How To Launch A Book

In 7 not-so-easy steps

For those who don’t know yet, my debut YA science fantasy novel is scheduled to publish at the end of this year (2022)! This is, obviously, super exciting and I’m having a lot of fun with and finding joy in daydreaming about my debut being in the hands of readers.

With a book, especially a debut and the beginning of an author career, comes a lot more work than I realized. Luckily, it’s work I already do in my day job and I enjoy. It’s reminiscent of being a project manager, and the project is launching and marketing a book. I’ve already started to brainstorm some ideas for what may be in store for my book launch during 2022-2023, and I’d like to share on the off-chance it’ll help other new authors.

• Set a Marketing Budget.

  Yep, money is “icky” to talk about for a lot of folks. I actively try to break that stigma as a personal choice, but also understand others may simply be uncomfortable with talking specifics. So, I won’t be sharing numbers here, but you’re welcome to reach out to me via my contact form or Instagram DMs if you want to hash out details.
  
  Overall, though, setting a marketing budget has been such a comfort during this process. Yes, I have a publisher and I’m not self-publishing (though self-publishing is just as valid as any other publishing path), but they are small and we see each other more as partners than a business transaction. They do some marketing and PR for me, but a majority falls to my lap, which I’m happy with because I get to be as hands-on or hands-off as I want in my book launch.
  
  Plus, I already have a majority of the skills I need. So, my marketing budget isn’t stretching my personal income too far. (I’ll share more about my publisher and publishing experience in the months to come, I promise!)
  
  Things I’ve included in my budget because I wanted to, not because I had to:

  • Website domain and domain email (through Namecheap)

  • Website hosting, email marketing, and eCommerce storefront (I run all of these through Squarespace)

  • Newsletter incentives/giveaways

  • Social media marketing (haven’t figured out what to do with this yet, but there’s some money set aside if I decide I want to work with my publisher to run ads for whatever reason)

  • PR/business consulting and PR supplies for any mailings, etc (marketing and PR are different things)

  • Research materials for my stories (present or future)

  • Commissioned artwork

  • Pre-order campaign incentives and mailings

  • Post-launch order campaign incentives and mailings

  I’m sure I’m missing something big and glaring, but that’s what I’ve started with and it’s been lovely to randomly stumble upon an artist I really love and commission them without worrying if I have the money to do so or not. Also, it’s really handy to have these expenses separated out from my personal checking for tax reasons.

• Website Relaunch

  I had to really decide on my author name before I could make any true website movement. My birth name is Jennifer, and I’ve gone by Jenn since second grade. I agonized over which to use. Jenn Storey is short, and shorter names can look awkward on book covers. Also, Jenn often gets misspelled as Jen which is absolutely not my name.
  
  My partner asked me one day, “What do you want your readers to call you?” and the decision was as easy as that. Jenn it is. Plus, Storey can be often misspelled, too… So why not have the first and last name match in that way? I’m Jenn-with-two-ns Storey-with-an-e-y, and my new website domain reflects that.
  
  With a new website also comes new photos and I just haven’t had the time to take my own. I think I have enough skills, or can YouTube well enough, with my DSLR to do it myself, but I may end up having some extra in my marketing budget to hire a professional for some “lifestyle” photography. For now, though, stock photos and poor phone selfies will have to do.
  
  PRO-TIP for authors with easily misspelled names like mine: I also bought jenstorybooks.com and have set up a redirect so that no matter what, folks will land at the right place.

• Social Media Ideas

  A lot of times, with a publisher, they’ll give you some dates for launch, especially for announcements. I feel fortunate that I am kind of in charge of these things because I get to plan them myself and have more control over the conversation. Here are a few things I’m already starting to plan out:

  • Publisher’s Marketplace Sale Announcement

  • Book Title Announcement

  • Cover Reveal

  • Giveaways

  • YouTube/IG Videos series (multiple)

• PR Lists

  I just finished a very lovely PR consultation with Gold Leaf Literary that helped me wrap my mind around what all needs to happen and when this year. I also work for a Penguin Random House author as her assistant, so I get some “insider insights” from the Big 5 nonfiction side of things. One of the biggest things I’ve learned to focus on is getting together my pitch list. This includes:

  • Review publications in three tiers: big, medium, and small

  • Local publications such as newspaper and library newsletters

  • Local bookstores for general outreach and, “Hey! I’m a local author. Maybe we can do something together?”

  • University contacts

    • I hold an MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics, and I’m really fortunate to have spent time inside four different university systems over my academic and professional careers. These contacts can be valuable for things like blurbs, alumni newsletters/announcements, as well as notifying the University Bookstore that an alumna has a book being published (they may stock it!).

  • Blurb list in three tiers: big, medium, and small (be sure to include pie-in-the-sky names because you truly never know)

• Media Lists, Pitch Decks, and Conversation Partners

  Yes, the stuff above is also media but there’s still room for things like podcasts, blog tours (yep, STILL!), and other authors’ newsletters. This last one is especially interesting because folks are always looking for newsletter content that engages their own audience. This also leads me into the concept of having a suite of pitches (a pitch deck) for different angles: Local author, SFF author, YA SFF author, behind the scenes/process, etc.
  
  Don’t forget about your online (or offline!) friends who write similar books or in a similar genre, a publisher or agency you’ve worked with to help get this thing off the ground, or any artist you have worked with. These folks make great conversation partners for PR interviews that reach both your and their audiences.

• Reflect on What Feels Good

  Michelle Schusterman mentions this in one of her YouTube videos about book launches, and that’s where I learned: Focus on what feels good to you. You don’t have to do everything (and you probably shouldn’t; burnout is VERY REAL!). I’ve reflected on this a great deal already, personally, and I can say that I know in-person events may need to wait for many reasons.

• The Book Launch Party

  I don’t exactly know what I’d like to do for this yet, but it is something I’m thinking about already. I’m a pretty quiet person, and I feel awkward when people celebrate me (even at my own wedding in 2017!). I’m also a great distance, physically, away from my close family and friends so that makes anything in-person even more difficult. I’m always open to suggestions, though! Feel free to give me some ideas. :)

I hope this list is somewhat helpful to someone out there. I’m really looking forward to sharing more of this here on my website and a VERY truncated version for my newsletter, Otherwor(l)dly News. I haven’t launched it yet, but I’ll be sharing short emails once or twice a month with author updates (3 sentences max), writing craft chatter (5 sentences max), and mindful musings (3 sentences max).

I’m still trying to figure out a good “sign up incentive” for the newsletter, too, but I’m imagining a monthly giveaway of something to subscribers. Sign up here!

Love, always,

Jenn

PS - None of the links above are affiliates. I will always make readers aware if I use an affiliate link.