Show up for your work and then take some time to recover. Again and again. Books are evergreen, so you don’t launch one time and it’s over.
After the initial launch, it becomes harder to talk about the book, but it’s still worthwhile. Weave your book into your normal content. Link to your sales page. Put a photograph in the bottom of your newsletter. Share photographs of your book in different seasons.
Keep showing up for your book, and your book will keep showing up for you.
If you want to fund your print run with crowdfunding you’ll want to check out my Crowdfunding 101 course. I decided to break the crowdfunding out as a separate process because this may be helpful to creators who are funding projects beyond books. But it is rooted in my experience with taking preorders through Indiegogo.
Do some journaling reflection and share some of your thoughts below.
Origin Story
What inspired you to write the book?
How long have you wanted to write it?
What gave you the impetus to get started?
Who did you have in mind when writing?
What is the book about?
Purpose
Why is this book important?
Does the book teach or inform?
Does the book provide connection and community?
Does the book represent a marginalized experience?
Does the book provide inspiration or a window to imagining or understanding the world in a different way?
Does the book create beauty and sanctuary from the struggles of daily life?
What will readers take away from reading this book?
Mindset Work
It’s important that you move into self publishing with the right mindset. If you feel that self publishing is “less than” traditional publishing that is going to come through.
I’d really recommend taking the time to read Coronate Yourself by my creative coach Amie McNee and their podcast Unpublished. Amie also has a free Journaling Compendium and offers creative coaching services that can help support mindset shifts.
Just a reminder as we move into this section that my focus is on heart centered marketing. Telling people bout your book so the right people will find you.
If you want more strategic support for marketing I’d highly recommend taking a course from Leonie Dawson.
Consider including a call to action at the end of your book. A clear ask for the reader to connect with you, hire you, or sign up for your newsletter.
You can even mention a free download, resource library, or perks specific to book readers.
If you’re publishing print books you’ll need to take care to make these links evergreen so your book isn’t quickly outdated. If you’re publishing Ebooks you can include links directly to your newsletter opt in. Make it as easy as possible for people to keep in touch.
And an alternate opinion about when to record the audiobook that is especially relevant if you’re hiring professional narrators.
* I’ve used different microphones in the past (including a Blue Snowball, MOVO, and AT 2020). The Blue Snowball broke. The MOVO had a headphone jack and started to have compatibility issues with newer Apple devices. I struggled with the AT 2020. I was using a cardiod condenser version (not a USB) which had to be recorded with a Zoom H4N. I’m not sure if it was postpartum baby brain, but it was a giant headache and I wanted to go back to a simple USB mic.
