It’s early still, but I am already feeling the effects of launching a new book. No, I don’t mean sales. I mean physically feeling the effects. I literally drove myself right onto Sick Street.
For this reason, I’ve compiled a list of five important things to remember when launching a book, especially for you self-published/indie-published peeps.
IT WILL ALL BE OKAY:
No matter what happens with the launch of your book, whether you sell a million copies or one, it will be okay. The world will still go on, and you my friend will too. Though some may lead you to believe that it’s all about the launching, I believe that time is your best friend. Give the book time to get out there, for people to read it and enjoy it.
DON’T LOSE SIGHT:
This ties in to the one above. Don’t get obsessed with checking the sales, the reviews, the ranking! Remember why you wrote the book in the first place: for people to enjoy. Promote your book for love, not for sales. Go back to the moment when you wrote the book, when you read your own words. When you created, then, fell in love with the characters. When you cried that first tear. When you laughed aloud. When you got mad at your character. When you rolled your eyes because you wrote such an awesome cheese-ball of a love scene, but you kept it anyway! Don’t lose sight of your story. It’s not about the sale; it’s about sharing your story with the world.
PUT THE PHONE DOWN:
The reason I got sick (with a cold) was because I didn’t take time to relax, by the time I realized I wasn’t feeling well, it was too late. But aside from the illness, I was seriously starting to get concerned; I had become addicted to my phone. I would constantly check my stats, making adjustments here and there, whenever needed. Posting, adding, editing, deleting, researching, check twitter, check Facebook, check Instagram, check amazon, check kindle, check website, put phone down: REPEAT. It was madness. I recommend that you do what you must, then walk away.
SET A SCHEDULE:
After realizing something had to give, I discovered something that helped me become sane again: Making a To-Do-List. Who would’ve thunk! Writing things down, from homework to marketing to exercising allowed for better flowing days. As I was making my list for each day, I would realize I was putting on too many things in one day, so I would cut back and add it to a lighter day, one with less things due. An added bonus to creating a to-do-list is the amazing satisfaction you get at the end of the day when you get to check that thing off your list.
CONTINUE DOING WHAT YOU LOVE:
Don’t stop doing the thing that you love most, writing! If you’re anything like me, you pretty much do it all, meaning you get the book ready for Print and eBook—formatting, uploading, promotion, blah blah blah….. This can take up a lot of your time. I for one, have a full time job, I am going to school taking four classes (all which require a ton of work) and I blog twice a week and therefore I’m left with hardly any free time at all. So in the process of getting a book launched, I stopped doing the thing I enjoy most: writing. Don’t let this happen to you. Write every day, it’s the one thing you should not skip. If you have to skip on one of your daily Instagram posts then do so, but don’t stop writing. Your future self will thank you for that!
So there you have it. I hope this was helpful to you, and served as a reminder of what (or not) to do when you’re in the process of launching your own book. If you have any questions, or would like to talk about being an indie published author in today’s world, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment here, or email me at mari@marisuggs.com or lets chat through FaceBook, Instagram or Twitter.
Oh, in case you don’t know, my books More Than Words Can Say and Falling For you are available through Amazon.
Till next time, Happy Writing!