Wicked Wednesday: Pre-Release Promotion

It’s Wednesday. Let’s talk craft today. So your book is coming out in three months, or two weeks, or tomorrow. Wickeds, what your pre-release strategy do you find most successful in getting the word out about your book? Have you ever poured a lot of time/money/energy into a strategy that bombed? Do any of us hire independent publicists to help?

Edith: I know I’m old-fashioned, but I really like a paper calendar. Here’s the page for October with my next release marked on it. I also have a Word calendar with my scheduled guest blog posts entered. So far this is all I got for the weeks surrounding the release. I feel like I’m slipping!

Liz: Wow, Edith, if only I could be that organized…I try to remember to book an “official” launch party in advance. But I definitely do a lot of guest blogs. My last two books I did a book tour through Escape With Dollycas, which was a lot of fun and definitely exposure to different audiences.

Jessie: One of my favorite pre-release ways to spread the word is to host giveaways on Goodreads. It is a simple way to create awareness of a new release and people seem to enjoy participating.

Edith: Ah, yes. The first Goodreads giveaway for Flipped for Murder just ended, so I’ll be mailing out five Advance Review Copies (ARCs) this week. 1323 entered. Not sure if that’s high or not, but it’s better than my previous giveaways.

Sherry: I have tried several different things. Four days before the launch of The Longest Yard Sale I celebrated Sarah Wintson’s birthday by throwing a party on Facebook. The Wickeds all donated books and I gave away copies of my books. It was a lot of fun and not too much work. I send out advance copies to bloggers and reviewers and also do a very small blog tour. I’m very lucky to have a friend, Mary Titone, who acts as my publicist. She sends out press releases and contacts groups for appearances. She works really hard and gets paid in breakfasts and lunches.

Barb: My next launch is a bittersweet one, the last Level Best anthology to be produced by the current editorial team, of which I am a member. To celebrate, we got photos taken. What do you think?

For the real results, see our ad for the New England Crime Bake program here. Another pre-release strategy.

Edith: You guys look great – all those tropical colors that match the pool!

Julie: I am taking notes! Release day is October 6, my first, so I am learning from all of you!

Readers: What do you do to prepare for the launch of something new and big? Writers, any tricks you can share?