You want to become a New York Times Best Seller.
You want to use your book as a credibility piece for your consulting business, generating new leads and clients as a result of your book.
You want to be a sought-after speaker, nationally or perhaps internationally.
You want to make a difference for people with your message, helping as many people as possible.
You’ve always wanted to write a book, see your name on a book cover. It’s a personal achievement goal, not necessarily connected to a bigger agenda.
You want to create passive income.
You want to create community around your ideas, draw people together to learn and grow.
You want to instruct others to make their lives easier or more meaningful.
You want to be known as an expert in your field.
You want fame, more than 15 minutes.
Every author has different motivating goals, reasons for writing and publishing.
As you prepare to market your book, you will want to be absolutely clear about your goals, and you want to allow your goals to guide your strategy.
I spoke on the phone yesterday to a woman in Florida who wants to write the story of some folks who are doing amazing humanitarian work, rebuilding homes for needy families and connecting in powerful, helpful relationships with those families. She hopes that the stories she wants to tell will inspire others to start similar initiatives.
I work with an author who regularly gives away hundreds of books, because he wants to make a difference and share his message with leaders worldwide.
I have worked with authors who are clear that their purpose is to use their book to catapult their businesses to to greater profitability.
I have worked with authors who want to find more opportunities to speak. And I have worked with authors for whom inclusion on major bestseller lists is an important motivator.
You may have more than one goal — perfectly natural.
To have a successful book launch, you must first define what success means for you — and then implement strategies and tactics that fit that goal.
If you are preparing to market a book, I encourage you to take the time to clearly identify your reasons for publishing. Write them down, and then consider whether the strategies and tactics you’re employing are the ones that will get you to the end result you’re seeking.
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Thank you for this article! Can you give me some examples of realistic goals for book launch? Sure “#1 NYT bestseller” is a great goal… but is this really a realistic goal…. you know what I mean? I seem to have 2 tiers of goals – personal for my readers, and then for me….
I’d be glad to chat with you about this via phone or email. You can reach me becky at weavinginfluence dot com.
I am a retired RN and live on 2 beautiful acres in Michigan. I have been writing for over 60 years both professionally and personally. The past 15 years I published my autobiography, a YA adventure,and a romance short story. Just completed a novel and three chidrens’ books. God has given me time to follow my passion for writing woven into my experiences from an amazing career. With the loving support of my husband, 16 grandkids, six children and a loyal dog, Lucy I am truly blessed.
I have self-published books about the convent, (I was a nun for 20 years), about my mother, about Helen Steiner Rice, about France, Peru, Puerto Rico and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. I am the president of the International Writers Association (www.internationalwritersassociation.com) and hope to write even more books. I don’t think of fame or wealth much….health is wealth, but I do want to share so much of my life-adventures with the world before I take leave. Please visit my website: http://www.dutchink.com for more information! Sincerely, Dr. Tavenner
I love writing, have many published books–mostly mysteries, but would love to have more readers. I also enjoy speaking to writers and other groups on various subjects.
Hello Becky,
Thanks for the brilliant planing and insight. While the frigid ship called , “Amazon”, as it sails through cyberspace collecting and selling things we don’t really need; there is a meaningful niche you’ve carved out from the Amazon Iceberg.
Maintaining a Life which is Unbolted, as chronicled in Life Unbolted, is a blessing. All that I can hope to gain from my alliance with “Hometown Reads” is a calving from that giant and confused mass.
Alas, in the final analysis folks just want honest writing and yours is an honest platform.
Hello Becky.
In my latest book, The House On Sunflower Road, I hoped to make readers aware that no matter how different we are from one another, we all want the same things: a world where people treat each other with dignity and respect.
My main character is a biracial young girl, nineteen years old. I did a lot of research, mind-wise and book-wise in order to step into her mind and write her innermost thoughts. You see I am caucasian and learned many things during this search-and-find endeavor. I have been told I succeeded, In my first novel, I wrote a story about a relationship between a young girl (caucasian) from Charlotte, NC and a Cherokee Indian. There again, I wanted the story to shine on their journey of growth and transformation. The book is titled The Long Night Moon. Both my novels deal with different cultures finding cohesiveness with each other. And the most wonderful comments I have received has nothing to do with their differences but has everything to do with how the stories touched many hearts.
Thank you for inviting me to have a voice on this site. Elizabeth Towles
Very solid advice which I’ll remind myself of on a regular basis. Thank you for offering it!