Book Launch Ideas: 11 Options To Heighten Your Release Day

How you conduct your book launch is one of the most important aspects contributing to its sales success. Your book launch ideas can take your release day from mediocre to possibly hitting bestseller lists.

However, launching your book successfully takes planning long in advance. As soon as you know you will release your book to the public, it’s time to start brainstorming. In this article we cover eleven book launch ideas to help inspire you planning process: 

• Build A Launch Team
• Pitch Your Book To Book Bloggers 
• Launch A Podcast 
• Release Your Title
• Guest Blog
• Release A Book Trailer
• Host A Webinar For Readers Who Pre-Order
• Host A Launch Party
• Get Creative With Your Book Readings 
• Use HARO 
• Engage In Pop-Up Events 

Think of launching your book like you do sharing an important post on social media. The hour you post you want to boost engagement by responding to comments and making sure the algorithm takes notice of you. 

View your release day in a similar fashion. To hit your important goals the day of, it’s crucial to prepare in advance, likely even a year prior. This will help you have the best possibility to reach your sales goals. 

#1 – Build A Book Launch Team

You can build a launch team before you have the final version of your book—in fact, you should. A launch team, or street team, often exists as a private Facebook group. Your launch team will read the book prior to release and create buzz through social media posts and reviews. 

Reviews largely contribute to overall sales, so the larger your launch team, the better. Just make sure they complete the tasks you (or your launch team leader) assign them. Include giveaways as incentives! 

#2 – Pitch Your Book To Book Bloggers 

Many book lovers devote blog posts to writing about books they read. Prior to your release day, reach out to well-known book bloggers and pitch your book. If they are willing to blog on your book, their blog will reach their subscribers and therefore, entirely new audiences. 

The more readers you can reach in your book’s niche, or even simply book lovers, the better. This ensures readers who may not otherwise be aware of your book are given the opportunity to purchase. 

#3 – Launch A Podcast 

Consider launching a podcast about your book, or appearing as a guest on well-established podcasts. The more your name appears online, the better. Readers often love behind-the-scenes on writers’ writing process, and backstories about characters that may not make it to the final draft, etc. 

#4 – Release Your Title

Writers often create a working title for their manuscript and do not know what their final title will be until much later into the book launch process. A book title provides an entire aesthetic into the book, what the cover may look like, and a hint about the plot.

Make your title release a big day with fun giveaways, going live on socials, or providing a bit of reasoning behind why you chose the title you did. This gives readers something concrete to hang onto as they wait for your book’s release day. 

#5 – Guest Blog

Similar to pitching your book to book bloggers, pitch yourself as a guest blogger on another writer’s website in the months leading up to your book launch. The more you can put your name on the internet, the better. Don’t forget to include your book title and a link to pre-order if possible! 

#6 – Release A Book Trailer

A book trailer is a visual way to engage readers and build excitement about your upcoming release. Whether your title is for a fiction or nonfiction manuscript, a book trailer is a succinct way to capture what your book is about and provide just another way for readers to connect, share, and comment. 

#7 – Host A Webinar For Readers Who Pre-Order

As mentioned, pre-orders play a vital role in whether or not your book lands on a bestseller list on release day. To create even more incentive for readers, include a private webinar for those who pre-order. This webinar could be as simple as you talking about your book, or a Q&A session for readers to ask you about your upcoming title.

#8 – Host A Book Launch Party

You should celebrate your release day with a launch party for you and your team, but consider hosting a launch party for your readers as well. This could be at a library or bookstore and include some form of refreshments, prizes, and book giveaways. 

#9 – Get Creative With Your Book Readings 

Readers love showing up to hear their favorite authors read their books. But we all know the feeling of hoping readers will show up to our book signings or readings. If you’re a new writer, consider getting creative with your readings:

• Include live music as people come in
• Invite an actor to do a portion of the reading 
• Dress up as a main character yourself for the reading
• Give a prize to readers who are best-dressed as a character

This takes your book reading to the next level and gives your readers more than they expected. Under promise and over deliver. 

#10 – Use HARO 

HARO stands for Help A Report Out and is a free service to help journalists find the right stories to cover. As a writer, you want as much hype as you can get, so you may want to alert these journalists to your upcoming book. They may report on it and help in your book launch!

One writer landed on The Today Show due to using HARO. Make sure to perfect your pitch and that you are prepared the moment a journalist contacts you.  

#11 – Engage In Pop-Up Events Close To Your Book Launch 

In-person gatherings will likely never be taken for granted again, and with pop-up events back in style, consider hosting several. Your pop-up events could be similar to a book tour, but with less promotion and a little less formal. A pop-up event may draw in larger crowds for established authors but can help create buzz for up-and-coming authors as well. Don’t forget to alert your followers at least 24 hours in advance! 

Launch Your Book Boldly 

Writing a book takes so much more effort than non writers can realize. While launch day can creep up on your readers, you plan for it months in advance. In fact, you started the process so long ago that by the time you reach launch day you’re so proud of your book and so exhausted because you: 

• Ideated your plot 
• Drafted your story
• Edited your book
• Created your marketing plan
• Worked on cover design 
• Created social media graphics 
• Released your book title 
• Launched your book

You put so much work in, it’s time to launch your effort with boldness. Don’t apologize for building hype about your book or filling social media with release-day updates. Your followers want to know what’s happening and you only get a launch day when you launch a book! 

Refuse the urge to apologize for sharing your hard work. You wrote and edited your book with confidence, now that you completed your book launch, it’s time to release the final product with boldness. You’ll get those occasional critics, just like every profession does, but enjoy the day with your fans, your team, and your friends and family.

Next Step