We have Lift-Off . . . or . . . Launching your Career with an E-book Launch

What an exhilarating sigh of relief when you’ve completed that final edit and organized all the related elements like formatting and cover design.  Maybe you’ve published and placed it in an e-bookstore.  That’s great.  But it’s going to sit there . . . unless you put out the word (and we’re not talking about those found in your magnum opus).

Long before the e-book is done, consider keeping your readers/followers constantly updated.  Continue building your mailing list (the more, the merrier).  Let your voice be heard across the social media spectrum.  Truly, you need to build that platform.

Provide a progress report now and again.  Ask for feedback on a scene or section, or cover.  Get your followers involved.  Consider pre-selling.  A landing page for your e-book wouldn’t hurt, either.  And don’t discount beta testers for viable feedback.  Apply what you’ve gleaned.

When you’re ready to launch, will you do it in-person or on-line, or both?  To do a live launch, give thought to some [advantageous] factors—are you:

• super connected (to attract a reasonably sized crowd)
• able to pull some weight with local media
• going to rent a room/hall, which also means food/drinks, or
• suss out a viable venue (perhaps a local coffee shop or lounge, library or educational setting)?

It may even be possible to wangle an in-store book signing.  (A friend was given a small table in a fairly known book chain where he could sit for an afternoon to sell hard copies of his book.  Where there’s a will, there’s [always] a way.)

Give thought to blog tours and guests posts in addition to promotion.  Provide plugs and pitches.  Search for sites that will allow you to promote for free.  Seek reviews and testimonials.  It’s been said (many times) that giving an e-book away free is a good way of acquiring a following and working toward future sales.  There’s probably some truth in that—if you already have a few e-books.

There is sooooooo much advice and guidance out there—some free, some not—that it can prove overwhelming.  Why not ask fellow writers and bloggers about their experiences, what’s worked and what hasn’t?  A lot is trial and error, because we learn best when we do.  And, yes, we may not necessarily succeed the first time, or even the second.  Stick with it.

Now, get out there and create some hoopla (also known as buzz and hype).  Sell your e-book and yourself.  You can do it.  

Author: tylerus

I'm primarily a writer of fiction and blog posts, and a sometimes editor and proofreader of books, manuals, and film/television scripts. Fact-checking and researching, organizing and coordinating are skills and joys (I enjoy playing detective and developing structure). My fiction audience: lovers of female-sleuth mysteries. My genres of preference: mysteries (needless to say), women’s fiction, informative and helpful “affirmative” non-fiction. So-o, here I am, staring up a new blog for aspiring and established e-Book writers. The plan: to share the (long) journey of getting to this stage, and share "learnings" and "teachings". There's a lot I hope to accomplish with this blog, but it may be a while before that happens as there's a lot on the ol' plate - taking care of Mom, working full-time, and attempting to get another book in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series written (never mind blog postings and other writing projects). It's very challenging and it's all good. As I like to say: teeny focused baby steps are just as effective as long forceful strides. It may take a little longer, but we will get there. View all posts by tylerus