#IWSG: Book Launches
It's the first Wednesday of the month (how has another month gone by already?), and time for the IWSG posting!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writers - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to the IWSG page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. Remember, the question is optional!
The March 4 question:
What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?
This is a great question for me--to glean advice from my fellow-writers, because even putting the best possible face on it, I suck at launches. Here's what I am pretty sure I should be doing, even sticking to things I know I can do:
The advance stuff:
--Post about the book early and often, with progress reports on blog and newsletter.
--Write the blurb early and share it often.
--Get the cover ASAP and share often; do a cover reveal with some fanfare.
--Share on all my social media (i.e., my blog, my FP, and Instagram, which are all the SM I've ever managed to get going with).
Approaching the launch date:
--Get ARCs out to reviewers.
--Send out a newsletter with coupon codes for subscribers.
--Set up a blog tour (I can do this for free with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours).
If I think about it I might be able to come up with some more.
Here's what actually happened at my last release:
--I occasionally posted about the book, and I believe I did send a newsletter with the news when it came out; I might have included a coupon.
--I did a cover reveal (I think; or was that the previous book?) that included maybe a couple of blogs beyond my own.
--I wrote the blurb after I finished edits.
--I was very low-key and diffident about sharing on social media.
--I got support from half a dozen of you wonderful people who did launch-day posts and/or reviews (you know who you are and I love you!). Note: it's never too late for a blog tour, and I have it on my to-do list to set one up).
Now I have another book in the works (I *always* have another book in the works), and I'm not doing a whole lot better. My only victory, in a way, is that I have deliberately set the launch date for late fall, after my travels are done. I've had a bad habit of wanting to launch a book as soon as I'm done with it--and that tends to be right about the time I hit the trails and go off grid for weeks at a time!
All of this reminds me that I haven't sent a newsletter in eons. I really have no idea what to put into one. I looked at the wonderful things some of my writer friends put out and just sort of shake my head.
Overall, my advice to anyone looking for help with book launches, is, "Don't be like Rebecca."
Writing Update:
I'm working hard on first-round revision on the new Seffi Wardwell mystery, Logged Off, and hope to have something for beta readers in about 3 or 4 weeks. If you're interested, leave a comment or drop me an email (rebecca.douglass at ninjalibrarian.com), and I'll let you know when I'm closer to having a shareable draft.
Other writing news mostly doesn't exist--I have written a little flash fiction for the blog, but nothing that I'm very satisfied about. It's also on my list to revise a couple of stories and send them back out.
How about you? Can you share any easy publicity steps a social-media dunce can manage? Put it in the comments!
Finally, here's your gratuitous photo. Spring will come!
©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2026
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated.
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Well, it's important to also learn what NOT to do. Mistakes can be educational. And yeah, I can see how publishing and then vanishing for a bit can be problematic.
ReplyDelete"What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore." — Neil Gaiman
J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) @JLenniDorner ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge international blog hop
You gave a lot of amazing points regarding the matter. It's kind of hard to get into marketing:( Emotionally, atleast. I hate myself for feeling that I'd rather write something else than market what I've written.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read Logged Off. I haven't beta read ever but I'll be glad if I could. I have 2 whole free months of doing nothing after March
Your list is great, even if you don't follow it all. It's great that you found a blog tour company you can use for free. Sorry that I can't give you social media advice. Except for blogging, I'm not good at it.
ReplyDelete