Release Plan for “Killing the Immortals”

With the Release Day for “Killing the Immortals” fast approaching, I’ve had to shift gears lately from focusing on writing/editing to marketing/publicity. For many authors, this is where shit gets real. “I’m an author, not a marketer” has been the cry from many an author when it comes time to get the word out on their books. And, to be fair, it’s not something that comes naturally for a lot of them, particularly those who didn’t grow up in the social media age and are trying to adjust.

Twenty years ago, the barriers to entry for publishing a book were rather high, and most everyone had to go through a traditional publisher to get their book out there. That also meant going through a literary agent, which meant query letters, rejections, and years of waiting, waiting, waiting. It also meant someone was handling the majority of marketing for you. Your publisher came up with a marketing plan, and you showed up where/when needed. Maybe you did a book signing. Maybe you did a speaking engagement, or a newspaper interview. Whatever it was, your publisher probably lined it up for you.

Today, that landscape has changed. Even if you get a publisher, they only handle so much. Almost no publisher is going to take over your Twitter account; that’s on you. And if you’re self published, you’re everything. I’ve got to not only do it all, but plan it all too.

That’s where I am now. So, what’s the plan? Here’s a rundown of what I’m hoping to do as Release Day approaches and passes:

• Once I get the final proofread back from my editor, I’ll apply any suggestions needed and polish up my final manuscript. When that’s done, I’ll nail down a Release Date and announce it via email and social.
• Leading up to the Release Date, I’ll post periodic reminders on Twitter and Instagram. Facebook posts will come a bit less often. The key is to get potential readers primed to move and buy the book on the Release Date.
• The day prior to the Release Date, I’ll email my Launch Team to remind them to post their review the next day. It’s important that they post it that day, as the activity will help my Amazon ranking. The goal is to climb as high in the rankings as possible, for visibility.
• Also on that day, I’ll set up my Amazon promotion, which will likely be a Sale Countdown. That allows me to have a visibly lower price for up to 7 days, with a countdown clock for the sale. The discount has to be at least 50% from the regular list price for the Kindle version of the book.
• On the Release Date, it’s a full-on blitz. I’ll have posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram linking to the Amazon book page. Some of these will be scheduled, and some live. If anyone posts that they bought the book, I’ll share and thank them. I anticipate putting in a solid buy on Facebook ads, and I’ll look into ads on Twitter/Instagram.
• Following that, I hope to have various other publicity opportunities. I’ve reached out to the University of Tennessee Alumni magazine, and I’ll be touching base about other media opportunities. Some of my connections could help there. I’ll look into consignment possibilities with local indie book stores. And, of course, there’s the Decatur Book Festival, where I’m set up to speak and sign my book at 10 a.m. on Sept. 3.

There will be more to come, but I thought it might be interesting to lay out the map of what I’m planning over the next month or so. The long road to my first Release Date is almost complete. Looking forward to it. This should be fun.