Okay, so in our final part of our series on Book Launch Teams (BLTs), I want to give a simple set of steps to work through as you set up your own BLT.
I’m assuming you’ve worked through parts I to IV, so without further ado, here we go:
BLT Setup Stage
1. Make a choice between face to face groups or online groups.
2. Lay out a plan for how long you will run your book launch team (based on book length, reading ability of BLT members, etc.)
3. Lay out a plan for what each week will look like in terms of topics, content, etc. (generally)
4. Pick your venue (face to face) or social media platform (online) and work through all the details of setting that up
5. Pick your day and time and stick with it (you want them to be reliable and consistent… you need be reliable and consistent)
6. Advertise your BLT
7. Fine-tune the plan for each week–ideally, get this done before your first week (you can adjust on the fly after that)
Actual Book Launch Team Meetings
8. Ask for commitment for the weeks you meet
9. Lay out your expectations (reading, feedback, reviews after the book launches)
10. Share what they will get out of it (pre-release copy, a little insight into the writing/publishing process, etc.)
11. Get feedback about the book and talk to them about the importance of reviews.
At the End of Your Book Launch Team Meetings
12. Give a thank you gift. I signed their copy of the book and gave them a little Lego-like mini-figure (based on a character in the book). It was fun and they LOVED it! NOTE: I told them at the beginning I would only sign the book at the end of the BLT and then only if they were active members of the BLT. They could NOT just show up at the beginning and the end and expect their book to be signed. I also told them I would sign it as a specific BLT book and there would only be a limited number I would sign that way. This was my gift to them as BLT members. If the book sells like crazy, they will have one of a few signed, unique BLT copies. Imagine having a copy of Harry Potter signed as a BLT copy? I’m an optimist so I expect I’ll sell that many. 🙂
13. Send them home at the end with a note explaining exactly how they can leave reviews and where to leave these reviews (list the sites). NOTE: Stress how important reviews are. Do not expect that all of them will leave a review, but encourage many to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads at the very least. You can’t ask them to leave a 5-star review, but you can ask them to leave an honest review. I would also list some contact info on the send-home-note. Consider listing your Amazon Author Page, your Twitter Account Name, your Facebook Author Page, your Email, etc.
So, there you have it! The basic steps to work through your BLT and a total of five blogs on running BLTs!
Here is a quick recap of the topics:
Blog # 1: Benefits of a Book Launch Team, Goals for a Book Launch Team and The Give and Take of a Book Launch Team (what I offered them, what I asked of them).
Blog # 2: Content and Focus of the Book Launch Team
Blog # 4: Interaction and Responses with your Book Launch Team
Blog # 5: Steps to Run an Effective Book Launch Team
Comment below with your BLT experiences!
Shawn
One response to “Book Launch Teams Part V”
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