The Value of Building a Book Launch Team 

Why You Need to Engage Your Network 

Your existing networks are your greatest asset in book marketing—and reaching and mobilizing your networks is crucial for book launch success. 

This process is known as Network Mobilization and should be a part of your book launch strategy. 

To create early momentum for the book, the easiest place to start is with the people who already know and value the work an author puts into the world. Mobilizing this built-in network to become ambassadors for the book is key to expanding the reach of your book and your message. 

Let’s explore more about how to establish a book launch team from your existing connections and create a foundation of reviews to help your book find its audience. 

Start with Setting Goals

Identifying your book launch goals ahead of mobilizing your network will ensure you have a clear path for not only yourself but also for those people willing to help you share the message of your book far and wide. 

With focused planning, you can efficiently deploy your personal and professional connections to achieve maximum impact.

Network Mobilization goals can include: 

• Getting review copies into the hands of early readers 
• Expanding the reach of the book through social sharing 
• Garnering media attention through PR connections and opportunities 
• Amassing bulk orders from people who can order larger quantities
• Securing speaking engagements to expand your thought leadership 

While those goals are important to your book launch strategy, one of the most effective asks you’ll make of your networks is to read and review the book for launch week. Early Amazon reviews are an integral part of early success for every author, so mobilizing your network to focus primarily on securing Amazon reviews is a priority. 

Now that we’ve mapped out the goals for Network Mobilization let’s dive deeper into how to effectively obtain Amazon reviews by building out your personalized launch team.   

Why Amazon Reviews Are Important

For authors preparing to promote their book, understanding how Amazon reviews impact their book launch strategy is fundamental for success. 

Investing significantly in securing early reviews, especially in the first few weeks after a book is released, can increase your chances of gaining visibility within the complexity of Amazon’s algorithm. 

What do we mean by visibility? If reviews signal to Amazon’s algorithm that this book is generating interest among buyers, books will appear more prominently in search results, “also bought” recommendations, and may even be considered for promotional opportunities. 

This can be a catch-22 for first-time authors who need reviews to get visibility but need visibility to get reviews. That’s why intentionally building an Amazon review team (a.k.a. a launch team) and mobilizing your network is an essential step in marketing a book for authors at all levels. 

What does it take to effectively mobilize your personal and professional networks for maximum impact during book launch? Let’s dive into it.

Building Your Book Launch Team 

When thinking about your book launch team, it’s important to start early as this process can be time-intensive, requires organization, and follows up with individuals to ensure their commitment to your book launch. 

Network mobilization requires two distinct approaches: one-to-one contacts and one-to-many contacts.

One-to-Many Contacts: In most cases, you do not have a personal connection with this list. It typically consists of your permission-based email list or who you may be connected with on social media but do not have a personal relationship with otherwise. You can reach more people at once with the one-to-many list. The communication is less personal than what you send to the one-to-one list but still allows you to enlist the support of these individuals during key moments of the book launch. 

For your one-to-many contacts, it’s important to identify the number of emails you will send to them and what types of support you will ask of them as you launch your book. These asks are not all that different from your personal contact list (see below), but you will not be sending out books to the individuals on the one-to-many list. You can certainly request they support you through: 

• Purchasing a copy of the book, either pre-order or during launch week
• Buying in bulk for their organization if they are in a position to do so 
• Sharing about the book in their newsletter or on their blog 
• Posting about the book launch on their social media channels 
• Requesting a media introduction or other opportunity if they have connections 

Typically, we recommend sending 2-3 emails to this group specifically regarding the book, but you can trickle book-related content into your regularly scheduled newsletters and other email correspondence. 

One-to-One Contacts: Consider this your VIP list. These individuals will be your close personal connections from your personal or professional network. They know you. They know your work. When reaching out to this list, you will leverage your relationship with each contact, resulting in a higher rate of follow-through when asking them to support your book launch. These contacts may or may not receive an advanced reader copy of the book to read and review. 

For your one-to-one contacts, begin by mapping out your network. Categorize each contact into groups:

• Friends, family, neighbors 
• Current and past clients 
• Current and past colleagues 
• Industry peers and experts 
• Influencers and social media connections 
• Media relations  
• Professional association connections 

Next, you’ll want to identify all the ways that each contact can add value and promote your book. These will be your “asks”: 

• Read an early copy of the book 
• Leave a review on Amazon 
• Buy a copy of the book 
• Buy the book in bulk 
• Post the book on social media 
• Share the book in a newsletter
• Invite you to be on their podcast 
• Other media opportunities 

In return for these asks, you may offer your one-to-one network an advanced copy of the book, either in digital form via a PDF or a physical copy that you mail to them. Keep the various formats of the book in mind as you consider your book launch strategy and overall marketing budget. There may also be special bulk buy and pre-order incentives for this list. 

To manage this process smoothly, establish a spreadsheet to track essential information for each potential reviewer. Include columns for contact details, type of contact (friend, client, etc.), if they’ve agreed to join the book launch team, when you emailed them, when you sent the review copy of the book, and other important information you want to monitor as you work through the Network Mobilization process. 

The challenging part comes next: Following through to contact each group or individual to officially ask them to be a part of your book launch team! 

Mobilizing Your Book Launch Team 

Now that you have a key network that is primed and ready for your message, it’s critically important to have a strategic and focused way of involving these people in the book launch process. 

Involve them early. The sooner you involve your network, the more they will be invested in your success. Share glimpses of your journey to publishing your book. Tell the story of why the book is important for your organization and (by extension) for them. Let them know as early as you can that you view them as integral to sharing the message of your book. 

Personally invite them to be involved in launching your book. The more personal your requests to support your book marketing, the more likely people will be to follow through. Identify your book launch team by calling them Book Ambassadors or some other catchy name. 

Provide a place for your network to connect and share ideas. A temporary LinkedIn group, for use during the book marketing campaign, is a great place for people to collaborate on book marketing ideas and for you as the author to celebrate people’s contributions while fueling their participation. The more insider information you can share in the group, the more exclusive and involved your group will feel.

Plan a schedule of requests and email them regularly. Before starting your formal asks of the group, let them know what to expect. You might let people know that you’ll be emailing a requested activity weekly for 6 weeks, for example. Then, plan out the asks and write as many of the emails in advance as you can.

Here is a suggested list of weekly asks, starting 6 weeks before book launch:

1. Six weeks before launch, request pre-orders and encourage your networks to invite others to pre-order the book.
   
2. Five weeks before launch, ask your network to get involved by promoting your book locally. Ideas could include contacting local bookstores to host events and stock your book, sharing about your book with local media, or inviting local friends to a Facebook group discussion about your book. 
   
3. Four weeks before launch, encourage your network to share a favorite quote from your book on social media channels or in email marketing to their lists. Provide graphics to make this request easy to fulfill.
   
4. Three weeks before launch, ask your network to prepare to share Amazon reviews. This message can include a reminder to people to finish reading their advance copies of your book and some simple instructions to craft a 2-3 sentence review. 
   
5. Two weeks before launch, involve your network in promoting any launch week events, including webinars or in-person events. Encourage them to invite others through social sharing, email marketing, or individual email outreach.
   
6. During launch week, request that your network buy the book to share with others while sharing about the book through social media channels, email marketing, or personal emails.

Look for ways to reward the people who help. Expressing gratitude for the ways people are involved is an important part of the book launch process. Consider creative ways to express your thanks.

Include your network in an ongoing plan. Your built-in network showed their commitment to your message before getting involved in your book marketing. They are likely a long-term member of your community. Involve them in plans to spread your book’s message far after the launch. Are you creating new certification programs based on the book’s content? They are the first ones to invite. Are you creating new events? Invite your community’s participation. Consider involving your network in the planning and execution of any ongoing work.

Remember, building a launch team isn’t just about marketing a book; it’s about creating a community around your work that will advocate for you throughout the author journey. 

Quality and Authenticity Matter

When you hear the word “metrics,” you probably think of numbers. While numbers are an important part of any successful book launch, quantity is not always what matters. 

Instead, authors should build authentic relationships with their book launch team, which yields stronger, more sustained support throughout not only the lifespan of the book but also the author’s journey. 

Another key area of focus is on quality Amazon reviews versus the quantity. A smaller book launch team eager to share thoughtful, honest reviews on Amazon will carry much more weight for readers…and for Amazon’s algorithms…versus hundreds of reviews filled with generic feedback. 

It is better to have a very strong network of fewer individuals who will show up to support your book launch than a bigger list with only a few people who are willing to commit to your asks. 

Quality reviews also maintain the integrity of the review system and give readers the confidence they need to buy your book and potentially share your message with their audiences in the future. 

The Bottom Line

Network mobilization, when thoughtfully planned and strategically executed, can promote your book in extraordinary ways. More than just a marketing tool, the book launch team is a community of individuals who believe in your work and can significantly add value to your book’s trajectory when properly mobilized. Don’t overlook this step when planning your book launch strategy. 

Take Action 

Working with a partner like Weaving Influence can ensure you successfully mobilize your networks with key messaging and guidelines. Get in touch with us today to get started! 

Kelly Edmiston

Kelly expertly supports authors through their book launches through strategic account management, with a specialization in mobilizing their networks and building impactful launch teams. She coaches authors throughout her launch management on how to best influence bestseller opportunities and secure Amazon reviews, ultimately increasing visibility, media coverage, and opportunities for growth and success.