When I first started publishing 5 years ago, I made a lot of mistakes. Whenever we do something for the first time, we always suck. That’s life. One of the things I did wrong and have continued to do wrong is NOT launching my book.
For years I’ve written and published books and that’s all I did. I didn’t promote them or talk about them a whole lot while I was writing. So, when launch day came, my book was out in the world but there was no fanfare. (cue the fireworks)
I never really thought this was a big deal. In fact, I was totally fine with it because all I wanted to do was write. I was very focused on the book itself; the characters, the plot, the tone of the story. I wrote in a bubble, and I loved it.
Which in retrospect had its benefits because I think I needed that time of solitude with only my family and friends knowing what I was doing, but I definitely missed out on some major opportunities.
The biggest thing I missed out on was reviews. Book reviews are SOOOO critical to a book’s success. It tells prospective buyers that other people have read this book and can vouch for it. And having reviews the week of a book’s launch is even better. It can increase sales and boost a book into the bestseller category which then helps it sell even more.
I did NONE of that. So now, I’m about to publish my 4th book, which I’m really proud of, but I have very little social proof. So, I’m righting the ship and picking up where I am to start building a street team.
A street team (also known as a launch team or an advanced reader team), reads an advanced copy of a book about a month before it’s due to be released. Then on the week of the book’s release, they post reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Goodreads so that even on Day 1 of that book being published, it already has reviews.
In exchange for being on a street team, readers yet a free advanced copy of the book, the ability to give feedback, and the opportunity to be a part of an exciting book launch.
Does that sound cool to you?
If so, I’m taking applications for people who are interested in joining my launch team! This is going to be a unique launch because I will be re-launching 2 of my books that are already published. But I’ll talk more about that in another blog post.
Street team members are incredibly important to the success of a book. If you’re interested in applying, click here to fill out the 2-question application > http://eepurl.com/bVizLv. If you like me, but don’t feel like this is a good fit for you, NO HARD FEELINGS! We can still be friends. Seriously. It’s a bit of a commitment to be a part of a launch team and I want people in the group who are pumped about it.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here!
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