Now that you are all done editing, you’re probably wondering when to start telling the world about it for a successful book launch!

Book promoters offer marketing schemes to help your book become visible in the literary world. Publicizing your book lets you increase your sphere of influence. Therefore, there is a good chance that you will attain popularity on a global scale.

Let us see how to best position your book for success…

• When you self-publish, you have more control over when your edition will be available. However, while the duration between the completed draft and publication might be shorter, you must ensure you give yourself ample time to promote your book before it goes on sale. 

• As you are self-publishing, you will be promoting yourself. Devote enough time to it. Generating excitement for your book ahead of its publication will ensure you have successful sales.

A year before the publication:

You will have to start thinking about your marketing strategy about a year in advance of when your book will go on sale. It will allow you to plan and determine what marketing tools you need, how much money you require to save up to advertise your book, and help you capitalize on different events around the time of publication.

Consider what you can do on your own:

• Make sure to have an author’s website and social media profiles.
• Announce the book title and a brief description to your audience on social media and your website. Include the expected publication date too.
• Consider the costs of hiring a professional marketer, running digital ads, creating a book trailer, or creating promo items to hand out at events.
• Create your marketing strategy in terms of who is your target audience, how to reach them, and the event from which you can make the most sales.

Six months in advance:

The website should be up and running. The author’s social media profile should be established; with a steady flow of posts and followers.

If you are working with a major publishing house, you might have a finished book cover by now. For Self-publishers, it is the right time to share the book cover if you have one. But before you do, make sure your book is available for pre-order at major online book retailers. There is no point in promoting a book that no one can pre-order or purchase.

Create your marketing list:

• While self-publishing, ensure your book is available for pre-order at major online book retailers and any brick-and-mortar bookstores you are working with.
• Disclose your book cover via your website and social media accounts and encourage people to pre-order your book.
• Check out the production studios to create your book trailer, or begin making your own.

Three months before publication:

Do this before you start ramping up your pre-sale marketing efforts. Creating a book trailer can often take longer than you would expect, and you want to ensure your book trailer is ready well before your book even goes on sale.

It is also the time to request reviews of your book. With self-publishing, you can pitch your book to reviewers and bloggers. Consider running a Goodreads giveaway of at least three books to encourage readers to add it to their want-to-read shelves and perhaps add a review if they win a copy.

If you have the budget, you can run a pre-order advertising campaign or save those funds for an on-sale advertising campaign.

Create your marketing list:

• Check out the production studios to create your book trailer.
• Send out free copies of your book to book reviewers, bloggers, and local newspapers for review.
• Start running pre-order advertising via Google Ads or social media platforms if your budget lets you do so.

One Month Before Publication:

You are getting closer to publication! By this time, your audience on social media should be well aware that you have a book about to launch. You can help build the excitement by celebrating the countdown to launch, reminding them when your book is 32 weeks away, one week away, two days away, and finally celebrating launch day. Now is also a great time to connect with local booksellers. If budget allows, start pre-order and advertising to promote your book trailer.

Create your marketing list-

• Start counting down to publication day on your social media accounts, encouraging your followers to prearrange the book.
• Connect with your local booksellers to check on the book launch events.
• Begin your book trailer on your website and social media accounts to encourage pre-orders.
• Start advertising the book trailer.

• Start pre-order advertising for your book.

If you can connect with a local bookseller, be prepared to celebrate with a book launch party with friends, family, and readers. Pick any of the platforms such as Google ads, Facebook ads, or Instagram ads to advertise. Celebrate on social media with your followers. You can encourage your followers so you can reshare a photo of them with your book using a hashtag to reshare their posts.

Start organizing early, and you’ll thank yourself when the sales start rolling; hard work is honored.