Street Team, Launch Team, Fan Club—the
name varies, but the idea is still a great one!
What am I talking about, you ask?
A launch team is basically a group of
readers who are ready and willing (and eager!) to get the word out on the
street about an author’s books. When I think of my launch team, I think of my
first readers, my inside circle, my front lines, my most enthusiastic fans.
What
does a launch team do?
Members are given ARC copies and
asked to read the book before release. From there, the role may vary depending
on the author and team members, but the common theme and single most important
job of a launch team member is to post reviews—on Amazon, Goodreads, and
anywhere else the book is available! Reviews help jump-start both Amazon’s
algorithms and reader confidence in a book, so I work hard to help my books
gain at least twenty-five reviews within the first few weeks.
Beyond reviews, some ideas for the
launch team are to:
·
Talk about the books on social media sites.
·
Blog about the books.
·
Direct people to author’s website.
·
Write a review for their local newspaper.
·
Purchase copies to give away as Christmas and birthday gifts.
·
Pin the cover and book memes to Pinterest.
·
Share favorite quotes from the book on social media.
·
Suggest the book on reading forums, like those on Goodreads.
·
Like and share the book trailer on YouTube or Vimeo.
·
Donate a copy to a local library or church library.
·
Suggest the author’s latest book to a book club.
·
And the list can go on!
Who
makes a great launch team member?
Readers who have read and are excited
about the author’s books, and want to share that excitement within their sphere
of influence. Enthusiasm trumps all. Time availability is important, too!
Often, authors tend to lean toward
asking other authors to be on their launch team. After all, only a compatriot
would understand the importance of the role, right? In my experience, though, readers
tend to be more enthusiastic launch team members, eagerly reading the book and
posting reviews as soon as possible. While it’s certainly fine to have both,
when I open my launch team to new members, I try to post the memo where my
readers will see it.
So
how does an author find launch team members?
I recommend having a form on your
website that asks basic questions, such as what genres the potential candidate
likes to read, and whether they’ve read any of your books already. You could
also go one step further and ask for the link to one of the reviews they’ve
posted for your books. How much or how little is your choice!
You can see an example form at my website. When I was
actively seeking to grow my team, this page was front and center on my site
menu. Now, I have it tucked in as part of the ‘About’ page so it can be found
by readers who are really interested.
Once you have that form in place, you
can direct people there from a variety of places:
·
Call-out on social media.
·
Post the request on your blog.
·
Send an email to your list. (Another advantage of growing your
reader list! Just make sure you screen respondents to find those who really
want to help with your launches, not just receive free books.)
·
A note in the back of your eBooks, if you’re feeling ambitious!
What
should you give your launch team in return for their help?
Free ARCs (advance reader copies) are
a given.
For traditionally published authors,
your publisher probably already has a standard format for distributing ARCs.
Some larger publishers send paperback copies directly to those on your launch
team, and only need you to provide names and addresses for each person.
Other publishers will provide you
with a PDF or eBook files to distribute to your team. Still others use services
like NetGalley to send out ARCs. Make sure you know what your publisher is
planning and what they need from you, BEFORE you contact your launch team about
a new release.
For indie authors, there are great
FREE programs out there to help authors convert and distribute ARC files in
formats that make it easy for your launch team members to read. Calibre is a
useful (free) software to convert a Word document to mobi files (for Kindles)
and epub files (for iBooks, Nook, and most other ereaders).
BookFunnel.com is a helpful resource
to distribute the ereader files to your team. It makes the process to download
the file onto their ereader as simple as possible, and
BookFunnel’s customer service is top notch.
Beyond ARCs, have fun with it! Here
are some fun freebies to share with your team, if you have the opportunity
and/or means:
·
Insider info, such as the first opportunity to see cover art for
your upcoming releases.
·
Let them help name characters or choose settings.
·
I like to give my team the choice to receive either eBook or
paperback copies (signed with a note to them).
·
Book swag created for your author brand, such as bookmarks, mugs
printed with your book cover, etc.
·
Christmas ornaments engraved with your author or book name. Etsy.com
has some creative options here!
·
Generally speaking, the more you connect with your team, the more
they’ll want to promote your books.
A word of caution above, Amazon’s
review requirements are strict about giving gifts in exchange for reviews, so
you’ll want to be careful to avoid any language about ‘requiring reviews’ in
exchange for any of the benefits received by being on your launch team.
Make
it easy to share your book on social media
People are more likely to share your
book when you make it easy for them! There are a couple of ways you can do
this:
·
The simplest way is to create several Twitter and Facebook posts
that people can copy and post to their respective accounts. (Make sure you
include a buy link for your book!) You can simply include these in an email to
your launch team, or paste them on a Word document you send out.
·
A more sophisticated method would be to create a share page on your
website. Using a tool like sharelinkgenerator.com, you can create
prewritten posts where people only need to click to post your message on any of
the social media platforms you include. You can even add memes or other images
for easy posting. People are more likely to share your message when you make it
possible with only a click or two.
Tips on Interacting with your Launch Team
·
Know your goals for the team and be clear up front about
expectations. Do you want them to focus on reviews only, or is social media
sharing important to you?
·
Send ARCs to your team at least 2-3 months before release, or as
early as possible.
·
Include links for where to post reviews in your emails to your list.
Don’t forget Goodreads!
·
Even if you haven’t made a big deal about your team sharing on
social media, make it easy for those who choose to do so!
So now, I’d love to hear from you! As a reader, are you part of any
author launch teams? What great ideas or best practices have you seen? Looking
forward to hearing about your experiences! 😊
Giveaway:
Please let us know if you want to be entered. Winner's choice of either of the following:
- All
three ebooks of my latest series, Wyoming Mountain Tales
(includes A Pony Express Romance, A Rocky Mountain Romance, and A Sweetwater River Romance)
- Signed
paperback of my new book for writers, How to Market a Book Release (Continental US only, please)
Misty M. Beller writes Christian historical romance, and is a hybrid author of
eleven novels, as well as a non-fiction book for authors, How to Market a Book Release.
With over ten
years working in professional project management and marketing, Misty uses her
experience in the corporate world to develop best practices in her writing and
book marketing efforts. It is her passion to help other authors on this same
journey.
Misty teaches
courses and workshops at writers’ conferences around the U.S., educating
authors on effective book marketing approaches and helping them apply that
knowledge to their own books.
