second book launch. I was also a part of Daymond John’s Power Of Broke book launch. I enjoyed my experience promoting that book, and when I heard about his book Rise And Grind, I knew I couldn’t miss it.
What are your thoughts on creating a book launch team? Do you plan on building one for your next book? Do you have a question for me? Sound off in the comments section below.
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