The Problem with Book Launch Advice
Common launch advice can distract you from the challenge you should be solving first.
The Question To Ask Before Launching
After spending months (or maybe it’s been years) writing your first book, you’re finally, finally getting to the BIG DAY! You’ve rewritten this thing more times than you can count and agonized over every component, from the cover to the title to the blurb.
And now there’s just one more hurdle: the launch.
We all know this is an important step. I understand you don’t want to get it wrong.
The Rabbit Hole
So you start Googling, watch YouTube videos, ask for advice in Facebook groups, and maybe even ask ChatGPT for help (I forgive you).
And now you’ve read about about preorders, ARC teams, launch teams, BookTok, Facebook ads, Goodreads giveaways, newsletter sequences, review sites, and Amazon keywords. Everyone seems to have a recipe for successfully launching a book. ChatGPT even made you a launch checklist.
Some of that advice will be excellent. Some of it is outdated. Some contradicts itself.
Some is really just trying to sell you a course or marketing package based on what worked for them without explaining why it worked.
And almost all of it has the potential to make you feel like you’re already behind.
I’ve written before about the comparison trap. Launch advice can become another form of comparison. Instead of feeling more prepared, you’re worried you’ve already missed something essential or second-guessing your decisions.
So before I give you another checklist, let me ask you one question:
What is actually going to help readers discover your book?
Here’s what I mean by this.
Imagine two authors:
The first one has published ten books and built an email list of 10,000 readers.
The other is publishing their very first book.
Should they have the same launch strategy?
Definitely not.
While the first author already has readers waiting for their next book, the second author has a very different challenge. Their readers don’t know the book exists yet, and no one can buy a book they never discover.
Preorders are a tool. ARC teams, a tool. Launch teams? Tool. Facebook Ads? Also a tool (I think you get the idea).
Tools are not good or bad. But they solve different problems and you need to know the problem you are solving in order to select the right tool. And you need to learn which tools will help you solve your own biggest bottleneck.
If readers haven’t discovered your book, then discoverability is your bottleneck.
If readers are visiting your Amazon page but not buying, your cover or blurb may be the bottleneck.
If readers enjoy your books but never hear about your next release, your email list may be the bottleneck.
Every book has a bottleneck. The mistake is assuming yours is the same as everyone else’s.
Thinking Beyond Launch Week
I encourage new authors to think beyond launch week. Your book will be on sale for years, most likely.
If discovery is your bottleneck, then that’s where your attention should begin. A beautiful launch for you may actually be focused on improving your book’s discoverability.
Your successful publishing career won’t come from executing one perfect launch. It will be built by repeatedly identifying the next obstacle standing between your book and its readers, then solving it.
That’s why I ask: What is the biggest thing preventing readers from finding and buying this book?
So yes, plan your launch. Celebrate it! Be excited about it!
We are going to talk more about launch strategies over the next few weeks.
Just don’t let launch week become so important that you lose sight of your real goal. You want readers to discover your book for as long as it is for sale.
Opening Day
Written by: Jen Simpson (my first flash fiction story)
She unlocked the front door fifteen minutes early. She wanted a few moments to herself.
The bookstore was everything she’d imagined. The dark wooden shelves were full. The window display caught the morning light. Her late grandfather’s worn leather chair in the reading nook sat ready for its first patrons. She’d even hung a little brass bell above the door.
Years of work, and her dream had come true.
At nine o’clock, she flipped the sign to OPEN.
* * * * *
She straightened a stack of novels. The display in the front window needed one more adjustment. And then she checked the clock: 9:18.
No one just yet.
It’s still early though, she told herself.
She noticed dust on some of the shelves, so she wiped them down. Then, she reorganized the bookmarks next to the register by color. Much better.
The display table by the entry was off center. She moved it a few inches because that felt more balanced and inviting.
So where is everybody? She thought.
The day moved on and the sun slipped past the display window.
When she locked the door that evening, she was tired although she had not run up a single sale.
A friend happened to walk by just as she slipped her keys into her bag.
“Oh! Is this your bookstore?”
She smiled. “It is. I opened today.”
“How did it go?”
“No one came.” She forced another smile.
Her friend looked through the front window at the warm decor, the beautiful displays, and the books waiting patiently on shelves.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I had no idea this was here.”
Continue Reading
These articles build on the ideas we explored here.
Most Authors Already Have a Funnel. They Just Don’t Realize It.
Understand how your readers move from discovering you, to ultimately buying your book.
When It Hurts: One of the Biggest Pain Points New Authors Experience is Discoverability
A deeper dive into the thesis that discoverability is such a struggle... and some ideas what you can do about it.
The 5 Amazon Visibility Mistakes Keeping Good Books Invisible
Here’s a resource that helps solve the exact problem we just discussed. This in-depth guide is free to all Author Gold Subscribers.
It’s hard to decide where to focus your time and energy. That’s what I help authors do as an author coach. Work one-on-one with me or upgrade to the Annual Gold Tier Membership and get serious about launching with confidence.
With care,
Jen | Author Gold
That flash fiction piece at the end is a masterpiece of an analogy! The image of flipping the sign to OPEN and dusting shelves while no one enters captures the quiet heartbreak of the discovery bottleneck. Reframing a launch from a frantic one-week event into a long-term strategy to build a doorway for readers is the perspective shift new authors need.
I feel triggered by your flash fiction. I ran my own home decor business, and I must have said the same thing, "No one came," hundreds of times, and heard the same reply, "I didn't know you were here," over and over. Oof, I need a paper bag.
I think it's why I panic when I think about marketing and publishing, even though I don't have an agent yet.