As you prepare for your book launch, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the array of different marketing strategies at your disposal. Figuring out the right marketing tactics for your book can be daunting. We know, because when we surveyed the authors that use our service an overwhelming 70% of them said they wanted to learn more about the different types of book marketing strategies that can help to boost book sales.
And we took that feedback seriously. We’re thrilled to bring you a comprehensive guide featuring secrets to book launch marketing from best-selling author Michelle M. Pillow. With over a million books sold and a portfolio of over 100 published novels spanning multiple commercial fiction genres, Michelle offers a wealth of invaluable advice. Yet what struck me the most during this interview was her genuine interest in helping other authors succeed.
A seasoned Booksprout user, Michelle shares the tried-and-true marketing tactics she applies across three critical phases: Pre-Launch, Launch Day, and Post-Launch. We hope these insights will help guide you in crafting a tailored marketing strategy that can elevate your book’s success.
I: Pre-Launch Planning: Setting the Foundation for Your Book’s Debut
Every great book has its roots in careful planning before its release. In this section, we unearthed the strategies Michelle uses in the pre-launch phase.
1. Get to Know your Audience
Michelle tells us that a well-crafted marketing plan begins while you’re writing the book, designing your cover, and supporting material preparation. This means that you’re making marketing decisions before you even finish your first draft. Here’s what Michelle says are the key components of a successful pre-launch:
“Knowing your target audience and understanding who your readers are is essential for an effective pre-launch strategy. Determine the demographic, interests, and preferences of your ideal readers. This will serve as a guide for shaping your marketing strategies and tailoring your message to resonate with your readers. It will also inform you where to find your readers.”
To learn more about how to find your ideal readers, check out our article: Know Your Readers: Finding Your Book’s Target Audience for Self-Published Success
2. Leverage Your Newsletter Early
When it comes to Newsletters, Michelle goes all-in. She tells us that it’s never too late to start building an organic newsletter. And by organic, she means that building an audience that opts into your content is more effective than building an audience through list-builder giveaways.
“These are going to be your core readers, people who WANT to read your books because something you did in the past interested them. Give them what they want. Share exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, character profiles, and provide updates about pre-order links, discounts, or special promotions.”
3. Build your Online Presence
Having an author platform online is essential because it allows you to connect with your target audience. Michelle believes a compelling website should serve as the cornerstone of your online presence. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads are crucial for interacting with your readers and sharing important updates. These platforms are key to helping you generate buzz around your upcoming release.
“I recommend building an engaging website or blog that showcases your writing, author bio, and updates about your upcoming book. Your website can become your hub that you direct social media posts back to, but also a place where you control the content and from where you are never suspended. We all hear horror stories of authors losing their social accounts for whatever reasons or social reach being throttled by algorithm changes. That said, do utilize social media platforms like Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, or Goodreads to interact with readers, share updates, and generate excitement.
It is important to engage with your audience regularly on social media platforms. Share updates about your writing process, reveal cover art or blurbs, offer pre-order incentives, and host contests or giveaways to keep readers excited about your upcoming release. I also collaborate with influencers and authors from similar genres to expand my reach.”
Here’s an example of one of Michelle’s pre-launch Instagram page takeovers. Each image is an individual post on her page:
4. Gain Timely Reader Insight with Booksprout
Booksprout’s ARC (advance reader copies) service can offer invaluable benefits by managing the review process so you don’t have to. Booksprout makes it easy for authors to create their review campaign, so they don’t have to worry about sending mass emails to their review teams throughout the process. Authors like Michelle like that they can focus on other things, while their books are being delivered and the readers are given everything they need to upload their reviews.
And when the reviews come in, there’s so much you can do with them! Reviews aren’t just great for getting noticed on the platform’s algorithms or for booking promos, but they are also incredibly useful for gaining reader feedback, while helping you identify resonating elements within your book that can inform your marketing strategy.
Here’s how Michelle does it:
“Offering ARCs serves three purposes:
- The obvious: You have enthusiastic readers ready to post reviews when your book goes live. This makes vendor algorithms happy and provides social proof to readers who are new to your work.
- The resourceful: By providing an ARC to your personal review team, you get loyal readers willing to send you feedback. It could be as simple as letting you know if they find a typo. It’s like having x-amount (depending on the size of your trusted team) of final line editors giving your book another pass.
- The opportunity: You might see patterns in terms of what is resonating with your readers, and in turn can use this in your marketing. If several come back saying they love a trope they’re seeing or some side character, but you didn’t identify it yourself as important, you will be able to take that information and play it up when talking about the book.”
This is an example of one of Michelle’s books after it garnered a five-star review on the Booksprout platform. The logos under the book show all platforms where a reader left their review:
Make Last-Minute Updates Based on Early Feedback
If your early reviewers, especially those from Booksprout, spot typos or offer constructive criticism, don’t hesitate to incorporate those changes into the final version of your book. This is Michelle’s take on it:
“Even if your book has been through several rounds of edits, in this fast-paced publishing environment, it’s easy for some wayward extra ‘o’ to make its way through. If you’re like me, you’d rather know so you can correct it.”
II. Launch Day Essentials: Tactics for a Successful Book Debut
This is the day you’ve been waiting for. The excitement surrounding your launch date isn’t just satisfying—it’s also a prime marketing opportunity.
1. Manage Launch Day Activities
Let’s see what Michelle says about making your book’s debut day as successful as possible…
“Release day should be a celebration. It’s a chance to share your nervousness or excitement with readers. For readers who don’t order preorders, it’s your chance to tell them to run and get the book and remind them of any helpful facts. Is it in a series? Is it the last book in a series and now they can get the complete bingeable collection? Does it feature a favorite trope or character? Also be sure to incorporate a call to action in your author bio, website, or social media profiles to remind readers of the importance of leaving a review.”
2. Collaborate for Cross Promotion
Networking with influencers, bloggers, and fellow authors can broaden your book’s exposure. Yet, working with many different contacts over the course of your launch can be time consuming and challenging. Booksprout makes this process easier by managing your reviews, sending reminder emails and including links to all the platforms where you want readers to leave reviews so you can take on additional tasks, like influencer outreach.
“I definitely collaborate with influencers, bloggers and fellow authors for cross-promotion on launch day. And I’m always looking to collaborate more. Networking with industry professionals is important on so many levels.”
3. Utilize Booksprout Reviews on Launch Day
“Reviews are helpful for a book’s long-term success. I encourage readers to leave reviews on online platforms like Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Bookbub and Goodreads, or anywhere else they talk about books. And I want them to tag me when they do.
I like to give my private ARC team a chance to read the book first so they’re ready with reviews on the release day. These are reviewers who have proved themselves dependable and who I cultivate a relationship with. Bookspout makes it easy to offer and track reviews. I love that I can set them up in advance and not have to worry about sending the book out or sending reminder emails. I also like not having to deal with a lot of customer service questions.
You can also maintain your teams easily. It’s simple to monitor who is upholding their commitment to leave reviews. I also like being able to quickly find links to the reviews to pull quotes for marketing copy.”
Check out this social media post, where Michelle includes a reviewer quote in her graphic:
4. Leverage Positive Reviews in Marketing Material
Using Booksprout, you can quickly post review links to your books and find quotes to include in your marketing material. Michelle features reader quotes in ads, on socials, and more to keep the new book release buzz driving visibility and exposure for the books. And Michelle takes this one step further by using the review as an opportunity to show gratitude to her early reviewers.
“I love expressing my appreciation to readers for taking the time to leave a review. I list quotes on my website, inside books, on ads, on social media graphics, and in my newsletter.”
One way Michelle uses Booksprout review quotes on her website:
III. Post-Launch Follow-Up: Nurturing Your Book’s Ongoing Success
This is a critical phase that can even determine the long-term success of your book, and your author brand as a whole. We’ll explore strategies on how to sustain momentum and maximize your book’s potential.
1. Maintain Momentum Post-Launch
After Michelle’s many book launches, she says that post-launch activity is just as important as the Pre and Launch Day phases. Beyond the launch, it’s essential to maintain an active presence on your author website and social media platforms. Regular engagement with your readership can go a long way in ensuring the long-term success of your book.
“Marketing goes beyond just the launch of one book. I market my career. That means constantly revisiting the blacklist. Whenever I get a new reader, they’re new to all of my books, not just the current new release. It’s important to maintain an active presence on your author website and social media platforms. Continue seeking out opportunities for guest posts, interviews, or features on the platforms of influencers, bloggers and other industry sites to maintain exposure.”
And while marketing your author brand as a whole is important, you’ve got to build a relationship with your readers to keep them connected with your backlist and any future books you write.
“Engage with your readers by posting updates, sharing behind-the-scenes insights, and hosting Q&A sessions. Regularly interact with comments, messages, and emails from readers in a timely and authentic manner. It’s very important to me that my readers know how much I appreciate them.”
2. Adapt Your Strategy Based on Reviews and Feedback
Reviews and feedback, especially those gathered through Booksprout, can offer valuable insights to refine your marketing strategy, storytelling techniques, or future projects.
“Pay attention to reader feedback, reviews, and comments…to an extent, and only when it’s helpful or constructive. It’s important not to lose your author voice and to tell the story you meant to tell. That said, you can use valuable input to refine your marketing strategies, storytelling techniques, or future projects. We can continuously adapt and improve based on reader insights while fostering a loyal fanbase.”
Michelle takes advantage of a standout Booksprout feature: the ability to assemble private Review Teams by inviting readers to join. This tool becomes especially valuable when you’ve already interacted with a reader and wish to keep them engaged with your upcoming releases. If you’re still assessing whether a reader is the right fit for your work, you have the option to invite them to follow your pen name. This allows you to nurture the relationship until you’re ready to include them in your review team. Here’s how Michelle maximizes the benefits of this feature:
“Normally, new books go to my private team on Booksprout. These are my trusted readers. There are a lot of factors that go into decisions regarding book releases, but I do take into account how many reviews a book has. If there is a promotion available that requires a certain amount of reviews, or several members of my team are too busy, or a backlist needs a boost, then I can offer the book a second time publicly so readers not on the team have access to it. That’s also a great way to find new reviewers for your teams.”
3. Learn Lessons for Future Book Launches
The landscape of book marketing is dynamic, requiring authors to be flexible and open to new approaches and opportunities.
“Marketing plans need to be fluid, and they will change over time. There is also no one-size-fits-all approach, so authors need to figure out what works for them and their budget. I’m constantly trying new things and discarding what doesn’t work. And I always keep myself open to change and new opportunities.”
Leveraging Author Expertise and Booksprout’s Services for a Successful Book Launch
Michelle, with her range of experience, has generously opened her playbook to all of us—established authors and newcomers alike—providing a treasure trove of wisdom that spans the crucial phases of Pre-Launch, Launch Day, and Post-Launch. We are truly grateful that she has taken the time to collaborate with us on this article, and for her openness and generosity in sharing these helpful insights into the book launch process.
Launching a book involves many steps, requires meticulous planning and ongoing engagement with your readership. Booksprout’s service is here to streamline the reviews at every stage of your book’s lifecycle—from pre-launch planning to launch day excitement to post-launch initiatives. We hope this guide serves you well in your own author journey.
About Michelle M. Pillow
Michelle M. Pillow is a prolific NY Times & USA TODAY bestselling author with over a million books sold. Though she writes in many genres, she is best known for romance and mystery. Her rich world-building creates portals for the imagination. She is a winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. Fan favorites include the Qurilixen World (a multi-series collection) and Warlocks MacGregor series. She loves to interact with readers. For further collaboration and inquiries, she can be reached through her website, www.MichellePillow.com.
For Michelle’s Fan club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MichellePillowFanClub/
And these are her socials:
Thank you for having me! Best of luck to all the authors. I hope you found this helpful.
We are very happy to have had the opportunity to do this interview with you! You’re welcome and we so appreciate you, too.