Making the Most of Your Publication Day
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As an author, you’ll receive a plethora of advice on preparing for your book’s publication day from your publisher, publicist, and fellow authors. Solicited or unsolicited, help preparing for publication is an integral part of any book’s success, but what do you do on the actual day of publication?
Reflect Take a moment to honor your hard work and recognize what an achievement it is to publish a book. Your ideas are now out in the world to entertain, inspire, and educate readers.
Share If there was ever a day for self-promotion, your publication day is it. Take to social media to announce that your book is officially available for purchase, tag and share your thanks for those who supported you during the process (friends, family, colleagues, publisher, publicist, endorsers, and indie bookstores), and amplify any early reviews and reader feedback.
If you have a newsletter, be sure to send out a publication day email to your subscribers. Share highlights from your journey to publication, key themes and takeaways from your book, endorsements or reviews the book has received, and any upcoming events that they can attend.
This is also a great opportunity to share any video content you’ve created in support of your book launch, such as a trailer, explainer video, or reading.
And don’t forget to include retailer links so your network can buy now!
Reshare As you receive support and congratulations on social media throughout the day (and even week and month) of publication, like, comment on, and reshare those posts between your regular social media usage. It’s a great way to amplify the social proof of your book’s value without saying it yourself, and no one is going to begrudge you a pat on the back on your big day.
Stay In Touch The publication date is often a focal point for promotions and media surrounding the book. Be on the lookout for updates and opportunities from your marketing and publicity teams, make yourself available for interviews and engagements, and amplify any coverage on social media.
Party If you lined up a celebratory event (perhaps a book signing at your local bookstore), have a great time sharing your work with friends and fans! If you are unable to host an event in person or would like to expand your guest list beyond your immediate locale, consider hosting a virtual book launch party. It’s a fun and inexpensive way to gather your network without location restrictions or health concerns. Offer a creative giveaway to incentivize registrants; schedule the event for about 30 minutes, and keep it tight; have a friend or colleague interview you for 10 or 15 minutes, read your favorite excerpt, and answer questions from attendees. For more tips, read everything you need to know to host a virtual book launch party, listen to our podcast on how to host a successful virtual book launch, or check out 10 creative book launch ideas during COVID-19 for even more strategies for self-promotion.
If you’re still in need of guidance on how to prepare for your book’s publication, check out our most read and shared articles with tips and checklists for all authors and genres listed below.