Just two weeks ago, I told you about my preorder disaster. This was the release where I was so focused on the print book and ARC campaign that I forgot to upload the ebook. And just like that, I lost 300 preorders.
Now that the dust has settled, I wanted to give you an update on how the release is actually performing.
First, I knew I wasn’t going to have the bandwidth to manage ARC readers and social media promotion for this book. So I hired out.
I contracted Greys Promotions and The Author Agency to handle ARC distribution and a social media blast during the preorder period and release week. Both companies performed phenomenally. I’m still seeing posts, tags, and reviews rolling in from their hungry readers and influencers. The visibility they created extended far beyond launch week, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
I also sent out 135 promo boxes.
Each box included:
A signed paperback
Cute wolf stickers (because it’s a shifter book)
A wolf paw temporary tattoo I found on Amazon
A bookmark I designed in Canva
The response was huge.
Readers loved them. Influencers loved them. The unboxing content alone generated a lot of excitement and visibility for the release.
On the paid promotion side, I scheduled newsletter promotions every Friday during the 99¢ launch period.
I booked:
Bargain Booksy
BookBub New Release for Less
Fussy Librarian
Red Feather Romance
Ereader News Today
Red Roses Romance
Robin Reads
I can clearly see those promotions helping keep the book visible and driving traffic throughout the month instead of creating one giant spike and then disappearing.
You’ve also seen my Facebook ad setup in previous posts, as well as how I structured my Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok content for the release.
With all of that combined, this has actually been a really good launch.
In a little over two weeks, I’ve sold nearly 500 copies and had nearly 400 Kindle Unlimited borrows.
More importantly, the book is sticky.
The reviews have been glowing, and it’s currently holding a 4.5-star average.
Now, if you’re doing the math on hired PR, paid newsletters, Facebook ads, and 135 promo boxes, you’ll quickly realize that I’m not in the black yet.
This release was never designed to be profitable on Book One. This release was designed to build momentum for a four-book series. All four books are releasing this year one an every-other-month schedule.
My goal wasn’t to maximize profit on Book One. My goal was to introduce readers to the series and create enough excitement that they would continue through the rest of the books. And that’s happening.
Preorders are rolling in for Book Two. (Don’t worry. The ebook is uploaded!) I’m very confident that by the time Book Three releases, this series will be nothing but profit.
One of the hardest things for authors to remember is that sometimes we’re investing in a series, not a single launch.
A launch can be successful before it’s profitable.
A launch can be successful because it builds readership, momentum, visibility, and trust.
I’ll keep you updated as the series continues.
Want more launch strategies? You should check out my Page Turner Planning series where I give you a year’s worth of marketing, business, and writing advice. (PS if you see my nonfiction books for sale on Amazon, you’ll notice that my name isn’t on them. I took my name off so as to not confuse my fiction readers. I appreciate your worry, but no one has stolen my books and is pretending to me 🤣)
And don’t forget to follow my Diversified Author Blueprint Kickstarter. I’m currently documenting my processes for selling across various platforms and strategies so that I’m not dependent on one retailer or algorithm.
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