Publishing Secrets

Book Launch Success Secret #7: Build Your Book Launch Team

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Episode notes

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

5 reasons you need a book launch team
A step-by-step guide to building your dream team
Why it matters who you select for your team — and how to make it a win-win experience for everyone
A sneak peek at the final step in the book launch process!

As your book launch approaches, make sure you have the right support system in place to make it a success. In other words, make sure you have a dedicated book launch team behind you.

Now, if you’re like a lot of new authors, you may feel tempted to skip this step of the book launch process. It can be intimidating to think about reaching out to people to form your launch team. But remember, even the most talented people need help at times. A great launch team is more than just extra hands — think of them as friends and colleagues who want to see you succeed and to help you get your God-given message out. Plus, having the right support system makes every task in this process easier and makes every milestone feel more rewarding.

5 Reasons You Need a Book Launch Team

Still on the fence? Here are five reasons you need a launch team for your upcoming book release:

Create excitement around the release. A launch team is key when it comes to creating excitement, because they can help spread the word about the book and get people talking about it. As they share the news with their friends and followers, they create interest and anticipation around your release date. This is critical, because it can lead to more sales and higher engagement — something every author wants.
Reach more people. Just by the nature of how teams operate, you can reach more people with a launch team than you could on your own. Not only can your team share information about your book with their friends and followers, but they can also help spread the word through a variety of social media platforms. This gives you greater reach than if you only rely on one platform for promotion.
Get honest feedback. This one can be a little scary, because we authors can be very protective of our work, but having an honest feedback loop is essential. And a launch team allows you to get honest feedback from readers who are passionate about your work, which can make all the difference. Not only does this feedback help you ensure your book is up to par, but it also provides valuable insights into how readers view and engage with different aspects of the story or character for future reference.
Get help promoting your work effectively. Let's face it, promoting a new release requires time and effort — which are not always plentiful when launching a new book. Having a dedicated launch team allows you, the author, to devote more time to other priorities and get more done in less time. Plus, having someone else promote your work takes some of the pressure off of you. Especially if you’re not very comfortable putting yourself out there, it can be comforting to have other people take that journey with you and help multiply your efforts.
Ensure success. A good launch team provides added assurance that your book launch will go off without any hiccups and that you’ll actually reach your goals. Because it's not just you working on this — it's you and the members of your launch team, who all have the same goal and desire to see your message get out there. Everyone knows exactly what needs to be done to achieve this success together, and they’re committed to making it happen.

Launching a book is no easy feat. But having a passionate launch team by your side makes all the difference. With their help, you can create buzz around your upcoming release, reach more readers through various social media networks, get honest feedback on how well-received your material is, promote effectively without detracting from other tasks at hand, and ultimately ensure success through a team effort.

So for Christian authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs looking to maximize your return on investment and create lasting success through launching books, enlisting the right support is essential! You need a launch team made up of eager, capable individuals that can help you accomplish your goals and make your book launch a success.

How to Build Your Dream Team

So how do you put together an effective launch team? There are five basic steps.

1. Be really clear on your book’s target audience.

This probably isn’t a surprise by now! We talk about this step a lot when it comes to writing and publishing books, because there’s really no way to escape it. You have to know and understand your target audience to successfully launch and sell your book.

So ask yourself:

Who do I want to reach with my book?
What are their interests?
What motivates them?

Once you have a good understanding of your target audience, you’ll be better equipped to identify potential members of your launch team.

While it’s tempting to say you’re happy to have anyone be a part of your team, you really don’t want just anyone. You want people who are actually interested in the topic of your book. People who need help with the exact problem your book addresses, or who especially enjoy the type of story you’ve written. These are the people who have a vested interest in the success of your book and its launch.

2. Start identifying potential team members.

Once you're clear on your target audience, the next step is to start identifying potential members of your launch team. As mentioned above, you’re looking for people who are passionate about your book’s topic. That’s the first criteria.

But you also want to look for people who are influential within your target audience. For example, these people might have a social media following of their own that they can engage, or they might be part of a sorority, fraternity, or association of some kind. Those can all be extra avenues for getting your message out.

Finally, in addition to having a personal connection to your book’s topic, it’s also good to find people who have a personal connection to you. That’s where networking comes in, and that’s why it’s important to always be networking and building relationships with people. That way, when it comes time to launch your book, you can tap into the relationships you’ve already built. After all, people who care about you and your success will be much more willing to promote your book than people who don’t know you.

That leads us to Step #3:

3. Build a relationship with potential launch team members.

Now that you’ve identified potential launch team members, it’s time to take it a step further and reach out to invite them to join your launch team. As you do, however, keep in mind that how you reach out to them is very important. Don’t make it all about you and what you want them to do for your book launch.

Instead, personalize each message and explain why you think they would be a good fit for the team. What do you admire about that person? What value can they bring to the table that no one else can?

Also be sure to provide information about what being on the launch team entails — what you expect of them and what you hope to accomplish with their help — and what incentives you’re offering in return. While it’s important to think about the value each team member can provide, you also want to think about and communicate how you can add value to their lives by inviting them to be a part of your launch. This should be a win-win relationship!

4. Select your dream team.

Now it’s time to sort through all the different interactions that you've started having and actually select your launch team members.

Some people do this through an application process. This works especially well if you have a large following and lots of connections to leverage. But however you do it, you’re going to have to make some tough decisions.

You want to select individuals who you think will be most passionate and effective in promoting your book. And yes, those two things have to go together — passionate and effective in promoting. Because someone can be passionate about your book, but if they're not going to share it with anyone, then that won’t help you reach your goal. So you need people who are both passionate and willing to promote.

In addition, especially if your book is aimed at a wider demographic, try to choose a diverse group of people in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity, etc. This will help you reach a wider range of readers with your book promotion efforts.

5. Train and motivate your team.

This final step is the one where the train tends to go off the tracks. You see, it's not enough just to select a launch team and find people who are both passionate and willing to promote — you also have to train and motivate your launch team.

This is a group effort, and you are the leader. Your team members are looking to you for direction. You have to be the one who sets the tone for the whole experience.

You need to provide your launch team with all the information they need to know about the book and its release day, and also give them ideas about how they could promote the book effectively on social media and in their personal networks. What’s more, don’t forget to provide an incentive for their efforts. This could be early access to the book, exclusive content, or even gift cards. The point is to make the book launch a win-win experience for everyone on your team.

How can you make your book launch fun and enjoyable for your team members? How will participating in this event make their lives better? Your goal is to ensure that your launch team members have such a great experience that not only do they tell everyone they know leading up to the launch, but the next time you launch a book, they can’t wait to be a part of it.

You are the leader of this effort, so be engaged, be supportive, be fun, be encouraging, and make this a great experience for everyone!

A Successful Book Launch Is a Group Effort

Releasing a book is an exciting and — let’s be honest — a little bit of a nerve-wracking time. This is a huge milestone in your career! But with so much to do and so little time, you need to leverage a launch team to help you get more done.

This team is invaluable when it comes to releasing a book, because they can help you with everything from creating buzz about your release to providing feedback on your work to making sure that your launch is a success. But even with a solid team, you want to give yourself as much time as possible to prepare. For best results, start recruiting your launch team at least 90 days before your book launch.

Whether you’re a first time book author or a published veteran, mastering the art of book launch success can be tricky. But here's the good news: in the next Book Launch Success Secret, we'll uncover the secrets to planning a successful book launch event. This will be all about getting you great results so your book has the opportunity to shine. And if you want a sneak peek at what’s in store, check out the Perfect Book Launch Checklist!

BIO:

My name is Tamara "Coach Tam" Jackson and I am a published author, Facebook© Certified Digital Marketer, host of the Top 100 Publishing Secrets podcast, and founder of The Christian Authors Network (C.A.N.) Facebook© community. I specialize in helping mission-driven authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs increase their exposure, impact, and income through strategic self-publishing and digital media appearances. Just say yes and we will work together to attract a tribe of loyal followers that 1) "get you", 2) love what you do, and 3) are happy to invest in your book, business, cause, or movement. Plus, we will accomplish all of this without fake, salesy, sleazy, or manipulative tactics. Yes you CAN write, publish, and profit in a way that honors God; join the community today at https://christianauthors.net/fbgroup.

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