Things to Do When I Have a New Book - Tips for Authors

When you have book launch, there are hundreds of tasks you need to do for promotion and marketing. Here’s my list of things authors should remember to do to ensure that your sites are current and show off your new book.

Website:

• Update your cover and your book links.

• Make sure that the new book is listed in your press kit.

• If you offer book club discussion questions, create a new set for this book.

• Update your events page with all of the tours and signings you’ve scheduled.

• If you sell books on your site, make sure to update that section, too.

Social Media Sites

• Review all of your biographies on your sites and update. (Facebook Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, BookBub, Amazon Author Central, Goodreads, etc.) If you have some that you don’t use as often as others, check to see that the information is current there.

• Update any graphics or photos. You want your readers to recognize you when they visit your social sites. Your brand should be on each site.

• If you have a commerce/shopping site on any of your pages, make sure you’ve included this one.

• Upload any new graphics of the book.

Other Documents

• Create a document that contains your story’s summary (long and short version), biography, and social media links.

• Add all of the book buy links to your documentation. That way, you have one place to go when someone asks for your information.

• Create bookmarks and email signup sheets for your events and presentations.

• Draft your press release and add it to your press kit.

Best wishes with your book promotion!

What's on Your Book Launch Checklist? Tips for Authors

I’m a firm believer in checklists and reminders, and with all the details and planning that go into a book launch, here are some ideas for your checklist.

Planning is the key. Many bookstagrammers, podcasters, book reviewers, and book promo services schedule their calendars MONTHS in advance. As soon as you have your date, start your planning.

First Things First

• Get some kind of calendar to record deadlines and event dates. Figure out what works for you. For me, I print out a monthly calendar three months ahead and three months after the big day. This also helps me not to overload certain days with similar items.

• I also create a launch spreadsheet and list every type of promo that I want to include with all the links and contacts.

• I keep my lists from previous books, so I always go back and look at what I did last time. If it worked, I try it again, and I jettison the items that weren’t worth the time, effort, or money.

• Reach out to the podcasters, reviewers, blog tours that you really want to target as soon as you know the date, especially if you’re planning a cover reveal or a big bang event for your launch week. Many book their calendars three to six months in advance.

Do What You Can Early

• When you start to schedule interviews and guest blogs, start crafting the posts when you have some free time. I record what’s needed for each submission in my spreadsheet (e.g. headshot, book cover, book links, etc.). If you’re doing a blog tour, it takes a lot of time to complete all the interviews and to come up with interesting posts.

• Always be professional. I make sure all my deadlines are on my calendar. If you commit to something, do your best to deliver.

• I also list all of the “go-live” dates on my calendar for when the posts/podcasts are available, so that I can promote them on my social media sites. Most reviewers, podcasters, and bookstagrammers don’t get paid for the book promotions, and authors need to do their part to share and comment.

Be Creative

• Think about all angles when you’re planning events and book promotions. Interesting or unusual stores/museums/places might be willing to host you for a talk or a book signing. (We’ve done some really successful book signings at wineries, coffee shops, gift shops, and museums.)

• I keep a massive spreadsheet of contacts. I cruise through it when I start to plan a launch and book promotions.

• Look at all the groups/organizations that you’re a member of. Many are looking for guest speakers. They also have newsletters that have spots for member announcements. Don’t forget your clubs, neighborhood groups, and alumni groups.

• Make a list of the key things in your book. Look for groups that are interested in these. They might be willing to interview you or partner in some way to promote your book. Examples from my Delanie series are female private eye, English bulldog, Central Virginia setting, 80s rock music, roller derby, drag queens, larping, Comicons, Sears Catalogue houses, and Poe. We had a lot of success promoting our Virginia is for Mysteries series at tourist spots and our Mutt Mysteries at dog-themed events.

Be Organized

• I have a Word file for each book with my current bio, social media links, book links, ISBNs, and book blurb. This keeps all the information in one place when I need it for interviews or posts.

• I also create a folder on my laptop that has difference sizes of the book cover and my headshots. It helps to keep things together, so you can put your hands on them

Planning is really important, and with all the pieces and parts, it’s easy to miss something. These are some things that have worked for me.

Best wishes with your book launch and promotion!

20 Bookstagrammers You Need to See

#Bookstagram is a phenomenon of Instagram. It’s a popular hashtag used to showcase books in pretty settings and arrangements. There are all kinds of themes and challenges. If you’re a book lover, check it out. Bookstores, libraries, readers, reviewers, interior designers, and others feature their latest reads and reviews with so much creativity. Here are 20 of my favorites.

In no particular order:

• @ElleryAdamsOfficial

• @SocraticKicks

• @Bookishly_Overdue

• @Kamis_Korner

• @OverflowingShelf

• @The_Reading_Beauty

• @Amandas.Bookshelf

• @neelhtak

• @CozyMysteryCorner

• @ashleyisbookish

• @neverlandbooks

• @teryn_books

• @whatsbethanyreading

• @alysonbookishthoughts

• @Books_and_Benches

• @NeverLoweonBooks

• @berkleyrosereads

• @inked.in.pages

• @escapetothebookshelf

• @wiltedpages

Make it Easy to Share Your Book News - Tips for Authors

Book promotion is a necessary part of the writing life. Here are some ideas of ways that you can make it easier for others to share your information.

Facebook - Use your author page as your hub for your Facebook book news. If you do share announcements on your personal page, make sure to check the security settings so that they are sharable. You want to get the word out, and you want folks to post the information on their pages. Security and privacy settings are good protections, but if you’re trying to promote something, it doesn’t work if it’s locked down.

Email Signature - Put a few of your key links (e.g. website, blog, social media) in your email signature. This helps identify you, and it’s an easy way to share your author website with all of your email connections.

Links - If you’re promoting links to an event, make sure that you add comments to the original post or you post multiple times to keep it at the top of your feed. If it’s not an event that people subscribe to, it’s often difficult to find the link again. Some Facebook parties are held on pages, while others are events with their own location. Make it easy for people to find you and attend your event.

Graphics - Posts with graphics, videos, or movement tend to get more attention. Take a minute to create a graphic for your announcement. Posts that are all text are often overlooked.

Be Succinct - Do not include lots of text in your announcement posts. Remember, people are scrolling through a newsfeed of lots of stuff. It needs to be like a newspaper headline. Catch their attention and give them the important information up front. Facebook will also truncate longer posts, and you never can predict where they’ll add the “read more” link.

People Need Reminders - While, we don’t need hourly updates, a gentle reminder of an event is often helpful. You could post a reminder the day before. Then the morning of, you could do another type of post where you talk about how you’re looking forward to attending the event, and you can tag people you know are going. Then afterwards, post pictures. Don’t forget to tag people. People like to feel connected and involved.

Don’t Forget to Comment - Likes are nice on social media sites, but shares and comments are better. Each site has its own algorithm, and posts with more activity get shown to more people. So, when you get comments, respond to them. Conversations lead to more comments. You can also tag people in your comments, and that often is a way to continue the conversation.

Always Celebrate - If you have contest or give-away winners, create a graphic and a post to celebrate. If you’re donating a gift basket or a prize to something else, make sure to add a picture and let people know if they can contribute to the cause or participate.

It’s like Staples’s old advertising campaigns with the “Easy” button. People are more apt to share your information when it’s crisp, clean, interesting, and easy.

Writerly Lessons Learned - Tips for Authors

I have done hundreds of events, workshops, and classes over the years, and I have learned a lot along the way. Here are some that I can laugh about now…

Know Where You’re Going to Be - We did a museum event one time in January. When I booked it for our anthology authors, it never occurred to me to ask where we would be sitting. It was outside in the dead of winter. Thankfully, one of the gals lived nearby, and her husband dropped by with portable space heaters.

Always Confirm - Get the details before an event and confirm everything. I attended a friend’s book launch at a chain bookstore. When her guests arrived, the book seller told her that the book order didn’t arrive on time. She didn’t have any extra copies with her.

Lips Don’t Lie - We did a panel event at a library with a packed house over 250 people. During the signing, a woman approached the table, and she told me she had to tell me something. She wanted to tell me that “my lips disappeared in the back of the room.” At first, I thought she was trying to sell me cosmetics. I was a little baffled at the comment. It seems my lipstick had disappeared somewhere along the way, and she wanted me to know, so I could wear a darker color next time.

Some Assembly Required - We did a signing at a beautiful winery once, and my partner in crime brought her tent and table. I’m sure it looked like two women doing some kind of weird dance. We had to wrestle the tent. (We are both under 5’ 3”, so it was quite an adventure to raise the canopy over our heads.) I hope no one was filming it. Thankfully, a tall person assisted.

Thanks, Mom - At my very FIRST book signing at the Library of Virginia, I pocketed my keys, phone, and a pen. I didn’t want to have to keep up with a purse during the talk and signing. When I went to sign the first book, I realized my pen had dried up. Thankfully, my mom came to the rescue with the stash of pens from her purse.

Censored - We did a Facebook take over one time on a site owned by a blog tour company. The company did book promotions for mystery and romance writers. Somehow, its erotica promotions caused it to have an adult rating with some of the web monitoring tools. We found out later that a lot of our readers’ computers blocked the site as pornographic.

What Time is it? - Make sure you clarify the time zone. I’ve done interviews and panels based in Europe and the West Coast, and I had to check the time conversions several times. I was up once at o’dark thirty many a time for a live, morning interview in England.

A Rose by Any Other Name - When we formed a group of writers for a joint blogging venture, we Googled the name and hashtags that we wanted to use. We ended up with Lethal Ladies Write because “Lethal Ladies” belonged to a group of wrestlers. When I was looking at pennames, I thought I’d use my first and middle name, Heather Leigh. When I Googled it, it belonged to an exotic dancer and adult film star in California. Her following was slightly different than mine.

The writing life is an adventure. These are some of mine that were also learning experiences.

How to Make a Writer Happy - Tips for Readers

There are so many things readers can do to help writers spread the word about their books., and most of them are free. If you like a book or a series, help create a buzz on social media and other places for an author. It’s the the easiest way to make a writer’s day.

Post a Review - Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, and other book sites help expand a writer’s reach. You don’t have to do a book report. A one-line “I liked it statement” is enough. All of the online sites have algorithms, and the number of reviews do matter to the amount of exposure a book gets.

Buy the Book/Share the Book - Buy a copy of the book for yourself or a friend. And if people ask you want for your birthday, books are always great gifts.

Recommend it to Your Library- Most libraries have a process where residents can request books for the library to purchase. If you like a series, make sure your librarian knows.

Share it on Social Media - Take a picture of the book when it arrives or one of you reading it. These make great social media posts. And don’t forget to tag the author. Instagram has some great hashtags (e.g. #bookstacks, #bookstagram, #prettybookplaces). I love seeing folks reading my books in different places. I also like it when readers spot my book “in the wild” at a library or store and send me a picture.

Recommend it to Your Book Club - Recommend reads to your book club or group. Many authors love to attend in-person or virtually to chat. You may want to reach out to see if the author could attend to talk about his/her book.

Add it to Your Shelf on Goodreads - If you use Goodreads to track your books or yearly challenge, add a book to your “want to read” shelf.

Follow the Author- Follow the author on book and social media sites. This will help you stay current with new publications and updates.

Subscribe to the Author’s Newsletter - This is a good way to ensure that they author has you on his/her fan list. It’s also a great way to get regular updates and information on special events and giveaways.

Attend Book Events - Support your local book stores, libraries, and authors when there are readings, book launches, and signings.

Authors love their readers. And a quick review or shout out will definitely make them smile.

Online Interview Tips for Authors

You want to look and sound your best on an interview. No matter if it’s for print, an audio podcast, or a video, here are some tips that can help you look like a pro.

Backgrounds

I can’t tell you how many Zoom meetings, workshops, or interviews I’ve viewed where the subject was sitting in his/her bedroom with a clear shot of the bathroom in the background.

• Set up your camera and look at your background. If another room (especially the bathroom) is behind you or you think you may be interrupted by others walking by, close the door.

• Look at what’s behind you. Make sure it conveys the image you want to project. If it’s a bookshelf, people like me will spend some of the time trying to see what books are behind you. Make sure your shelves or the room behind you is neat and professional looking.

• Many podcasts (which are typically audio only) also post a video of the recorded session. Make sure you ask before you think it’s audio only.

• If you use a green screen, make sure it stretches across the entire area behind you. There’s nothing more distracting than for viewers to see parts of your desk or room peeking around the green screen.

• If you choose to use the blurred or preset backgrounds, make sure you don’t fidget. When you move or there’s movement behind you, the background adjusts as if it’s part of you. It’s funny to watch people (and body parts) appear and disappear. Also, doors that open behind you look like a portal into another dimension when your stock background starts to move. This may not be the look that you’re going for.

Lighting

Lighting (as much as you can get in your interview spot) is important. If you do a lot of online presentations, you may want to invest in a good light. The prices vary, but you can get a good one that’s reasonably priced.

• Natural light is the best, but it’s not always available.

• If you wear glasses, be careful with ring lights. We can see doughnuts in your lenses.

• Test your lighting. You want to be well lit, but not washed out.

Sound

The interviewer or panel need to be able to hear you. A practice session or a mic check is always good practice.

• Test your camera/microphone and know when you are (and aren’t) on mute.

• Invest in a microphone or headset that minimizes background noise. I can bet money that my neighbor is going to decide to blow leaves or cut grass the minute I log on to do a presentation.

• Find a quiet place in your home that’s away from distractions. It’s good if you have a door to close.

• If you’re outside, remember your microphone will pick up traffic noises and wind.

• At my house, the dogs are pretty well behaved, but if someone rings the doorbell, all bets are off. I’ve put notes on the doorbell when important recording sessions were in progress.

• If you’re having internet or sound issues, find out if you can call in to the session. (Old school landlines are the best if you still have one.) Make sure you have the call-in information before you get started.

• If you’re having connectivity issues, make sure no one else in your house is streaming (movies, TV, music, or video conferencing) or gaming. Turn off video to improve the connection.

Your Look

Zoom has made it necessary to look ready for anything at a moment’s notice.

• Wear solid colors.

• Choose dark colors. They show up better. Busy patterns look squiggly, especially if your audience is using low resolution for viewing.

• Take time to do your makeup and hair. Make up does help with your look on video.

• Make sure that you’re looking into the camera. It looks odd when you’re looking off screen, down, or side-eyed.

• If you’re going to read something, make sure that you’re still facing the camera.

• Smile. You want them to see the real you.

• Take a deep breath and calm the jitters. You’ll do great! You know your material.

Always be prepared. Have any props or books within reach (so you don’t have to get up). And do a practice run if possible to make sure all links and equipment are working. And it’s always a good idea to have an emergency contact for the host in case you can’t get the link to work.

Best wishes for your next interview and book promotion!

The Social Part of Social Media - Tips for Authors

Authors and workshop presenters will advise their audiences to be authentic or genuine on social media. It sounds simple, but I’m not sure everyone understands what that really means. Here are some ideas to help.

Buy My Book - Your 5,000 followers are not going to translate into 5,000 book sales. These sites are great ways (free or low cost through ads) to promote your books, celebrate with others, and interact with readers. They help you expand your audience. Limit the number of “Buy my Book” posts. If someone finds you and sees a string of hard sells, they lose interest.

Be a Good Citizen - Being real or authentic means to be a good citizen of the site. You like, comment, and share on others’ posts regularly. Join groups and contribute.

Celebrate Others - Make sure that you celebrate with others (whether it’s birthdays, shout outs, announcements, etc.). And don’t make their announcement about you. (We’ve all seen that one author who posts a comment to someone’s announcement. “Hey, if you like this type of book, check out mine. That’s a leech.)

No Hit and Runs - Don’t post something and never return to comment on the responses. You need to interact with the folks who comment. The more interaction your posts have, the more the platform will show it. Popular, active content rises in the algorithms.

It’s All in the Numbers - Each platform has its own way of displaying posts. There are algorithms for how often and what is shown to your followers. These change often, and you never quite know how they work. Posts with videos or graphics tend to get more attention.

Invite Participation - When you create a post, look for ways to ask a question or invite comments. Occasionally, I’ll post what I’m reading and ask what everyone else is reading. This sparks good discussions, and I find more books to add to my TBR list. You can always find a related meme or picture for the question you pose.

Share - Your readers want to know about you. Decide what you are comfortable sharing about yourself. If you have a hobby or pets, they are always good content and photo topics.

The social part is key to building and expanding your platforms on social media sites.