Launch That Book

In June, I attended a workshop with tips on how to launch a book, given by Tammy Karasek. I’ve been part of launch teams Tammy organized, but I wanted to learn how to launch a book from the author’s perspective for the hopeful day I actually have a book to launch!

Everything Tammy taught is found in her book, Launch that Book. It is available through Amazon and on Tammy’s personal website. www.tammykarasek.com.

I highly recommend Tammy’s book. It is full of usable information beyond the little bit I’m sharing in this blog post.

Street Team vs Launch Team

First off, Tammy explained the difference between a street team and a launch team. According to Tammy, street teams are people who love the author and are his or her biggest fans. They follow the author throughout their career. They often share information about the author on their own social media. The goal of a street team is to grow that group as large as you can.

A launch team is a team of 35-50 fans of the author selected to share about a book’s upcoming release. The launch team is an integral part of the success in sales for your book.

Create a Timeline for Your Book Launch

Look at the scheduled launch date. From that date, count back twelve weeks. That becomes your launch session.

Create your launch team application, send it out, sort through the names, and choose a solid team.

Create a task list of what you want your team to do for each week. Tammy puts Tuesday and Thursday as days she asks the team to complete particular actions. On Tuesday, she sends out a graphic with a task. On Thursday, she creates a graphic for the team to share.

Tammy said to make sure you have a definite end date, and do a recap as soon as possible. She suggests you send your team a launch team survey.

After you receive the team’s feedback, sit down and figure out the answers to these questions. What went well? What didn’t? What would you do again? What would you change?

More Book Launch Information

Within the 137 pages of Launch that Book, Tammy covers whether to SWAG or not. She shows how to create graphics you can use for your launch session. There is a chapter on creating a Facebook group and a launch team application.

Tammy discusses how to find a launch team, keeping track of team actions, and making sure you keep your team informed.

In discussing how to create a task list for your team, Tammy asks the question, how much is too much?

She discusses ways to interact with your team through Facebook live, Zoom, or nothing.

Your Turn

For those of you who have held book launches, what did you find successful? Fun? What you would avoid next time? What wouldn’t you dare leave out?

The rest of us are anxious to hear your thoughts!

Looking for another Write2Ignite post about launching a book? How about this one by Pam Halter?

I wish you well.

Sandy

Here’s what you can expect from me. In my posts, you’ll find words of encouragement for writers, book reviews, and discussions on the craft of writing. I am a former elementary school teacher, regular contributor to Guideposts devotional books, and a conference speaker. I write articles, devotions, and stories for adult and children’s publications. You can find me every Tuesday and Thursday at www.sandykirbyquandt.com. Please stop by.

Picture courtesy Pixabay.