Your Guide to a Successful Book Launch
Completing a book and preparing to publish is a major milestone for any author — and it deserves a launch that reflects that.
Writing a book takes months (if not years!) so you want to make sure that it reaches audiences with a bang rather than getting lost in the crowd of new publications. This is where an effective pre-launch strategy can help you drive readers to your new book and make sure your book launch is a marketing success.
But where do you start? There are many moving parts to launching your new book, so we’ll help break down the need-to-know steps that will inspire readers to flock to your latest release.
What is a book launch?
Let’s start with the fundamental concept of a book launch. A book launch includes events, activities and other ideas scheduled for the weeks or months leading up to the release of your new book, creating audience awareness and encouraging sales of the book.
After all, writing a book takes time and dedication, so why let that all go to waste in the final stretch before its release? By committing to a book launch plan, you can increase the discoverability of your book and incentivize readers to choose your book over another.
However, there are many different ways to initiate a book launch. A book launch could include:
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Social media campaigns
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Email marketing
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Promotional merchandise
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PR events
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Book tours
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Launch parties
Book launches are an extremely common part of the marketing process of a new text. In today’s market, authors now have hundreds of different channels and ways to market their books — especially thanks to the internet and social media.
Navigating the plethora of book marketing opportunities available can be overwhelming, which is why we work with authors to find the most effective strategy to launch their books. Learn more about the benefits of partnering with Taylor & Francis to publish your next book.
Although they’re just a brief moment in a book’s long life, book launches do have a strong impact on how people discover your book and whether they decide to choose it from the pile.
Set up your book launch timeline
Depending on your book’s genre or subject matter, there may be a tried and true book launch timeline that most others in your category follow — this can help you outline and pick what works best for your unique book.
However, we’ll break down a general book launch timeline that can help you get your budget and marketing plans scheduled and ready for action. When you partner with us to launch your book, we can support your efforts by providing marketing materials, books for display, and more. To learn more visit the Support and Services for Author and Editors page.
Pre-launch (up to about three months before launch):
Finalize a launch date
This is the first step in planning your launch. Without a final release date, it’s difficult to make an accurate marketing plan. Work with your publisher to iron out the official launch date and then build your calendar around that to make the most of the time before release. Ideally, you’ll want to start generating buzz about your book about three months before the release date.
Finish critical publishing tasks
You may choose to complete these tasks closer to the launch date, but finalizing your draft and editing beforehand is essential to long-term success. The sooner you get this done, the more time you’ll have to catch any typos, mistakes or changes that need to be made before the final product is released to the public. You’ll also want to work with your publisher to ensure that any work that needs to be completed on your end is on track and fully understood.
All books published with Taylor & Francis are peer-reviewed at the proposal and manuscript stages by respected academic specialists to ensure the highest quality content. We also have in-house production and design teams that work alongside key partnerships to design and produce books both efficiently and attractively. This way you don’t have to worry about any loose ends leading up to your book’s launch date.
Gather an emailing list
Working with a publisher can help build out your marketing efforts. Publishers typically have built-in marketing activities that automatically deploy as a book publishes. However, it’s extremely beneficial to also build out your own lists to keep readers updated on the book’s release and promotional events. You want to grow your audience as much as possible before the launch day.
Schedule promotional events and marketing plans on your calendar
Build a calendar that outlines every event or promotional opportunity you plan on including in your book launch. This can include book signings, free chapter teasers, promotional material (e.g. flyers and books for display), speaking engagements and more. These dates don’t always have to be set in stone, but actually putting down a time on your calendar will help you focus your marketing efforts without getting overwhelmed. It can also help you stay on track as you work toward the official release date.
Grow your book’s digital presence
Create an author website
As an author, you may already have your own author website or page, whether that’s through an affiliated educational institution or for providing professional services (e.g., university faculty page, consultation page, etc.).
However, if you don’t have one already, now is the time to consider setting up a author website. As an author, it’s important that readers can find out more about you and your work online. By creating your own website, you have full control over the personalization and type of information that you want your readers to access – including details about your book launch.
Some key features to include are:
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An “about” page
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Links to you or your book’s social media
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Contact information
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Blog or news announcements
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Email list sign-up
Although it’s not necessary to add a blog to your website, it can be a great asset to building an audience for your upcoming book. Blogging can help you inspire readers to add their information to your email list, which is great for marketing book updates and upcoming events. This will keep your book at the top of your audience’s mind and attract potential new readers, as well.
Set up a page for your new book
Creating a specific page on your website for your upcoming book is a great way to feature related information and content. This can help funnel readers to the part of your website that promotes the new book while also allowing easy access to upcoming events and news updates.
This page should include your book cover (if you have it), the book description plus early endorsements for the new book. (A great book review can be a major purchase incentive for readers!) This is also an ideal spot to include email sign-up and subscriptions to news about the upcoming launch. If possible, you can even stir up some excitement by offering a chapter excerpt for free download.
To ensure audiences know where to purchase your book, include the link to your book’s Routledge.com book’s page. From this, customers will be able to purchase your book in the different formats available, across global regions. You don’t want to miss out on your international audience!
Check on your publisher’s page for your book
It’s essential that authors check their publisher’s website to make sure the information about their new book is fully up-to-date and accurate. Make a checklist and make sure the following are all correct:
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Book description
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Author’s bio
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Release dates
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TOC
If you find anything that needs to be updated, contact your editor.
Make a social media plan
Your author website should be the No. 1 priority, but once that’s underway it’s time to add in social media. From Facebook to Twitter to TikTok, social media channels are an instrumental part of marketing books to the public and can add a touch of personality to your book promotion. Depending on your audience, you may want to focus your attention on one over the other, so don’t worry about cultivating a presence on every single social media platform.
Instead, prioritize the platform that works best for your readers. Below are some options to consider:
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Facebook: This is an ideal author platform for marketing most books. Using Facebook’s interactive capabilities, you can attract new readers and target specific audiences by sharing on relevant group pages, tagging or using hashtags and posting videos discussing the book’s key highlights and features.
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Twitter: Authors can have great success marketing through Twitter due to its ability to start conversations and attract new followers through hashtags. Authors can directly engage with other writers, book bloggers and readers with similar interests to build a community and advertise their new book.
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Instagram: If you want to show more of the behind-the-scenes moments of launching your book, this is a great platform to post on. It also helps to create a personal connection with current and new readers as they get to see parts of the process that aren’t typically shown.
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TikTok: This is a Gen Z powerhouse when it comes to social media. As one of the most popular apps for the younger generations, it also has a thriving hashtag subset called “booktok” that encourages writers and readers to share their favorite books. This can be used effectively for writers targeting young adults.
Plan a book launch party
A book launch party is a great launchpad for your book’s future success. It can garner free publicity, media coverage and promotion through word of mouth, as well as helping your book stand out from the crowd. However, it’s essential that you also understand the main purpose of a book launch event: promoting book sales.
It’s both a party and a business event. Depending on your budget, resources and preferences, you can choose to host your book launch party online or in person. You’ll want to start planning your book launch party at least two months in advance.
Here are some helpful tips to plan a successful book launch party:
Choose a date
Make sure that you pick a date that doesn’t conflict with any major holidays or other events. If you’re active on social media, you may want to take a poll and ask people to vote on their preferred dates to maximize guest availability.
A good rule of thumb is to throw the book launch party relatively close to the official book release date. This helps to encourage sales and maintain marketing momentum.
Select a venue or platform
If you’re hosting an in-person party, then you should start looking for the ideal venue for your new book. This could include a library, bookstore, local cafe or a hotel (most have event rooms for rent). If you are affiliated with a university, society or association, your contacts may be able to assist you in setting something up. You’ll want a venue that works well with your book’s potential audience and that can fit the number of expected guests.
If you’re hosting online, you should choose to celebrate the new book on a specific social media platform. One example is Twitter, which enables personal live-Tweeting with digital guests and readers. Another might be Instagram, where the author can livestream with guests and readers, as well as answer any questions or comments in real-time about the book.
Utilize social media
You’ve created an author website and social media channels pre-launch — now’s the time to take advantage of them! Post about the launch party before, during and after to drum up excitement for your book.
Prepare a speech
Whether your party is in person or online, you should prepare a short speech to thank your audience for their support and share more about your personal experience writing and publishing the new book. This is also a great time to acknowledge those who have helped you on this journey and share your excitement for the book’s release.
Incorporate a book signing
In the event your book launch party is in person, why not incorporate a book signing event? It’s a great way to engage with your audience with added personal touch. If you wish to purchase copies of your book, get in touch with our Author Sales team; they work closely with our authors to understand their specific requirements and to ensure that their unique needs are met.
Share how to buy the book
The entire objective of this party is to promote sales. So, why not make it easier for everyone? Add ways to pre-purchase the book and inspire readers to order sooner rather than later. There should be ample information showing where and how to buy the book. Taylor & Francis offers services for promoting and increasing book sales. Get more information about how we can help.
Collaborate with T&F
If you are a T&F Author, your local Taylor & Francis office can help promote your book launch by setting up a bespoke discount code for attendees, free chapter download for attendees who signed up to your event and even a prize draw for a chance to win a copy of your book. Get in touch with our Author Marketing Support team directly to see how we can help at [email protected]
The Author Sales team provides support to authors looking to purchase their books for resale, consulting, or promotional purposes. We also work closely with training organizations, corporate and association customers, as well as governments and charities. Learn more about how our sales team can assist, or get in touch directly.
UK, Europe and Rest of World: [email protected]
North and South Americas: [email protected]francis.com
Australia and New Zealand: [email protected]
South Asia Region: [email protected] or [email protected]
Additional book launch resources
Want more personalized help from Taylor & Francis to successfully launch your book? Dig deeper into our other resources.
Learn more about the benefits of partnering with Taylor & Francis to publish your next book.