Quick, you need a book launch plan now that your book is about to see the world for the first time!

But when you ask around, you realize it’s already too late to think about the book launch when you should be thinking about it before you begin writing the first word.

Or is it not?

While it’s true that the book marketing begins before you even write the book, it’s also fine to only think about it after you’re done with the writing part.

After all, you’ll be spreading yourself too thin if you have to do the marketing while juggling your writing.

How most authors approach the book launch

If you’re like me, you probably see for yourself how big-name authors do their book launches.

You see them do things like scheduling podcast appearances, running paid ads, and securing the Book Bub deals.

Their book seems to be everywhere, wherever you go.

They recruit their own readers to form their own street team, who are ready to buy the book and post the review once the book comes out.

And of course, their email list.

They have their email campaigns scheduled, ready to unleash them in a few weeks or perhaps months, before the book comes out.

Fiction or nonfiction, these authors are going all out.

It’s no wonder you also feel like you need to do the same, despite knowing this way of doing a book launch stresses you out.

But what choice do you have then?

That seems like the best way to go about it if you want your book to have a sliver of success during the launch period.

You want to capitalize on the momentum while you can, knowing well enough this way of doing launches is killing you on the inside.

My book launch plan for the new edition of the Trigger Locked series

Will you believe me if I say that I don’t do all these things for my book launch?

Yes, you read that right.

Call me lazy, but I find these kinds of book launches sound exhausting to me.

Sure, doing all those things can help your book sales on Amazon surge during the launch period.

After all, the Amazon algorithm tends to favor your book a lot more when there are some movements for your book.

Well, here’s the hard truth: it’s pointless to have a huge spike in your book sales when it subsides when you stop going all in with your book promotion.

If anything, it hurts the chance for your book to generate sales over time.

Yes, the Amazon algorithm favors momentum in your book sales.

But it needs to be consistent, too.

Having a huge spike in your book sales when you go all out with your book promotion won’t do you any good.

And it’s unsustainable, too.

Rather than doing all of those book launch strategies that seem exhausting and won’t do me any good in the long run, I do these things instead for my book launch.

And yes, you can adopt these strategies if you’d like.

I give you permission to do so.

Offer sample chapters to get people to join my email list

This strategy deserves a blog post of its own, but suffice it to say that you use your sample chapters to build your email list.

Not only can you do this while your book is still in the publishing stage.

But you can rest assured that people who join your email list are the people who are eager to buy your book when it comes out.

If you feel overwhelmed by the long list of book launches to-do, this is the best way to go about it.

And it’s simple to do, too, since all you need is a landing page and a link to download the sample chapters.

Of course, I have an elaborate process to build my email list with the sample chapter offer.

But that’s the gist of it: if you want to build an email list and you need an offer that won’t take too much of your time to create.

Have your book available on your online store immediately, but put your book on pre-order on the retailers’ websites

I wish that I were the genius who came up with this brilliant idea.

But sad to say, it wasn’t me.

I have to credit this brilliant idea to Joanna Penn, who shared how she launched her book on her podcast.

Sorry, I can’t remember which episode, though, since it was ages ago.

If you want to generate more direct sales, this strategy is the way to go, since they have early access to the book before the official release date.

Of course, you will need to have your own storefront if you want to pull off this kind of launch strategy.

But the good news is you can do that easily with a platform like Payhip.

And it won’t take that long for you to get everything set up either.

You can get your online store up and running with Payhip in minutes, unless you have a huge backlist that you want to be available for purchase in addition to your new release.

Does this kind of book launch plan actually work?

Sure, this plan is simple and all.

But does it even work?

To answer your question, it depends.

It won’t do much if you have no sizeable audience.

But it can work, perhaps just as good, if not better, if you already have a sizeable email list with a high engagement rate.

At the end of the day, the success of your book launch boils down to how engaged your email list is, regardless of the size.

It’s pointless to have a huge email list, but the engagement rate is pitiful.

It can go beyond your book launch

While the immediate release of your book in your online store will lose its flair once your book is out on the retailers’ website, the list building can go beyond your book launch.

For one, you can still offer people the sample chapter if they join your email list, even after the launch period is over.

Building an email list will never stop, and it’s even more so when you still need it for your next book launch.

That is, unless you decided not to write another book, of course.

Will I make changes to my book launch strategy?

Knowing how rapid the changes in the publishing industry can be, you can expect that the changes are inevitable.

But for now, this is how I do my book launch.

Yes, this kind of book launch doesn’t come with a huge fanfare.

And guess what?

I’m fine with it.

After all, book marketing doesn’t stop after the launch period.

It’s an ongoing task, especially if you want the same book to generate sales for you for years to come.