Are you an author wondering how to republish a book?
Worried if it's too late? Or if there's something you are forgetting to do before you launch your book again? What is the importance of a relaunch in the first place?
Don't worry, we have you covered.
There are plenty of reasons that an author would want to take their book and republish it once again, which we will talk about below. But no matter the reason, there are a few things you will need to do and keep in mind when learning how to republish a book. That's what we will focus on today!
This blog will cover:
Relaunch meaning: what it is and when to do it
A book relaunch meaning is simple – you're launching a book that has already had a launch! So, to understand the relaunch meaning, you need to understand the purpose of a book launch to begin with.
A book launch is the series of actions and events leading up to the release of a book. This can include:
- Social media campaigns
- Merchandise
- Book tours
- PR events
- Or a book launch party
So why would you relaunch a book that has already been launched?
Maybe you need to include some updated information in your book. Maybe you didn't have enough book launch ideas to launch it well the first time. Maybe you are ready to invest in a professional editor or book designer.
There are many reasons to learn how to republish a book. But should you? This brings up a common question for people looking into how to republish a book:
Is it too late to relaunch?
Many authors worry if their books should be relaunched or not. They wonder if it's too late and they should just put their efforts toward a new book.
While we can't give you the exact right answer, know that it is never too late to fix up and launch your book once again out into the world.
There are many, many people who have not read your book (even if it was popular!) and a fresh campaign around your book might be the extra shove it deserves.
Reasons to learn how to republish a book
There are many reasons to learn how to republish a book, such as:
- Wanting to include new information in your book
- Giving your book a fresh campaign and angle so new people can find it
- Using your launch to extend your reach as an author (because you can go on podcasts, YouTube channels, etc to spread the news about your relaunch)
- Parting ways with your publisher because they went out of business (or you found a new one)
And much more!
As you can see, there are many reasons to learn how to republish a book – so let's get started!
What to consider first when republishing a book
First when examining how to republish a book, you will want to spend a lot of time going through it to get everything up to date.
Often, one of the key reasons that authors choose to learn how to republish a book is because they have updated or new information to include.
However, since you are republishing your book, there are a lot of changes you can make in the process.
Some things you might want to consider updating when learning how to republish a book are:
- The back cover description of your book
- The book cover design
- Your author bio
- Updated/new information
- More reviews, recommendations, or stories inside the book
Now that you have a general idea of how to get started, let's dive into a step by step guide on how to republish a book.
How to republish a book
Here are the five steps you need to learn how to republish a book successfully:
1. Gather all of your files and information
Depending on how you published your book before, you might have to go hunting through your hard drives to find the original files you used to publish your book.
This is also the time to gather the book cover art, any feedback people said about your book, a list of ideas of things to change, recommendations of your book, and anything else you need.
Having it all in one place can save you a ton of time from having to go out there and hunt each thing down one by one.
You do not want to forget one of these elements and then realize you forgot it and now your book is republished and out in the world.
Take the time to slowly gather everything together before you dive into all the next steps.
2. Convert all of your files to a better format or upgrade them
If you published your book just using a PDF or other type of program, you will most likely need to upgrade it to a format that can be published on Amazon or other types of platforms. Luckily, Amazon's book formatting rules are easy to learn.
You might already be done with this step and have your book in the best format you could need. However, every few months technology and publishing rules change so just make sure you are up to date on all of the new things you need to know.
Search through all the current publishers out there. Maybe you only published on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) before but you want to expand and offer your book on other platforms.
If so, look into each of them and make sure your book is formatted for those platforms.
Also, you may need to make sure your book is properly formatted for all kinds of devices as well.
3. Deeply edit your book once again
Before you go through all of the work of publishing and relaunching your book, you will want to go through your whole book with a fine-toothed comb.
Whether you choose to do it yourself or with a book editor is totally up to you, but you will want to catch any errors before your book is finalized. (If you're not sure how to find a book editor, we have a helpful guide for you to reference.)
If you ever had any feedback from people, you might want to apply that to your book as well.
The last thing you want is to go through all of the work of learning how to republish a book only to realize you have some typos or errors in your book.
It can help to hire an editor because they aren't as sentimental about your work as you are. They are also often up to date on what the newest grammar and writing rules are, which allows them to catch errors you might miss.
4. Put your branding together
If you do not have a brand as an author, you might want to take the time to do it now.
A relaunch is a perfect time to start putting your brand together. What colors and fonts represent who you are as an author?
Doing it now will save you from having to do it again in the future.
If you do already have an author brand, make sure your edited book fits into that branding.
5. Create a launch plan
It's important to know how to promote your book to give it a truly successful relaunch.
You want to have optimized keywords, professional editing, a stunning book cover, a book launch party or event, and maybe even a relaunch website. When is a book relaunch website? A relaunch website is a simple website that highlights information about your book and about you (as the author). It often allows people to pre-order or purchase your work, and creates excitement leading up to the launch.
There are many services for authors that can help you build the most successful book relaunch possible.
Ready to launch?
Before you relaunch your book, you don't want to miss the book launch checklist! This checklist gives you everything you need to make sure your launch is a success and you don't forget a single step.
Get your copy here:
