How to Run a Successful Book Launch Campaign

Crafting a successful book launch campaign is an art that merges creativity, strategy, and a deep understanding of your target audience. It’s not just about putting your book out there. It’s about creating an experience, generating anticipation, and engaging with your readers in a way that makes your book not just a publication but an event.

This comprehensive guide on book launches will delve into the essence of running a successful campaign. We’ll outline our proven AMPT strategy: audience, motivation, profits, and timeframe.

Whether self-published or working with a publisher, you will want to understand what makes a book launch successful. A book launch aims to captivate the author’s intended audience and propel sales to new heights.

What exactly is a book launch? The commonly accepted definition is – a range of strategically planned events, activities, and initiatives occurring in the weeks or even months before the release of a new book.

A big part of a successful campaign is getting buy-in. There will be people who will buy your book because they love you and they don’t care if the book’s topic is not of interest to them.

Most prospects will need to know what’s in it for them -WIIFT. The better you can articulate this, the easier for prospective readers to realize that your book is precisely what they want and need.

For your promotional partners, they’ll want to know what’s in it for their audience. They, after all, need to provide value to their audience and understand why that audience will care about your book.

Some authors focus on what they want to achieve with a book launch without adequately considering how to serve their potential readers; this can lead to less-than-stellar results

Spend time developing your “Author Why”- why you wrote the book

The more closely you can tie this to the golden result your reader will get from your book, the easier it is for influencers, partners, and readers to want to be part of your launch. A why that includes being of service is also easy to get behind.

Here is an example: I wrote my book Better Leadership because I have experienced too many poor leaders in my career who have made my life miserable. I want my first book to help executives lead better so that fewer employees hate going to work because they don’t have great, supportive leaders.

If you are an employee experiencing poor leadership or a leader worried they aren’t leading and being supportive enough, you’ll probably run to buy this book.

The Setting the Stage for Book Launch Success:

The Prelude: Understanding Your Audience (A)
Understanding your audience is paramount before the curtains rise on your book launch campaign. The key is knowing who they are and comprehending their desires, needs, and how your book fits into their world. Consider demographics, but also delve into psychographics—understand their motivations, challenges, and what excites them. Tools like surveys, social media insights, and engagement data can unveil valuable insights. With this understanding, tailor your campaign to resonate deeply with your audience.

For nonfiction authors, the reader is also their ideal prospect.

The Rising Action: Motivation (M)
Motivation fuels every successful campaign. You must ignite excitement, anticipation, and a sense of urgency in your audience. Offer prospects a reason to buy your book and become part of the narrative surrounding it. This might involve sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes content, or special bonuses for early supporters and pre-orders. Create a story around your book that captivates your audience and makes them feel like they’re a vital part of the journey.

Provide incentives and share what’s in it for them. Share the book description and elaborate on how the subject matter of your book will help the reader learn something new, transform or shift their thinking and mindset, solve a big problem, grow as a person, or enjoy the story.

Share what’s in it for them. Share the book description and elaborate on how the subject matter of your book will help the reader. This can be to learn something new, transform or shift their thinking and mindset, solve a big problem, grow as a person, or simply enjoy the story.

Incentives and motivation share a deep connection

A scientific reason for this is tied to humans’ attraction to pleasure and rewards. The incentive theory of motivation underscores that incentives are the driving force behind motivation.

Consumers are naturally attracted to incentives that offer value, such as discounts, complimentary gifts, and time-sensitive offers. This sense of urgency can significantly impact consumer behavior by moving them in the right direction and compelling them to take action and seize the opportunity.
Authors can foster a strong sense of customer appreciation by offering incentives. These strategies nurture enduring relationships and inspire readers to become advocates for your company, sharing about it with others.

The Climax: Profits (P)
While the primary goal of a book launch is making sales, profitability is also about more than just revenue. It’s about creating a sustainable, long-term impact. To generate profits, focus on the value you offer. This could be through various means—exclusive packages, limited edition merchandise, or even events tied to the book. But remember, it’s not just about the launch day; it’s about the aftereffects, the longevity of sales, and the relationships you build with readers.

Authors profit from book launches in non-monetary ways as well. These can include new readers, book reviews, increased shares on social media platforms, and building a list of prospects by requiring their email address when they accept your bonus offers.

Nonfiction authors can generate profits beyond book sales from a constellation of related offerings, including speaking fees, consulting, coaching, and courses.

Compelling Action by limiting your Time frame (T)
Time is an essential aspect of a book launch. Its two key elements are the length of the campaign period and the launch offer deadline.

A book release marketing campaign needs lead time to build momentum and excitement. Launch day or launch week can comprise a series of events springing from the book’s actual release. This can include any number of occasions, such as a book tour, a book launch party, a book signing, an in-person event, and multiple social media posts to boost an author’s online presence.

Your campaign also needs deadlines, which have proven highly effective. Deadlines create the right amount of psychological strain, inspiring people to act and developing a sense of urgency.

“If you want to double your results, double the impact that doubles your income, double the money, double the sales, then find a way to put a deadline on your offer. Absolutely a game changer.”

Jeff Walker, Creator of The Product Launch Formula, NYTimes Bestselling Author

Another reason a timeframe works is when you are targeting bestseller lists. Your sales need to occur within the proscribed timeframe to rank on that particular list.

How much time does it take to become a bestseller?

Amazon measures sales within a window of a few hours to determine bestseller rankings.

“…The New York Times Bestseller list requires an author to make a minimum of 5000 book sales (higher, depending on the list) in a single week across diverse retailers and from multiple geographic locations.” – Source: Novlr

The Blueprint: How to Execute a Successful Book Launch Campaign

Select a Lucrative Book Launch Plan to model
This is especially true for first-time authors. Select the type of book promotion plan best suited to your book, your audience, and your goals. An example of a book launch idea is a simple reduced-price campaign. As an example, your ebook would be on sale for .99 for a one-day promotion whose goal is to build momentum and achieve Amazon bestseller status. Another model is a bonus-with-purchase book launch campaign. This can be set up as a simple web page or a funnel that walks prospects through the steps of purchasing your book and claiming the bonuses.

Building Pre-Launch Buzz
The pre-launch phase sets the stage for success. Leverage various platforms—social media, email newsletters, and your website—to tease your audience with captivating snippets, cover reveals, or even author insights. Engage in conversations, create anticipation, and invite your audience to be part of the journey. Your goal is to capture your prospective readers’ attention.

Authors sometimes shy away from doing a pre-launch promotion because their book cover isn’t ready or they don’t have their book set up for pre-launch ordering. This shouldn’t stop you as long as you capture interested potential readers’ emails. We recommend setting up a book page on your website or as a standalone landing page. This forms an online hub for your book, providing valuable information and capturing email addresses pre-launch. On your book launch date, your hub can easily be adapted to work well for you post-publishing by giving prospects the direct link to purchase the book, hosting early reviews, author interviews, and a book press release.

Cultivating Engagement
Engagement is the heart of every book launch event. Interact with your audience through Q&A sessions, live videos, or interactive social media campaigns. This will create a sense of community and involvement, making your audience feel personally connected to the book and its journey.

One way to do this is to share updates about your author journeys on your social media accounts, in blog posts, and by emailing your mailing list. Don’t wait unto your book’s release date to start sharing updates. Find the different ways to take your audience behind the scenes of your author’s journey. Feel free to use creative ways to communicate with your prospects.

I have seen authors cultivate engagment by:

- Sharing cover designs and ask people to vote on them.
- Providing updates on the book’s progress – [turned in my first draft, got notes back from my editor, just saw the interior layout …]
- Videotaping themselves seeing the book for the first time – the unboxing when their author copies arrive

Readers love to meet the author, so even if you are camera-shy, consider doing a Facebook live or using other video content as part of your author platform building.

Leveraging Influencers and Collaborations
Consider partnering or collaborating with influencers, other authors, or relevant personalities who can amplify your reach. Find people who already have the attention of your ideal readers. These partnerships and influencers participating in and endorsing your new book can significantly enhance its visibility and credibility and help ensure the success of your book launch. Reach out to fellow authors, even those with books on the same topic.

Your partners can provide valuable social proof to your audiences, who may need to get to know, like, and trust you more.

The Launch Day: Creating an Unforgettable Experience
On the day of your book launch, make it an event. Offer exclusive launch-day discounts, host live events or readings, and encourage your audience to share their experiences and reviews, turning it into a collective celebration.

Sustaining Momentum Post-Launch
Momentum doesn’t end on launch day; it’s about keeping the fire burning. Maintain engagement by sharing user-generated content, behind-the-scenes insights, or even a post-launch “thank you” campaign to acknowledge your supporters. You can also share media coverage or positive reviews of your book.

The key to sustaining momentum and continued success is to use the right tools, such as ad campaigns, Amazon ads, or qualifying for Bookbub ads, and to have a consistent post-publication book marketing strategy.

Case Studies: Learn from Successful Launch Campaigns
Explore successful book launch campaigns across various genres. Analyze how these authors engaged their audience, capitalized on motivation, and strategically leveraged their profits. Understanding their approaches allows you to derive inspiration and tactics applicable to your campaign.

Conclusion: A Launch Beyond a Book
Running a successful book launch campaign isn’t just about selling a book; it’s about creating an experience. It’s about building a community, a relationship with your audience that extends far beyond the launch day. By focusing on your audience, motivation, profits, and timeframe [AMPT] through a well-crafted strategy, you can turn a simple book launch into an unforgettable experience for your readers, and a profitable one for you.

Remember, the success of a book launch campaign isn’t solely measured in sales figures; it’s also about the connections you build, the impact you make, and the journey you embark on with your audience. Embrace the creativity, utilize the AMPT strategy, and watch your book launch soar to new heights.

In the next post, I’ll outline our Perpetual Profitable Launch Strategy.

Sounds like hard work? It doesn’t need to be!
Want expert help on your book launch? We offer Book Launch Campaigns [done-for-you]

Our new Bestseller Book Launch Lab is an excellent way for new authors to get expert book launch training while designing and building a successful bestseller book launch campaign [done-with-you]. More information coming soon!

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How to Get Publicity Using Social Media

How ti get Media Coverage Using Your Existing Social Network

If you are looking for media coverage, you can start by using social media. Chances are there is a journalist in your existing social network. Or just one connection or friend away.

This is great news. It’s never been easier to connect with a journalist, one who can write about you and your company and give you the media coverage and visibility you deserve. And this may surprise you to hear, but you probably already know exactly how to connect with a journalist using social media. You are probably using these skills, perhaps just not in connection with a journalist. Please read on, as I am about to explain.

I speak to a lot of entrepreneurs, authors, coaches and business owners who find the idea of doing public relations or promotion, daunting.

I remember the first time I was considering doing some publicity for my fashion company. I was scared, overwhelmed and intimidated.

That was just before the digital age. No Internet to look up how to write a press release. No online press distribution services. No online directories of journalists, and no social networks.

I needed some information and insight as to how to do my own publicity, so I did the only thing I could think of – I sought out a mentor and asked a lot of questions.

My first attempt at public relations, I probably did at least 10 things wrong and yet I still got some great media coverage! And you know what, it turns out that getting publicity really isn’t hard, if you know a few simple rules of the road. And I am about to share them with you in this post.

Today, you have the distinct advantage of the Internet for information, templates, training and video tutorials. Just do a search on YouTube and you will find a plethora of training on virtually any topic including how to do your own public relations. You also have online social networks that make connecting easy and sometimes instant.

Here is your best news: Journalists are very social

A recent study from the Indiana University School of journalism looks at how U.S. journalists use social media to report the news. Here are a few specific ways journalists are using social platforms:

59.8% find ideas for stories
54.1 % find sources
20% interview sources

Journalists also see social media as a vehicle for self-promotion; 80% state that it helped them share their work and two-thirds say they are more engaged with their audiences thanks to social sites.

As you can see from the study, more and more journalists use social media to promote as well as to facilitate their work, including finding story ideas, finding sources and interviewing subjects. That is where you come in! You can be a source for journalists in any or all of those aspects of their job!

On social media, journalists are more accessible to everyone whether they are PR professionals or folks like you. Therefore, it has never been easier to connect with journalists.

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How to Run a Bestseller Campaign on Amazon

The reason why you want to know how to run a bestseller campaign on Amazon goes beyond bragging rights. When done right, it will provide a significant boost to your book’s visibility and sales, as well as help garner book reviews. I am speaking here about Amazon Kindle Bestseller Campaigns.

Before jumping into the hows of a bestseller campaign… at the risk of stating the obvious, you want to start by writing a great book.

Visibility

When set up right, your book will show up high in the categories your potential readers are browsing in… this way it can be discovered. Amazon is a giant search engine, and like Google, people don’t go beyond the first page to search for results, so ranking high matters. In the case of Amazon, it is the opposite – a low number ranks higher with #1 being at the top. It is key to getting found by new prospective buyers.

Your book can also show up in the Hot New Releases section and potentially other sections that will give it additional visibility in front of your target audience.

Categories and Keywords

Your category and keyword research, when done right, along with optimizing your An optimized listing, will help your book continue to rank well long beyond the bestseller campaign.

When I refer to optimizing your listing – I mean carefully selecting your categories and keywords to help your book get discovered, and taking advantage and using all of the 2 categories and 7 keywords Amazon allows a book.

The optimization of a book listing is a combination of art and science. Sometimes authors see their book as belonging in a certain category, which may not be the ideal one, nor the one or the only one their ideal reader will search in. There are probably a number of ways your reader will browse for books like yours… so remain open. Research can help you identify the optimal categories and keywords. You can conduct your research by polling your target audience, researching similar books on Amazon, using a keyword tool, or hiring an expert.

You can always tweak or change your categories, however, if you aren’t sure why your book isn’t ranking the way you would like, changing the categories and keywords without getting professional input, is a bit like playing the lottery, and leaving the result to chance.

The momentum of a bestseller campaign is valuable on Amazon as it gives you a number of sales. It also boosts your book’s ranking and visibility. Keeping your promotion going beyond the initial campaign can really solidify your book rankings for an extended period. We continue to run a promotional campaign for a few days after the Bestseller campaign. Keeping the price at .99, we see steady sales, increased reviews, and long-term rankings boost. The books that have used this strategy continue to rank and bring in sales month after month with no additional promotion.

What Not To Do – Credibility Busters

Beg or hound friends and family to buy your book. Instead, join a number of book groups that allow you to post your promotion, or hire a service or professional to run your campaign.

Claim bestseller status when your book has no reviews listed. Think about it, is it credible that a book would become a bestseller and no one would have reviewed it? Instead, get a few reviews before running your bestseller campaign.

Post your book online with the bestseller seal on it, before its even published [if it somehow happens to pass Amazon scrutiny this way] before you even start your campaign or reach bestseller status. Instead, hire a graphic designer [a Fiverr for $5] to add the graphic, and upload a new cover once you have actually achieved bestseller status.

No Author page. Amazon gives you this great free marketing tool with Author Central, so why not take advantage and set it up before promoting your book.

Find out about our done for you bestseller campaigns here

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How to Contact a Celebrity for a Book Endorsment

How to get celebrity endorsements for your book

You are ready to get endorsements for your book. You’ve identified your ideal celebrities and influencers. Now it’s time to contact them and make the ask, but you may be wondering how to contact a celebrity for a book endorsment. Here are the top ways to find the contact information of celebrities:

Start with a Google Search

Google is a great resource for finding contact information. Start with a google search. Try being completely literal. Type in ‘email address for Celebrity Name’. We are going to use Barbara Corcoran as our example.

As you can see you get a number of results, including Barbara Corcoran’s own website [1], which is sure to have a contact form. We’ll save that for later.

In this search you see both RocketReach [2] and CEOEmail [3] which claim to give you email addresses. Both are free. It is worth having a look and copying down the email addresses into a file.

Test the email addresses to see if they are valid using this free tool:

In the event you don’t find any email addresses you can try the following:

Find an email address for a staff member at your celebrity’s domain. You can do a Google search, or try a Linkedin search using your celebrity as the company name.

For example: look for any address at @barbaracorcoran.com. From this you can determine the email convention they use. It might be ‘first initial’ and ‘last name’, or ‘first name’ only before the @ sign. You can then substitute your celebrity name in the same format as the email address you found.

How to Contact a Celebrity for a Book Endorsement- Ninja tips:

Address your endorsement request to a few different email addresses at the same time – addresses that you found, or just try a few of the most commonly used email conventions. That way you increase your chances of success, and any email address that is not valid, will send back an email letting you know that.

Add a read receipt- if used, it will let you know the email was received and read.

Use Press Contacts to request celebrity endorsements
Celebrities and high-profile people often have a PR firm on retainer or staff. You can typically find their contact info in a press release issued about the celebrity. These releases may be found on the celebrity’s website, or by searching for news about them.
Once you find out the celebrity’s PR contact you can either contact them to ask who to direct an endorsement request to, or just pitch them directly.

Use the Contact form on the celebrity website
The contact us form on any website is always available as a way to contact a celebrity, or anyone else. It usually goes to a general mailbox, often opened by an assistant. I have had success using this method to request endorsements, though it’s not my preferred method; I use it only when I can’t find a celebrity email address or press contact name and email address.

Here is why you should ask Barbara Corcoran, or any celebrity for an endorsement. They might just say yes!

In fact, Ms. Corcoran encourages you to request endorsements, and has a dedicated link to make it easy for you.

Fast Track Your Results & Get More Celebrity Endorsements

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How to Get Celebrity Endorsements For Your Book

Having celebrities endorse your book will lend credibility, prestige and authority. It will also help you sell more books.

Big brands have been using celebrities to sell products for ages. Think Michael Phelps on the corn flakes box to Ellen Degeneres in Cover Girl makeup commercials. They pay big fees to the celebrities because these endorsements help sell more products.

The good news is, with a little bit of effort on your part, you can get industry influencers and busy celebrities to endorse your books- and you won’t have to pay a fee.

To understand why celebrities will give you an endorsement, even if they don’t know you, see Part 1 of this series Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement

I reached out to a top industry expert who was also a multiple New York Times bestselling author to get an endorsement for a client’s book. They agreed. We were thrilled! An endorsement from them would add incredible cache and authority to my client’s book. Weeks went by. We heard nothing. After more than a month, I reached out and asked if it would help if I sent some sample endorsements.

The expert’s assistant wrote back with a one word response: “Absolutely”.
We got their endorsement the next week!

The key to having celebrities endorse your book is to put in time up front, and to make it as easy as possible for them to say yes.

Here is how to get celebrity endorsements for your book

Create a simple, ‘package’ with all your information and materials to send via email.

Start by sending a very short, detailed note about your book along with your request and why you think they are the perfect person to endorse it. [Genuine flattery goes a long way!]

Offer a copy of the book as well as a representative sample

Many celebrities and experts will not want to read your entire book; however, you should offer them a copy of it as well as a representative sample [intro, table of contents and a chapter]. Rather than send the sample as an attachment, host your sample chapter in the cloud [drop box, google doc…] and offer a link to the files in your email.

Offer Sample Endorsements [3 -5 samples]

Let them know you recognize that they are busy, so you have drafted a few sample endorsements that they are welcome to use as is, or edit. This can make it easier for them. They can simply select one of your samples and email you back which one to put their name next to, or they can customize a sample endorsement to make it more ‘in their own voice’.

This last step of offering ‘sample endorsements’ can make all the difference between getting an endorsement or not, as you can see from my client example.

Sending sample endorsement works for two reasons. People are intimidated by a blank page. They aren’t sure where to start. By offering them some samples, you are helping to give them some suggestions and direction. They don’t have to think hard about this, and can comply with your request, by customizing one of your samples in a minute or two.

Remember, you are asking a busy people to take an action on your behalf. You want to have celebrities endorse your book. They get a lot of requests. The easier you make it for them, the greater likelihood you have of success.

Fast Track Your Results & Get More Celebrity Endorsements

Related Content :

Part 1: Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement

Part 3: How to Contact A Celebrity for a Book Endorsement

Listen to our podcast: The Self-Publishing Blueprint

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Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement

To add credibility and social proof to your book, there is no better way than to have a celebrity or recognized expert endorse your book. In this post I’m going to cover Why you should ask Barbara Corcoran for an endorsement.

You may be thinking, ” but I don’t know any celebrities or recognized experts, or they don’t know me, so why would they endorse me”?

Here are 3 reasons why a celebrity will endorse books or products, even if they don’t know you personally:

They want to remain visible
They want to give back and help someone who is up and coming
They believe in the product

And yet….Barbara Corcoran turned me down.

When I published my first book, Success Secrets of the Real Estate Super Stars – Remarkable Women in Real Estate, the obvious choice to ask for an endorsement from Barbara Corcoran.

I did a search online and found her press contact. I drafted my endorsement letter and sent it off. I got a prompt response from her press person saying that unfortunately Barbara was slammed with travel and wouldn’t be able to endorse the book. I was a little bit disappointed but went on to publish the book.

Fast forward two years. A colleague was publishing a book on real estate and wanted to get an endorsement from Barbara Corcoran. She reached out and Barbara said yes. Why? The timing was better. She had the time to look at the book and endorse it.

So if you’re looking for endorsements from anyone famous, a celebrity or industry expert, the first rule of thumb is simply – you have to ask.

Be prepared to get turned down. It’s not personal, necessarily. It’s probably just that they’re too busy and not able to comply.

Want to sell more books? – get endorsements from recognized experts or celebrities.

Fast Track Your Results & Get Celebrity Now

Part 3, I show you how to find a press contact for any celebrity.

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Does an Author Need Both PR and Social Media

I was recently asked by a fellow publisher “whether an author with limited time and resources should put them into social media strategies rather than trying to include publicity or even going exclusively the publicity route.” Does an author need PR and Social Media to succeed?

Here is my response:

Good question. The first thing I always want to know is where does your audience live, as it should inform a lot of where to put your efforts. If you target an audience that is rarely on social media, then that would not be a great use of all your efforts.

I consider social media as part of ‘the media’ nowadays

Earned media [others writing about you, talking about you…] is the most valuable type of content you can have [no one cares or believes what you say about you to some extent, especially on social media]. Others talking about you is social proof, third party credibility, perceived as an endorsement…

In our review economy [also called trust economy], people trust:

recommendations from friends and family
online reviews & recommendations and
the media [source: Nielson]

You have probably heard it said that people buy from those they know, like and trust… so media coverage/mentions are in the top 3 factors that influence buying decisions

The media are respected, and as it is they who decide what they write about; being the ‘selected one’ has additional value – i.e. they featured you over all the other experts out there.

When you are featured in the media, you get the halo effect of being associated with their respected brands…. that is why we say, as seen in the NY Times or cite a NY Times book review, and we don’t say “as seen on Facebook” or cite a Facebook book review, no matter how glowing.

As you can probably tell by now, I think that authors need PR and Social Media to succeed; I recommend authors use a combination of PR and social media… yes, even when time and resources are challenged [when aren’t they?]… all the more reason to learn how each medium works and learn how to maximize your efforts.

Want to learn more about how to do your own publicity? Please check out our Magnify Your Message program

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How to Grow Your Business as a Speaker or Author

I am just back from an amazing 4 days at the Speaker Empire event learning how to grow your business as a speaker or author. I picked up lots of tips and inspiration and it got me to thinking…

In the United States, a favorite food staple is peanut butter and jelly. You rarely see one without the other. They just make each other better then they are on their own.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Books are to speaking, as peanut butter is to jelly” quote=”Books are to speaking, as peanut butter is to jelly”]

One of the best ways to grow your business is as a speaker or author, and best when you are both, as they are the peanut butter to each other’s jelly, they can give you exposure and expert positioning. Together, as both a speaker and an author, you make a bigger, better impression.

As an author, you are more attractive to conference and event planners, so it’s easier to get speaking opportunities. As a speaker, you can get in front of new audiences, wow them with your message, and sell your books and services with your speech. As a speaker without a book, you are leaving money on the table.

Nowadays it can take 5-12 touches before someone becomes a client. When you present to an audience, you immediately have expert positioning and authority, however they may not be ready to buy a big-ticket service from you. Your book is a great way to get them to buy something from you that at a price point that doesn’t require approval from corporate or their partner. Your book continues to give them an experience of you and your philosophy and methodology, and can move them closer to becoming a client.

One of the amazing things I discovered, is that once you commit to writing a book, you can start getting speaking opportunities. I have been interviewed on podcasts and been invited to speak at events based solely on announcing my forthcoming book. So your book can make getting visibility and attracting ideal clients much easier, even before its completely written!

I’ll be sharing some of the tips I picked up at Speaking Empire, as well as tips on how you can build buzz, write and promote your book… via Facebook Live. Please like my page so that you will get notified when I am broadcasting.

If you have any questions or topics you’d like to see my cover, please comment below.

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Do Your Own Book Publicity

The top 3 challenges authors have with book publicity

If you build it, they will come. It turns out that readers and clients don’t just show up. Even established authors use book publicity to promote their work.

With one book published on Amazon every 5 minutes, it can be hard to get your book in front of your target readers. Unfortunately, this can be a tough realization for you authors who work so hard on your book to then publish it, only to hear crickets.

I hear this unfortunate story all too often. The two biggest concerns I hear from authors are getting more visibility and how to leverage their book to get more clients. The fastest way to accomplish these two is with book publicity.

Publicity done right can put you in front of your ideal audience, establish instant credibility, instant expert status and be perceived as an endorsement from the media. It gives you free access to a wider audience, while positioning you as a top expert. It also creates a sense of ‘know, like and trust’ that is needed before people will buy from you. Because of these factors, book publicity can help you convert your media coverage into paying clients when done right.

Many of the authors that I speak with aren’t using publicity due to 3 major challenges. I hear these challenges so often, that I have come to call them the Big 3:

Lack of Time
Lack of Money
Lack of Know-how

Due to these 3 factors, authors often stay stuck and don’t do anything regarding publicity for themselves and their book. Or, they mistakenly think that they need a big, expensive PR firm to do the publicity for them. Billionaire and Shark Tank judge Mark Cuban has said, “Never hire a PR firm.” He and I believe that you are the best person to do your own book publicity because you are the most passionate about your book and work, and know the most about it.

Why I Created the Author Visibility Builder Program

I feel so strongly that authors like you are missing out on what can be the single biggest leverage point in getting more visibility, readers and new clients – publicity, and it doesn’t have to be that way. I want to show you how to succeed with PR even if you have little time, a tiny budget and have little or no PR know-how. I felt I had to help authors; you put so much work into your book, you deserve to reap the benefits book publicity can provide.

That’s why I created the Author Visibility Builder program. It’s for non-fiction authors just like you who want to do your own book publicity. You know that if you just get in front of your ideal audience, you can share more of your gifts as well as turn more of your audience into paying clients.

The Author Visibility Builder program will empower you to do your own book publicity, give you a simple system you can easily follow to do your publicity and get results. I’ll also show you how to leverage the publicity you get to generate more opportunities – publicity, speaking gigs, new clients…

Preview the program here

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How a Business Coach Landed Clients and Profits With His Book

When I speak to prospective authors about the book they want to write, the conversation often turns to what they can expect when it comes to a return on their investment. As I work primarily with non fiction authors, I encourage them to look at the profits they will get from the doors their book will open and the opportunities it will bring, then on the actual dollars from the sale of their books in retail and online stores. One business coach has landed clients with his book, increased his branding and visibility and his bottom line, as you will see in the case study below; this result can easily be achieved by you too.

Part of the work I do is to strategize with clients about how to best leverage their book to grow their brand and their bottom line. It’s essential that as an author, you leverage your published book and make sure you are maximizing visibility for your book and encouraging opportunities.

A great example of how to do this, is from my client, business and money mindset coach Wei Houng. He is the co-author of the book, “Breakthrough Leadership – Conversations With Innovative Leaders.”

Wei is an active business networker, and took his book to all his events. This became an easy conversation starter and instant expert positioning for him.

According to Wei, a few of the people he networks with regularly became interested in knowing more about working with him, once they saw the book. This lead to a new client from his existing network, in the first month the book was out.

[clickToTweet tweet=”The branding & positioning from becoming a published author is priceless – Wei Houng” quote=”The branding & positioning component from becoming a published author is priceless – Wei Houng”]

“So the book itself has received really good feedback and has been a great marketing and positioning piece. Since launch, I have personally sold about 200 copies as a way to monetize my speaking opportunities. This alone resulted in $2k in revenue.

As a result of those speaking engagements, countless leads were created which, to date, have resulted in thousands of dollars in new business…with, I’m sure, more to come. When all is said and done, I suspect, branding aside, the book will have been responsible for helping me generate 5 figures worth of new revenue in my business. And, the branding and positioning component is priceless.

So, thanks! Looking forward to experiencing more of the ripple effects!” – Wei Houng, Founder The 6 Figure Academy, Co-Author Breakthrough Leadership

Highlights of how Wei leveraged his book to add an additional 10k to his bottom line in the first few months of publishing his book:

Bring the book to every networking event he attends. It opens conversations and positions you in a new enhanced and elevated way as an authority, even with people who have known you for a while.

A Book Landing Page. This provides an online destination to send potential readers, as well as to build his email list.

Public Speaking – Wei enjoys public speaking, and uses the opportunity to engage with prospective readers /clients. He always mentions the book in his talk and has books available for sale. Wei always includes a call to action, which in his case, is an invitation to the audience to sign up for a complimentary strategy session. At a recent event, he had 30% of the audience sign up for strategy sessions [a nice increase from speaking gigs given before he was an author]

Publicity. Wei has used a simple PR strategy [our Author Visibility Builder system] to get podcast and radio interviews, as well as mentions on ABC, CBS, NBC. This helps him attract prospects from outside his own network. He always uses a call to action in his interviews, which also leads to book sales, inquiries, strategy sessions and ultimately clients.

Social Media. Wei uses social media regularly. He offers valuable tips via postings and Facebook Live videos, which help give a taste of who he is and the value he brings. He regularly mentions his book as where to purchase it. He also has been actively promoting his co-authors which helps put him in front of their networks as well.

As a business coach, becoming a published author can easily lead to landed clients and profits with your book. The key is to have a plan and a strategy to maximize your book and leverage opportunities. You can start leveraging your own book to land clients, by signing up for my webinar on how to use publicity to land clients.

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Webinar:

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Speaking in Soundbites: How Nonfiction Authors Turn Readers Into Clients Using Publicity Register here

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