Author Tips: Post Book Release Checklist

Chick-lit, romantic comedy by K.S. Brooks and Stephen HiseLast week, I shared with you a list of things you might want to consider doing leading up to your next book release. You can find that article here.  Now I’m going to talk about what needs to be done after the big day – when you’re still suffering from your book release hangover.

As I mentioned in last week’s article, this was my nineteenth release, yet things are always inevitably forgotten. Maybe even some of those things are forgotten on purpose… *cough* press release *cough*. In any case, here is a list of things I felt needed to be done once the mayhem of release day quieted down.

Post Book Release Checklist

  • Sleep in because you’re fried
  • Stagger past coffee to desk
  • Wade through candy wrappers to get to computer
  • Check for new reviews on Amazon
  • Go to KDP screen to check final free download count
  • Let head fall against desk when there are no paid sales
  • Check for reviews on Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Shelfari
  • Post thank yous in book release event page, personal page, and author page on Facebook
  • Contact Amazon Author customer service to find out why “Look Inside Feature” is not working
  • Realize you’ve been wearing the same pajamas for three days
  • Lock up browser checking Amazon book page for new reviews and best sellers’ ranking
  • Bang head against wall
  • Tell yourself AGAIN you’ll do the press release tomorrow
  • Update biographies everywhere to include new title
  • Post release information and links on blogs
  • Update print book file with corrections found during final eBook formatting
  • Ask yourself “Why, why, why?!” when the post-freebie momentum is non-existent
  • Select dates for next KDP Select freebie promo
  • Change mind about running another freebie for now
  • Check in with some people to make sure they got their freebie
  • Consider paid advertising for next promo
  • Discover a tuft of your own hair between your fingers
  • Add book cover jpg to all social media photo albums
  • Scramble through the list of Martin Crosbie’s promo sites looking for free ways to promote NOW
  • Break down and submit an ad request to Kindle Books and Tips
  • At the suggestion of the most awesome Martin Crosbie, also submit to ENT despite the short notice
  • Panic over how the hell to kick this thing in the pants
  • Wonder what to do differently for the next release
  • Laugh at myself knowing I’m not doing anything for the release next time. It’s just too much work

So, now the wheels are turning, cranking at such speeds that I’m sending smoke signals out my ears. Luckily, my co-author, Evil Mastermind Stephen Hise, is also ready for the war against obscurity. We decide to run another 99 cent special at the end of the month, and submit to ENT and KB&T, hoping to get boosted up high enough in the Amazon rankings to hit the “Hot New Releases” lists. We figure, okay, maybe I figure, that if we could JUST get on the first page of some of those lists, that maybe potential readers would see Triple Dog Dare and buy the book.

I learned a very valuable lesson from all of this. If you want to get your book in front of readers, you’re going to have to use the promotional sites which have a proven track record. I’d consider our one-day freebie a success, but it was really just to say thank you to the ARC readers and our friends. On a larger scale, freebies may or may not work, but they definitely don’t stand a chance if you don’t get the word out through the big promo sites. Miraculously, ENT did run Triple Dog Dare at the 99 cent introductory price on Saturday, September 7th, and I have never seen a book’s sales take off like that (well, none of mine, anyway). We hit #5 on the Amazon.com Hot New Releases list for comic fiction, rubbing elbows with Janet Evanovich and Margaret Atwood. Triple Dog Dare was in the top 1500 books in ALL of Amazon.com.

Right now, we’re hovering around 5200 in overall Amazon rankings. Will the book stay up there? I don’t know. With another promo running this Thursday, it might. In any case, I can guarantee you that this never would have happened without the twenty-three excellent reviews, my open-minded writing partner, and the venerable Martin Crosbie gently nudging us to use the promo sites. A very special thanks goes out to all of them.

Will this information impact how you orchestrate your next release?

Author: K.S. Brooks

K.S. Brooks is an award-winning novelist, photographer, and photo-journalist, author of over 30 titles, and executive director and administrator of Indies Unlimited. Brooks is currently a photo-journalist and chief copy editor for two NE Washington newspapers.  She teaches self-publishing and writing topics for the Community Colleges of Spokane, and served on the Indie Author Day advisory board. For more about K.S. Brooks, visit her website and her Amazon author page.

7 thoughts on “Author Tips: Post Book Release Checklist”

  1. Thank you “K.S.” (if that is your real name) for your wonderful insights and humorous inserts. This is exactly the level of detail we aspiring e-novelists require in preparing our marketing plans.

    Best of luck with sales of your latest book. “Ask yourself ‘Why, why, why?!'” indeed. 🙂

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