# Book Bombs, Release Days, & Other Good Free Marketing Tips Update



## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

I thought I'd share what a typical release day looks like. Some things have changed since I posted this list a year ago, but most are still the same.

Each novel has a release date that is announced on the website, blog, and social media pages a few weeks prior to release. I tell ppl when I start a new book/ series and do a cover reveal, so by the time I announce the release, they have been looking for it.

For serials, I give the readers a rough idea of when the next one will come out so I give myself enough time to write it. The cover is posted a few days prior to the release of the serial so everyone can see it and get excited. Then as soon as I get it back from editing I publish it.

I've been going back and forth on whether or not to upload early so the page has time to appear, that way it's totally built on release day or just pressing PUBLISH and telling everyone to start watching for it. The latter is much more exciting, only draw back is when the title gets hung up and it appears on one site 24 hours before another. Then they get upset. That's happened 2x recently.

I'm trying preorder on a couple of novels. I have no idea if that'll help or hurt with release day rankings. I'm guessing it's a trade off, I might hit a major list, but all those people that could have driven the rank up on Amazon if there was no preorder. Double-edged sword, thinks I.

MARKETING PRIOR TO RELEASE DAY 
1. Blog Post - include links to all retailers, description, trailer (if I made one), release date, and cover.
2. Update Blog Widgets - add cover image to blog sidebar with link to book in Kindle Store.
3. Update Goodreads - make sure release date is in bold and change it to TODAY and sale price.
4. Add book to author central.
5. Add bold text, reviews, and the about the author section via Author Central.
6. Create mass email to get sent out on release day with links to ppl on the newsletter list.
7. Create social media ad images to be used as teasers on release day & week (hot link to book).
8. Post reminders on Twitter and Facebook that the book comes out tomorrow. Link to 1st chapt on blog if I posted a teaser. (I do that for YA).
9. Add cover to Pintrest
10. Add other images that pertain to story idea or creation to Pintrest.
11. Update link to book on website.
12. Dispense ARCs
13. Check in with Beta Readers (if used)
--RELEASE DAY
14. Post links to books on Twitter and FB.
15. Contact Book Reviewers that requested personal reminders on release days.
16. Go out and take the day off so I don't watch the computer all day.

***These are my notes from last August***
_Most of this stuff is free. The only thing that I pay for is the email service so I can track stuff. It is time consuming, but its worked well for me. A good release day will bump one of my new books up into the top 3,000. A ho-hum day will be around 10,000. Holidays, school, weekends, etc all affect release days. I try to launch the book when people will be around. There is usually an uptick in sale the two weeks following launch day as reviews start to come in. _

****THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS NOW****
In addition to the things above, I might take out a paid ad if it's the first book in a series. I plan promotions to kick in when the anticipated sales slump starts. I was hospitalized during my last novel release, and by the time I woke up, that novel was already in the top 100. A ho-hum release now will hit a rank of about 800 on release day. A highly anticipated book will hit the top 50. One of the major shifts over the past year was that I started writing romance. The info above was for YA PNR. Last August I had 14 titles under my belt. As of now, I have 37. About 1/2 novels, 1/2 serials.

THIS IS STILL THE SAME: The best piece of advice I can give someone trying to boost their sales is this: MAKE IT REALLY EASY TO BUY YOUR BOOK! Don't make people go looking for it.

And if you are selling to women/ girls: MAKE IT PRETTY! I use picture links a lot too.

This is a hype piece for a new book coming out next month. I use it on facebook & twitter. Later it will appear on the blog as well. Right now, it has links reminding them to grab the 1st book and sale info.










Well, I probably forgot stuff, but I thought it might help some people who aren't sure what to do on release day. OCD girl made a list!!! lol. Hope it helps someone.


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## R.V. Doon (Apr 1, 2013)

I missed it last time. Thanks for summary. I'm following this guide when I release Blood & Secrets next month.


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

Brilliant list Holly thanks for sharing. Do you share your book with your beta readers before or after it goes to the editor?


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Thanks for being so generous with your time and experience, Holly. This gives me some ideas even those of us without hundreds of fans can use.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

AWESOME checklist!  I'm printing this out to reference.


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

Great list, Holly.  It makes me exhausted reading it because I'm in the middle of a staggered three book release and I feel like I've been promoting these books forever already!


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## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

Bookmarked! Thanks for the list. Lots of good stuff there. I'm getting closer to re-releasing one book and doing a first release on another, so will be coming back to this for sure.


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Holly,

This is all great advice, thank you.  But I have one related question for you:

How do you set up a *Book Bomb*?

For that matter, what exactly is it defined as?

The reason I ask is, the first time I encountered the term was just a few weeks ago when everyone was sharing and signal boosting the book bomb for David Farland's books on a specific day, to cover hospital expenses, to benefit his son Ben Wolverton who was in a serious accident.

Short of having a specific medical cause, how can we legitimately have a Book Bomb, and how can we run it, or set it up?

I have a novel, *Cobweb Bride*, coming out on July 15, 2013, and I would love to do a Book Bomb on its release day, but what can I do to make it happen?

All ideas are welcome. I am sure many of us here would like to know how it's properly and effectively done, for all our upcoming releases.


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## Anne Frasier (Oct 22, 2009)

i bookmarked it too!!  thanks.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Great stuff, Holly. Thank you!!!

One question:  Do you always do ARCs?  If not always, why sometimes no and sometimes yes.  Thanks.


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## Magda Alexander (Aug 13, 2011)

I'm releasing my first book a couple of days before you. Most of the stuff you list I can't do until my actual release day, but now I have a really great plan to follow. I'll be watching from the nosebleed seats what is sure to be your rapid rise in the charts.  

Thanks, bunches!


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

Vera Nazarian said:


> Holly,
> 
> This is all great advice, thank you.  But I have one related question for you:
> 
> ...


I found this:



> The idea behind a book bomb is that everyone buys the book from Amazon on the same day;


And I'm guessing the "how" is the usual way.


Spoiler



Beg, bribe, blow.



hahahah. We indie authors are resourceful!


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Dalya said:


> I found this:
> 
> And I'm guessing the "how" is the usual way.
> 
> ...


Okay, I see, Dalya, it's the good old BBB method! LOL!


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

Vera Nazarian said:


> Okay, I see, Dalya, it's the good old BBB method! LOL!


Yes. Beg, Borrow, and Blow money on advertising!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Vera Nazarian said:


> Holly,
> 
> This is all great advice, thank you.  But I have one related question for you:
> 
> How do you set up a *Book Bomb*?


I heard the term when I started. From what I understand, a book bomb is a blanket term for marketing that is done to promote one book in a confined amount of time. So on day X, book Y is being bombed. *Bombed=bombarded in this case with the hope that using multiple marketing channels, simultaneously, the book will be more visible for a short window.* During that window you will get a higher influx of readers. More visibility=more sales. Generally speaking, that's true. People can't buy the book if they don't know its there. A book bomb makes it very clear its there and how to get it.

Although Dalya's explanation sounds like more fun. lol. 

[quote author=ellecasey]
Great stuff, Holly. Thank you!!!

One question: Do you always do ARCs? If not always, why sometimes no and sometimes yes. Thanks.[/quote]

No, I didn't do them at all until earlier this year. I started b/c I wanted to try something new and got a lot of raised eyebrows. That's what started it. I sent out a few ARCs to some of my die hards to see what they thought right before I hit publish, so it was past beta. It grew from there. Not every book has ARC copies if I feel it has a solid footing. Honestly ARCs are very time consuming, but the early copies do stir people up and get the main fan base really excited.

I'm trying a few new things this year. ARCs is one of them. I haven't landed on whether or not it's a permanent part of the plan.


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## Chelsea Campbell (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks for posting this!  I bookmarked it and will be coming back to it.


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## RBC (Feb 24, 2013)

Bumping this as it's deserved! Must see stuff. Thank you for sharing Holly!


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## Sparrowhawks (Apr 9, 2013)

.

Holly, you clearly demonstrate that you know what you are talking about when it comes to publishing and the marketing of that published product.  But threads like this frighten me, and ~ I suspect ~ many other 'newbies'.

We write a book and 'self publish' it in the happy anticipation that a few other people may consider it to be nearly as good as we had thought it to be.

And then we wait for 'sales'.

And we wait longer.

Much longer.

And then we start hearing about 'Book Bombs', 'Blog side-bars', 'Goodreads exposure' (is that still legal ?  ), URL links, BETA somethings, and all sorts of other electronic wizardry that would have straightened Robert Ruark's and Ernest Hemingway's pubic hair!  God only knows how William Shakespeare or Winston Churchill would have handled this electronic Tsunami ! 

But should we be discouraged ?

Can those of us who have written without the expectation of becoming the next Wilbur Smith, ever expect find a few extra pennies from our literary efforts ?

And if so, how do we 'market' our efforts without attempting to compete in the cut-throat markets of 'Book Bombs'; 'side-bars'; BETA factors; 'Blogs'; 'Widgets'. etc.?   

KK


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

I have one title under a pen name that no one knows about. I do nothing to promote it. It's a control book to benchmark market trends for a book that receives no help at all. On average, it sells 2 copies per month. That's it. 

I started that big fat list in the original post with nothing. I didn't even know how to use FB and my current twitter understanding is probably wonky. #iUseHasHtagsWrong. Lol. The key-  pick one thing, learn how it works, and then learn another. Its one thing at a time, one day at a time. Every marketing effort is aimed at making it easier for readers to find my books. These things aren't cutthroat-they are lines of communication that are open between the author and the reader. These things make it easier to connect with readers without ever leaving the house.

Pick one thing, learn it, and own it. Start there. It may seem like a drop in the bucket, but eventually that bucket fills up. More books=more communication=more readers=demand for more books and then the cycle repeats. Every new release pulls in more ppl. All the stuff on the list gives them an easy way to keep up with the author.


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## 48306 (Jul 6, 2011)

This is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and encouraging others, Holly!


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Great advice.


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## AithneJarretta (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks!  

Bumping this...

~ Aithne


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## DevelopmentHell (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks for the info, H!


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

You are the bomb. And I feel lazy.


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## LBrent (Jul 1, 2013)

Sparrowhawks said:


> .
> 
> But threads like this frighten me, and ~ I suspect ~ many other 'newbies'.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure if your post was written 'tongue in cheek' or if you're serious, but as I read it I thought of someone who loves to bake. Every day this person bakes cupcakes and decorates them...and everyday the cupcakes go unseen, uneaten, unappreciated. Why? Because it was simply too much effort to open the kitchen door and holler out to the kids playing, pick up the phone to call friends, text message a few folks who might enjoy a sweet snack...You get the idea?

Baking the cupcakes isn't enough, you have to at least put the plate on the counter, then *LET YOUR AUDIENCE KNOW THE DAMNED CUPCAKES ARE THERE!* 

Sure, a few folks MIGHT stumble into the kitchen, but what if they don't? Do you want your hard work to go unseen, uneaten, unappreciated?

Just a thought...


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2013)

LBrent:

Amen to that


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## IreneP (Jun 19, 2012)

Thank you - extremely worthwhile post!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Thought I'd post an update since this post resurfaced. The promo banner for the title on the 1st page ended up kicking ass. It sold around 100K copies 1st week (includes preorder) and came in #2 on NYT, WSJ, and USA Today. Dan Brown beat me.  I beat Jame Patterson.  That title hit #1 on Amazon and held for about 1/2 a week at $3.99. Not too shabby. This week I had 4 titles on USA Today's bestseller list. I think that's a record for me. There might have been 5 a while back, but I was too busy writing to notice. I gotta dig back through the past couple of months and check.

I still do all this stuff. It works. Anything that makes your books _easier _for ppl to find and buy is a plus. That's what all this marketing stuff is about at it's core - making it easier for readers to find & buy your books.

Rock on, Indie Peeps!


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## Cheryl Douglas (Dec 7, 2011)

Great info. Thanks for the re-cap, Holly. It's also really interesting to see where you were last August compared to now.


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## BellaRoccaforte (May 26, 2013)

Holly,
Thanks so much! you and so many of the other authors on here are so helpful and supportive! I know I'll eventually think I have a feel for it, then the world of ebook sales will change   But until then I'm going to be sure your check list is fully integrated into my launch plan!


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## R.A. Hobbs (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks so much for the good tips!
I suck at marketing and was wondering why "BUY MY @%#$ BOOK!" posts on my Facebook page wasn't drawing in the readers.


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## Anne Berkeley (Jul 12, 2013)

Bookmarked this. I swear it's going to be my bible.  But the hardest part if finding the market. I spent an entire day yesterday sending my first book to reviewers. My facebook page doesn't help much because I have readers 'liking' me. I think the marketing is the hardest part.  But I'm determined so I'll keep trying.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Anne Berkeley said:


> Bookmarked this. I swear it's going to be my bible. But the hardest part if finding the market. I spent an entire day yesterday sending my first book to reviewers. My facebook page doesn't help much because I have readers 'liking' me. *I think the marketing is the hardest part*. But I'm determined so I'll keep trying.


I agree with you.

It seems like writing the book is the easy part.  Just remember that marketing=making your book more visible _and _easy to purchase. Start there and it's less head spinning. I started with 1 facebook fan, too. It's one fan at a time, one foot in front of the other kind of brand building that grabs readers and helps them stick around. It didn't happen over night. This month last year, I was slamming my head into the wall trying to expand my fan base. This way takes time, but it works.


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## AkBee (Aug 24, 2012)

Anne Berkeley said:


> Bookmarked this. I swear it's going to be my bible. But the hardest part if finding the market. I spent an entire day yesterday sending my first book to reviewers. My facebook page doesn't help much because I have readers 'liking' me. I think the marketing is the hardest part. But I'm determined so I'll keep trying.


Anne, I went to read the sample of Tempestuous, and was enjoying it, but then some character named Cam gets thrown in with no introduction while Bryn is at the bar talking to Cael and sitting next to Viking God. Is this a typo? Now I'm stumped.


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## riffelbooks (Aug 11, 2013)

I appreciate the tips and will also bookmark. I'm curious where you put the promo banner. How much of the sales do you attribute to the add and how much to your fan base that was eagerly awaiting the new book?



H.M. Ward said:


> Thought I'd post an update since this post resurfaced. The promo banner for the title on the 1st page ended up kicking *ss. It sold around 100K copies 1st week (includes preorder) and came in #2 on NYT, WSJ, and USA Today. Dan Brown beat me.  I beat Jame Patterson.  That title hit #1 on Amazon and held for about 1/2 a week at $3.99. Not too shabby. This week I had 4 titles on USA Today's bestseller list. I think that's a record for me. There might have been 5 a while back, but I was too busy writing to notice. I gotta dig back through the past couple of months and check.
> 
> I still do all this stuff. It works. Anything that makes your books _easier _for ppl to find and buy is a plus. That's what all this marketing stuff is about at it's core - making it easier for readers to find & buy your books.
> 
> Rock on, Indie Peeps!


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## 68564 (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks for this!


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## FMH (May 18, 2013)

H.M. - thank you so much for this. I've done a lot of these with my pen name's titles, but they've been frenetic and unscheduled... this map you set out is F'ING PERFECT... so thank you a million times. And then one more.

xx, 
F.M.


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## Madison Johns (Aug 18, 2011)

It's so hard for me to stick to a specific release date. I never know for sure when it will be back from the editor and as soon as I get it I want to publish it. I should show more restraint.   I also maybe should hold back the cover longer. I just get so excited I can't contain my excitement. Of course in the mystery genre it works much different.


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

Madison Johns said:


> It's so hard for me to stick to a specific release date. I never know for sure when it will be back from the editor and as soon as I get it I want to publish it. I should show more restraint.  I also maybe should hold back the cover longer. I just get so excited I can't contain my excitement. Of course in the mystery genre it works much different.


Yeah, that's an issue which is why I do everything in house. That way I know when I'm getting it back, otherwise no one knows its coming or when to expect it.


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## Kee (Jun 3, 2013)

Can anyone update this for April 2014?  I know Holly is traveling ... tweaks?


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## JoshMorris05 (Jun 11, 2014)

Thanks for this post, I'm quite new and its good to get a picture of what a successful launch looks like. This is really useful!


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## MMJustus (Jun 28, 2010)

Call me blind, but I think this is the first time I've seen a "how to launch a book" list that actually makes sense to me.  Thanks.


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## stephenok (Jun 27, 2014)

H.M. Ward said:


> Thought I'd post an update since this post resurfaced. The promo banner for the title on the 1st page ended up kicking ass. It sold around 100K copies 1st week (includes preorder) and came in #2 on NYT, WSJ, and USA Today. Dan Brown beat me.  I beat Jame Patterson.  That title hit #1 on Amazon and held for about 1/2 a week at $3.99. Not too shabby. This week I had 4 titles on USA Today's bestseller list. I think that's a record for me. There might have been 5 a while back, but I was too busy writing to notice. I gotta dig back through the past couple of months and check.
> 
> I still do all this stuff. It works. Anything that makes your books _easier _for ppl to find and buy is a plus. That's what all this marketing stuff is about at it's core - making it easier for readers to find & buy your books.
> 
> Rock on, Indie Peeps!


That's great. Would you mind telling me what the promo banner for the title was? Where and when did it appear? Who did you use to help you with this?
Thanks.


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## ElHawk (Aug 13, 2012)

Rad info, Holly! I love lists. 

Thanks and congrats on your recent release kicking so much butt!


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## jaxspenser (Aug 17, 2014)

Okay, seriously just read the list three times in a row. Holly, great stuff and thank you(x100) for taking the time to put your process down. I am inspired. 

Jax


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## Chris Dietzel (Apr 2, 2013)

Some really great and useful information here. Thank you for posting it.


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

This is some awesome advice. Thanks for sharing!


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## H.M. Ward (May 16, 2012)

stephenok said:


> That's great. Would you mind telling me what the promo banner for the title was? Where and when did it appear? Who did you use to help you with this?
> Thanks.


The banners are like this one:

http://blog.demonkissed.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/blogheader_LifeBeforeDamagedVol1.jpg

I use them on FB, blog, Twitter, Pinterest, & anywhere else.


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## Kirkee (Apr 2, 2014)

My God, Holly, that looks like a lot of work. No wonder
you're successful. I got exhausted just reading your 
list.
Wow.  

Best.

K.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

This is amazing, thank you so much, Holly. Bookmarked!


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

Taking notes on this. Love it.


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