by Penny Sansevieri
As you create your book-marketing plan, you may be thinking about doing a pre-order as a way of getting some early sales. But it takes more than making your book available for a pre-order to achieve success. When done right, pre-orders are a great way to engage your existing fans and bring in new ones.
So, what are some effective strategies that help create buzz and lead to a lucrative pre-order? I’ve outlined some of my favorite ideas below to jumpstart your pre-order marketing.
You’ll notice that a lot of these strategies require a proof of purchase. The benefit of this is not only do you verify who is buying, but you also build your mailing or newsletter list, which is author marketing gold.
Let’s dive in!
Update Your Back Matter
Effective author marketing requires you to stay current, and that means keeping your already published titles updated.
In prep for a new release, you’ll want to update the ebook files for any of your already published titles in the same genre. Why? To ensure they’re directing people to the new book, with a link to the product page.
You should already have your current titles in regular marketing rotations so your efforts benefit your upcoming book as well, right?
Plan Special Pre-Order Pricing to Pull in More Buyers
Lots of authors ask me how to market a book and still make money on each sale. And that is literally one of the toughest things to answer because of all the factors involved. But the reality is, everyone loves a deal. And one of the most effective ways to sell more books during a pre-order promotion is to discount the book. I know, just trust me. The key is constantly reminding people through all your other efforts that the book goes back to full price on the release date!
Offer Cool Swag Packs for a Lasting Effect
People love free stuff! If you want to sell more books, there’s a good chance you’ll see a better return if you get a little more generous with your brand swag.
Swag is a good author marketing investment in general. And it doesn’t have to be super expensive, with some smart planning. Once you have it on hand, you’ll be amazed at how many ways you come up with to use it, which will enhance your marketing efforts on multiple levels.
How to Market Your Book by Offering Cool Digital Swag
If you don’t have the budget to mail out physical swag, you can do something fun with digital material too; don’t stress.
Poster-quality art downloads, excerpts, deleted scenes, etc. There are so many options, and this is a great way to strengthen your brand as well.
Create a Teaser Excerpt to Build Excitement
A great way to build the excitement for an upcoming release is by sharing an excerpt. Don’t be stingy. If you’re having them buy the book on pre-order, then give them the first few chapters to really get them excited!
Don’t Waste Anything and Collect Some Deleted Scenes
This is more for authors who write series, or write in a very defined genre, but readers love insider info. Deleted scenes from previous titles make fun ways to reward established fans for pre-ordering. The parts you cut end up living a new life and supporting your brand loyalty!
Do a Cover Reveal to Get People Excited
Another great way to milk a pre-order campaign and potentially sell more books is with a cover reveal. Covers make or break a book, and also create a strong psychological connection to your brand.
Discount and Cross-Promote with Other Titles
Another question I get asked a lot is how to market your book without leaving your previous titles in the dust. I respond that if you really want to ramp up to sell more books during a pre-order campaign, consider discounting other titles.
You’ve already updated the back matter of your previous titles to announce the new release, so limited-time discount promotions will help you get those books in more hands to spread the word.
Update Your Social Images
When you truly get down to business for how to market your book, you’ll realize images can make or break you. Be sure you’re updating your website and social media headers to represent the new book, promote the cover, the pre-order dates, and especially pre-order pricing.
Set Up a Countdown to Build Last-Minute Buzz
This is a super-simple strategy that doubles as a social-media marketing strategy as well. Plan out (schedule) posts that push the pre-order and remind people when the pre-order ends. This strategy becomes particularly effective for selling more books when combined with a special pre-order discount price.
Run a Branded Contest
Sometimes selling more books isn’t about selling more books. Let me explain. Sometimes when you consider how to market your book you need to keep your current fans front and center. Show your followers you appreciate their loyalty, no strings attached, by giving them something just because. This doesn’t mean you can’t still get some immediate benefits.
Ask people to follow you on social and share a post of your book-release announcement. There are lots of ways to benefit from reader engagement aside from asking them to buy the book directly.
How to Market Your Book to Get Early Reviews
Similar to the contest, in regards to asking people to engage with you in some way to be eligible to win something, this is another great way to generate early reviews.
Ask people to do something for you, share a post, sign up for your newsletter, follow your blog, etc. Then start handing out advance copies of the book with the understanding you really want people to go on Amazon and review as soon as the book is officially released.
A personalized note goes a long way to communicate the importance of reviewing, I assure you.
Run a BOGO Offer
I love running BOGO (Buy One Get One or Buy One Give One) offers because it builds exposure.
I personally prefer buy one, give one, because when you think about how to market your book you always need to be thinking about drawing in new potential fans. I ask people to pre-order my book and send me the receipt, along with a name and email address of a friend or colleague I can gift with a digital copy.
People love to share books they enjoy, and you become a part of that while also getting introduced to new potential fans and followers.
I’ve even invited people to include a short note they want me to include, to take the personalization up a notch when gifting.
Create a Video or Ten
Video is increasingly important for social-media exposure, in regards to generating more interest and more engagement.
Make an official announcement about the pre-order. Make videos to announce discounts or to describe a giveaway or swag offer. I don’t see a reason you can’t do a video to accompany any of these strategies. Plus, with proper planning, you can record all these in one afternoon and release them as appropriate.
So get your camera ready and get to work!
The Takeaway
The key to a successful pre-order campaign is preparation. By choosing the strategies that work best for your book ahead of time, you create a plan and prepare what you need to execute it in advance. This really helps to keep your author marketing stress-free.
Yes, it’s a lot of work, so to stay organized, I recommend downloading my free monthly book-marketing planner here.
With creative ideas and proper planning, you’re well on your way to a successful pre-order leading to great exposure, an expanded fan base, and more book sales.
Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and an adjunct professor at NYU, is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns.
