Checklist to Release – more info #3

Happy Tuesday, lovelies! Sorry I didn’t post last week, I got so busy with writing. When you’re in a groove, you’re in a groove and it’s hard to stop and do something else. Dark Consequences is with my editor and you should see that popping up on retailers soon! It will be a re-release, so if you read the old version there are a few new scenes, but it’s basically the same story! I finished Cruel Consequences last week! Such an exciting feeling to finish a book. That one isn’t coming out until springish though. But keep your eyes peeled for a preorder on that one! This week I’m back to working on book 2 in a Haunting Love novel. I decided on a title too! Thirteen Days Gone. This book will feature Detective Holstrom and Charly, the psychic. I’m really enjoying getting back into that world. But before I do my writing for the day, I thought I’d share this weeks Checklist to Release bullet points.

The next three items on the list…

✔️ Contact Promo Company

Now I actually haven’t done this the last few releases (saving money where I can! lol), but I have utilized this option in the past. I’ve really enjoyed working with Give Me Books (GMB) in the past, but there are so many promotion companies you can use. You just have to do your research and pick the one you like the best. Typically when I use GMB, I would either book a cover reveal or a new release blitz. What that entails is giving them all the details of your book. Title, genre, cover (and designer), blurb, excerpt, teaser graphics, links to retailers, and sometimes with the release blitz if you want, having bloggers sign up to receive an ARC of your story. GMB (or whatever promo company you choose) will let you know what specifically they want from you. It is prudent to book way in advance. They will fill up their spots fast. So I would suggest booking 3-4 months ahead of time. Two months might be okay, but the further out you book, the better chance you have to get the date you want.

This is how I have it marked on my release list:

• Contact Promo Company
  • Book Cover Reveal _____
  • Book Release Blitz _____
  • Possible Email Promos (if on sale price) _____

The possible email promos just means another type of email blast they can send out for me. I haven’t actually utilized that one yet, but it’s there to remind me if I ever want to try it out.

✔️ Add to BookBub

Do you know what BookBub is? It is THE best company to get a newsletter feature deal with. They are also THE most expensive if they accept you! lol But trust me, if you get a spot in one of their newsletters, pay the money! You will make your money back and then some. It’s totally worth it. They are hard to get accepted by though, so don’t give up on the first billion rejections. They eventually will say yes! It took me over 20 times to apply before they said yes. Anyhoos, getting off track. First step with BookBub is to make sure you are registered as an author on their site and your books under your profile. So when you put up a new book for preorder (or doing a live release) it generally should automatically populate in their system from one of the retailers. If not, you just ask them to add it. First things first, go to BookBub’s site and claim your author profile. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the screen and you’ll see it. Go through the steps to set up your account. It was pretty easy to do. Now when you want to add a new book, you scroll down to the bottom of the screen again and click on partner dashboard. Click My Books on the left hand side and you’ll see all the books under your profile. Or if you don’t have any there yet, you’ll see Add Books on the top right hand corner, click that. You’ll search for your book and once you find it, click add. If you don’t see it, contact BookBub the title and author name and they will add it. I’ve always had quick and pleasant results when asking for help with them. On the partner dashboard you can also make sure all your links for each retailer are there, if not, add them. You can also request any kind of change, like there’s an updated cover or an updated blurb. Another nice thing you can do is recommend books that you’ve read on BookBub. Once you gain followers, those followers will see your recommendations. It’s another way to get eyes on you in front of your readers. You can also schedule preorder alerts to your followers and new release alerts as well. The preorder alerts cost money but it’s the cheapest thing you’ll pay for on BookBub. I usually do it because the more times someone sees something, the more likely chance they’ll buy the book!

So your reminders on the checklist are:

• Add to BookBub _____
  • Set up Preorder Alert _____
  • Make sure all links are uploaded _____

Typically BookBub will automatically add your book to a new release alert. That doesn’t cost anything.

✔️ Format

Last but not least is formatting!

• Ebook _____
• Paperback _____

Now I do all my own formatting. Shocker, I know, right! lol But you can hire someone to format your books for you if you’d like. I can’t give you any recommendations for that since I don’t do that. But just a few notes if you do… Make sure you inquire if they charge for any changes you might need and how much that is. I’m talking about updating any backmatter (links and blurbs and social media stuff you have after the story) or any kind of update you need/want to make on your story. You don’t want to be blindsided after the fact, so make sure all prices are known up front. Now if you have a Mac (or don’t mind using MacInCloud, which is a website that lets you use Mac products from a PC) I HIGHLY recommend Vellum! That is how I format all my books, ebook and paperback, and it’s soooooo easy! I love it. Best investment I ever made. Now I don’t remember the exact price (I bought it quite a few years ago) but it was a little over $200 for both the ebook and paperback version. It is a ONE time price, not a subscription so once you pay for it, it is yours! Go buy it! lol

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And that’s what I have for today. Again, if you have any questions or confused about something, let me know! I’m more than happy to answer any questions. If you missed the other posts, you can find them here: More info #2, More info #1, First post I made. For the full Checklist to Release, you can find a copy here! Have a great week!

Much ℒℴѵℯ ♡ Amanda Siegrist