Don’t wait until you novel is finished before starting to plan your book launch. A successful book launch contains many activities, and they need to be planned well in advance. New novelists need to start planning when they are about half-way through the story. Yep, the mid-point of your story is a good time to start planning.

If you haven’t finished setting up your author platform, now is the time to make certain everything is in place. Keep growing your email list.  Add names on your street team (beta readers) list. At launch time you will rely on those fans and beta readers to spread the word and write reviews once the book is out.

You are going to be coordinating many activities the week of your book launch. Plan for the time.

• Review your categories and keywords for your book.
• Start designing your cover so it will fit and yet stand out in your genre.
• Search for blogs that will promote your book at launch. Use both free and paid resources. Refer to list below for starters.
• Plan your promotion budget

For your first book, do as much as you can and stay within your budget. It is possible to create and market your books inexpensively at the beginning (your first book). Your success on Amazon and other book distribution platforms takes time. The more you write and produce, the greater potential for growth. Many authors start seeing a spike in growth once the third book is published. As you publish more books, you’ll not only grow your audience, but will become better at the book launch process.

Jenny Blake created a powerful and detailed spreadsheet of actions to take for a book launch. The  15-Tab Book Marketing Spreadsheet is free and helps authors become organized and stay organized at the time of a book launch. Tabs include: online promo, offline promo, advance copy distribution, book tour, a planning calendar, and more.
You can find it here in Google docs format and here in Excel (as a download).

• Download the spreadsheet.
• Read the details on each tab
• Copy the spreadsheet and name it with the title of your book. You can use this spreadsheet to plan a book launch for each book.
• Select the tasks that you want to do and that are within your budget. Ignore the others.
• Start researching people and places to promote your book. Fill in the spreadsheet for your new book with names and contact information.
• Use the calendar tab to make certain you perform the tasks in a timely manner. You’ll see that work begins several months before the book is released.

The spreadsheet is developed for a traditionally published book, but independent authors follow the same procedures. This is a fantastic tool to keep you sane at book launch time. Don’t forget to send Jenny a thank you.

For Free Books If your book is free at launch time, here are some resources to promote free ebooks.

• Freebooksy freebooksy.com
• BKnights bknights on fiverr
• Free Kindle Books http://fkbt.com/for-authors/
• Book Gorilla Author page http://blog.bookgorilla.com/authors-would-you-like-your-own-bookgorilla-authors-page-totally-free/

Kindle Book PromotionsIf your book is on sale or even full price, check out these paid resources for spreading the word.

Kindle Nation Daily http://kindlenationdaily.com/ — A variety of paid options
Book Gorilla http://www.bookgorilla.com/ — 
Ereader News Today http://ereadernewstoday.com/ — scroll down to the bottom of the page to submit your book.
OHFB (One Hundred Free Books) https://ohfb.com/advertise/ — Offers listings for free and deeply discounted books.
The Fussy Librarian http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/for-authors/ — Carefully read the submission guidelines to make sure your book qualifies.

Book launch time will be busy. Start now to plan, gather the right resources, set target dates, and coordinate emails with your fans and street team. Mark every task on your calendar. When launch day comes, you’ll be busy, but in control.

Zara Altair
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Zara Altair writes mysteries set in ancient Italy. Argolicus thinks he has retired, but he and his tutor, Nikolaos, are drawn into puzzles, politics, and murder.