A book launch team is a group of people who plan to promote your book leading up to and on the day of its publication. They also keep the momentum going for at least a week or two afterward. Their efforts (in addition to your own!) can greatly increase the reach of your book promotion campaign and thus increase your sales.

To put it another way, the book launch team will be your super fans who will assist you in selling and promoting your book. They are the ones rallying others to join the fan club! If you are launching a book, it is important to have a book launch team to help you. Here’s a list of six things to do to get started assembling your team.

6 Steps for Organizing Your Book Launch Team

If possible, you should start planning your launch six months before you publish your book. This will give you time to follow all of the steps below.

1. Recruit

Use your email list and social media accounts to find possible team members. Start at least 6-8 weeks in advance to allow time for the approval process.

Create an application for people who want to get involved. You’ll want to know if they have a blog or podcast, and you’ll want the details on their social media accounts too. You are hoping to assemble a team of people who have reach and can use it in the promotion.  Once you have your application, share it with your email list and social media followers.

You can also create a list of 20-30 individual industry contacts you can personally get in touch with. This may be corporate associates, internet affiliates, or industry experts. This may also include (but is not limited to) podcasters, writers, and influencers.

When you have the final list of your book launch team members, create a private Facebook Group and a custom mailing list (for those who don’t use Facebook as much).

2. Plan Your Emails

Next, you will want to plan out the emails (and Facebook Group posts) you will send to those selected for your book launch team. These emails will prepare them for the launch, keep them engaged, and inform them of important dates. It’s a good idea to have your email series planned out in advance. Include in it emails for before, during, and after the launch.

So, how many emails do you send out, and what should they cover? Here is an example of book launch team emails to get you started:

• Email #1: Welcome them to the team and share a copy of the book so they can read it in advance of the promotion.
• Email #2: Ask them how it’s going with the book and provide a summary or plan of the launch strategy.
• Email #3: 5 days before the official launch, send an email with a tutorial video of how to leave an Amazon review.
• Email #4: The day before launch, send an “Are you ready?” email.
• Email #5: DAY OF THE LAUNCH! Rally up your team and tell them now is the time to act!
• Email #6: A reminder to read the book, as well as an update on its status and current rating.
• Email #7: A final, friendly reminder to please leave a review (you can also consider running a giveaway for a free print book to all those who review).
• Email #8: In the last email of your series, thank them for being part of the team.

3. Send Advance Reader Copies

You’ll notice in Email #1 that you will be sharing a copy of the book so that your book launch team can read it in advance of the launch. In anticipation of that first email, you’ll need to be ready to share ‘advanced reader’ copies of your book, so you can distribute them to your team two to three weeks before the launch date.

A site called Netgalley.com is where book reviewers and other professional readers can read books before publishing.  Digital galleys can also be used to send the team digital copies before it is published. Finally, you can also use BookFunnel, a book marketing tool that makes it easy to distribute books for free.

4. Plan Your Marketing

The marketing plan must be defined and plotted out upfront before the launch. What do you want your book launch team to do to promote your book? Be straightforward and detailed bout what you want. Create step-by-step instructions and a flowchart of how they should proceed. Remember that most of these people have never done anything like this before, so they probably won’t know what to do. The better you are able to guide them with specific actions, the more promotion that will happen and the better results you see.

Here are some ideas:

• Write a Review on Amazon: Request your team to purchase a discounted copy of your book. Only for them, lower the pre-order price and then, right before the launch, raise the price. Having them make a real purchase is essential. When the team leaves a review, Amazon considers it a “verified” review if it was purchased.
• Encourage Multi-Channel Efforts: Encourage your book launch team to take a multi-channel approach to their promotion. Ask them to share the book on social media, on their website, and by email.
• Offer Bonuses: Creating a pre-order bonus can help your book launch team promote before the launch even starts. If you have a bonus, encourage them to tell their colleagues and promote the benefit of bulk orders while the deal is available.

5. Create Swipe Files

A swipe file is a set of pre-formatted/written emails and posts that the book launch team can use. This makes it super simple for them to spread the word by email or on social media. In addition to written materials, also share some images they can use, including email headers, social media graphics, and even website banners. Share the swipe files the day before the launch, or even earlier, giving them time to plan the promotion alongside their normal marketing.

6. Keep Your Team Engaged

Maintaining the team’s passion for your book can be challenging, given how far ahead you hired them. To keep them involved in helping you spread the word, you must entertain them. Facebook groups are an excellent way to keep readers interested in your novel. When it comes to orders, emails are fantastic, but they’re not so great when it comes to excitement.

7. Send Out a “Review Alert”

A week after the launch, send a “review alert” out to your book launch team. Reviews are precious, and you’ll need the social evidence when you’re launching to entice customers to purchase. People don’t buy items based solely on the blurb on the front cover. Instead, they want to see whether or not it’s worth their time, which is where ratings come in. If you’re able to hit it, you may even have many people who will post book reviews on their websites, so you’ll want to make sure they have time to do so.

Planning Your Own Promotion

The point of having a book launch team is to reach as many people as possible. This includes carefully planning out your own promotional efforts too, which may include hiring a PR company or book marketing company.

Hiring a professional can be a smart move because their experience will help the book sell. A book marketing company has access to multiple channels, readers, and strategies that you don’t have. They will also be able to customize recommendations to your needs. That said, a book marketing company can’t turn you into an overnight success. But they can take you to the next level and get to that point where you make real money off your books.

If you decide not to hire a PR company, then all promotion responsibilities are up to you. Here is a list of things you should include in your promotion.

Have a Good and Robust Website

A website shows your credibility and makes an impression of your brand, and it gives your fans and the media somewhere to connect with you. It can also become a 24/7 sales machine if you follow this trick. Assuming you have an existing and established website, a good tweaking will work to prepare you for the launch—a fresh new look or anything else that will boost the site.

Engage With Your Fans

Book success isn’t a one-way street. It’s not just putting the book up for sale on a few retail sites. What really helps sales grow is when your fans, who buy the books, write reviews and tell their friends. And to motivate them to do this, you must make them feel valued. Make yourself available to fans, and really connect with them by answering their questions and replying to their comments in your free time.

Leverage Social Media

Rather than only sending out targeted marketing tweets, you should make genuine links with your leads and customers on social media. Consumers are usually more receptive to this form of marketing. For example, create weekly graphics and videos to promote the book launch. The key is to be consistent in all the promotional activities to guarantee engagement.

Consistently Ask for Book Reviews

Ask friends and colleagues to send an email to their friends and colleagues. Personal emails are an excellent kick-off for word-of-mouth marketing. You can also try out some of these tips to get complimentary reviews from people you don’t know.

Thank Reviewers

Appreciate and thank people for taking the time to write a review on Amazon by leaving a message. When you make it personal, you will transform them into long-term fans who will come back and purchase your next book.

Boost Engagement With Giveaways

Giveaways are a lot of fun, they’re easy to do, and they motivate people to take action…so, if you don’t do giveaways at least a couple of times a year, now is the time to start. In fact, many famous novel writers do them every month! Although there are a variety of ways to run a giveaway, one popular method is to hold a Goodreads giveaway.

Send a Regular Newsletter

A weekly newsletter is best, but once a month works too. You just need to keep your name and book title in front of people. Consider releasing two chapters of your book as a free download to grow your mailing list, which is as valuable as gold for ongoing book promotions.

But keep in mind that each newsletter should feature something unique or exciting. For instance, you might announce an imminent update, an engagement, a free download, a cover reveal, or the winners of a giveaway. You see what I mean. People get many emails, so don’t waste their time; make it good, and make sure that opening and reading is worth their time.

Explore Non-Traditional Events

Typical author events are becoming increasingly competitive. However, in-person author experiences are one of the most practical book promotion tactics open to authors. So, when planning the event, think outside of the box. Perhaps a nearby coffee shop, brewery, or art gallery? Or maybe you know someone who runs a small business who will host an event for you.

Get Involved in Your Community

Since people adore local artists, could you do a book event that features a local musician and a mini-book lecture?  Making local connections can contribute to more significant opportunities. These are stuff that a book marketing firm can’t do for you, so take control of your book marketing with these tips.

Assembling a book launch team – along with your own carefully planned out promotion – is a surefire way to increase the visibility of your book during the launch and, in turn, sales.

Have you launched a book before, and if so, did you use a book launch team? Add your tips to the comments below.