Learning From Failure - Book Launch

As much as I hate to admit it, my book launch did not go as I had hoped. Many variables contributed to this. I learned from this event. I'm ready to move on. But I thought I'd share with you what I did wrong, so that you can possibly avoid the same mistakes.

Also, if you find yourself in my situation, perhaps you will reconsider having a book launch at all, despite what all the marketing books say. As much as it's tradition, is it really necessary?

I invited over 100 people to my book launch. I had 5 people show up. I got 3 book orders.

I consider this a "failure", only because I had hoped for a big party, and I had hoped for a lot of buzz.

So, what went wrong?

1. The party was too late. I had the launch party 5 months after the book came out. The initial excitement for the book was way over. A launch party should be within a month of the book release.
2. The party was put together at the last minute. One of the reasons my party was so late, was due to my inability to find a venue. I had it in my mind that the party would be big. And, if I had had the party in June or July, it probably would have been big. Finding a venue that can hold over 50 people which doesn't cost anything, or very little, is difficult. Anyway, when I finally found the venue, I no longer needed it to be so big. Also, when I found it, I had a 45 day window to set something up. 45 days is not enough time to coordinate a date, get out the invites, and order books. The organization for a party, starting with setting a date, should start about 90 days before the planned launch.
3. I had too much initial success. I had several other successful "parties" before the official launch. I had a private celebration in my home with family and friends. I also spoke at two conferences. Lastly, I spoke at a few smaller venues. All of these occasions resulted in a high amount of book sales. By the time the launch party came around, I had exhausted the buyer base who would have bought the book at the launch.

What did I do right?

1. I found a great venue.
2. I had music, games, and food. It was a perfect set up.
3. I set out invites to everyone, and press releases. The releases were published in several local papers. They also went out at just the right time. (About 1 week before the party.)
4. I asked a friend to be the game director.
5. I offered a talk as part of the event.

What did I learn from this?

1. Prepare in advance. Next time I do a launch, I will prepare at least several months in advance. I have a venue, I have been through this before. I won't be put off with the initial insecurities of not knowing how it works.
2. Send out invites a month in advance. PRs a week in advance. The invites went out too late, and most people had other engagements, even though they wanted to come.
3. Stick with the same kind of schedule I had for this one. (Meet and greet games, a talk, and a book signing.)
4. A traditional book launch is not necessary.

When should I forgo a book launch?

If, next time I publish a book, I end up taking too long to get the book launch going, I'll forgo it. The two conferences I regularly attend in August are enough. My private party of friends and family was a fine book launch. That's probably what I'll do next time, and leave the book selling to the other venues.

On the other hand, if the next book ends up being much bigger, and has a different set of circumstances, I'll reconsider. As for now, I'm not attached to having a book launch party next time, and instead, will focus on what I do best - connection marketing.

Making a Press Kit

Making a press kit is a crucial step for book marketing.

So, why haven't I done it?

The project just seems too huge. It's intimidating. Yet, once it's made, it'll be there, ready to hand out to anyone who wants to know more about my book and my speaking availability.

Here is my to do list for my press kit. Maybe if I break it down into little bits, it'll get done.

- Press release
- Book synopsis
- Book blurbs from homeschooling leaders
- Author bio
- Speaking information including: rates, availability, and topics
- Speaking blurbs from satisfied customers
- Short video of my recent conference speaking engagement
- Three short articles that represent my presentations and book
- References
- Flyer
- Business card

Now, you can see why I'm so intimidated!

The press kit is very important. For a nonfiction book and platform, it's essential. So, no more excuses for me. It's time to get it done.

Speaking at Niche Conferences as Book Promotion

I spent two weekends in August speaking at homeschooling conferences. I brought 30 copies of my book to each conference. At the first conference, I booked four speaking engagements, and at the second conference I booked three.

This, by far, has been the most effective way of marketing my book. After each session, I had several people come up and buy my book (even if the topic didn't directly interest them) and ask me to sign it.

Some things I learned about talking at conferences:

• At a three day conference, Saturday's sessions get the highest attendance.
• Good speakers should book at least three to four sessions. Word gets out when there is a good speaker, and each session becomes more populated.
• People rarely buy books the first day of a three day conference. Most book sales happen the last day, as people are leaving.
• Book a signing on the last day of the conference, right after the last scheduled talk.
• Try to book the room that is the closest to the book signing area. The last talk I did at the second conference was situated so that all the people in the talk had to walk by the speaker table to leave. Many people saw my book on the way out, and bought it.
• Bring more books than you think you will sell, just in case.
• Focus on connecting with people, not selling books. However, don't forget to mention the book! Many people who attended my talks didn't know I had one until I mentioned it.
• Session titles are very important. Don't rely on people knowing who you are, or the session description to bring people in (although, that's important too). The title makes a huge difference in how people decide where to go.

Speaking at a Niche Conference Book Promotion Analysis:

How many books did I sell with this kind of marketing? 30 at each conference of approximately 1000 attendees.
Does it create buzz? A very large buzz.
Was it worth it? Absolutely, yes. I'm guaranteed a spot at next year's conferences. My goal is to be a keynote within a year or two.
Would I do it again? Emphatic, yes. I am already negotiating another conference in AZ in March. I'll be looking into other conferences in nearby states.
What would I do differently? I'd like to bring evaluation forms, both for getting feedback and for getting email addresses for my future newsletter. I also did not make enough copies of the handouts. I will also bring handouts for the freebee table with my name and book name on them. I will also be more careful about the titles of my sessions, and ask for specific time slots, particularly on Saturday. Lastly, I'll make sure I have a signing scheduled on Sunday after my last talk.

Book Launch Truths

I'm still working on getting my book launch together. Silly me, I didn't have this set up before my book came out. So, by the time my book is "launched", it'll have been in print for several months.

In the meantime, a friend sent me this great video called Book Launch 2.0. Sadly, it's funny, because it rings true.

Nonfiction Small Press Book Contests - Are They Worth It?

Are book contests worth it? Part of my business plan is to get my book into the hands of people who would not generally pick up a book about homeschooling. There's a lot of interest in homeschooling, recently. My goal is to tap into that and say, "My book is different. I really think you'll have a different idea about homeschooling if you read it."

Optimistic? Maybe. Delusions of grandeur? Probably. But it seems that to be a successful author, one has to have a certain sense of potentiality in order to move forward.

One of the possibilities to get the word out about my book is to enter a book contest for small presses. My publishing company is a "micro-press", publishing less than 10 books a year. That means, I'm basically my own publicity agent. I'm OK with that. It was part of the deal.

Before I enter these contests, I want to make sure of a few things:

1. Will winning one of these contests make a difference? Or, will it just make me feel good about myself? I want to make sure that winning will help me, or it's not worth it to try.

2. Is the benefit of winning the contest worth the $75-$100 cost to enter (plus supplying $20-$100 worth of books)? The benefit of winning has to be enough to cover the loss.

3. What are the odds of winning? This question can be answered by doing some fancy book math including the number of books that enter, the quality of books that enter, and the quality of my book. Honestly, is my book good enough? From a neutral, objective point of view, does it stand a chance? I'm not sure it does. I think it's a great book. It's probably one of the better books out there about homeschooling. However, it's not "knock you over with awesomeness" good. Also, what are the judges looking for?

I have until January to decide. The 2008 book contests accept any book published during the year, so the deadlines are in early 2009. I'll be looking closely at book sales, how my non-homeschooling speaking engagements are received, and responses from very discerning book buyers. After I have a better idea of what the general public thinks about my book, I'll know whether it's worth it to submit.

These are three non-fiction book contests I'm considering entering:

Benjamin Franklin Awards - 2008 information is not available yet. This contest has many categories, including education.

The Eric Hoffer Award - My book would fall in the "reference" category.

ForeWord Book of the Year Award - There is an "education" category, and general "best nonfiction."

Tips for Successful Book Marketing at a Speaking Engagement

I really like speaking as a way to sell books. Partly, I like talking to people, and getting to know them. Partly, I like to talk about homeschooling. I almost like to talk about it more than I like to write about it.

The side-effect of doing these enjoyable speaking engagements is that I sell books. People get to know who I am, and what I talk about. If they feel inspired by my talk, they want to bring a little bit of that home with them.

I found this article on tips for selling books through speaking. There are a few things on the list that stand out.

— Don't talk about the book, but the topic of the book. This is so worth repeating over and over. People don't come to hear you talk about your book, but to hear you. Also, if you talk about your book, the audience feels like they already "read" it by listening to your talk. Then they won't buy it.

— Have books available and on display. Also, have cards available with ordering information. I don't put them on display (because people will take that instead of buying the book). But if someone says that they don't want to buy it today, I can whip out a card to remind them of the title.

— Have a friend do the sales. Oh, that makes SO much sense, but I hadn't thought of it! I'm already trying to think of who is available to do that for me next time.

Book Marketing: Speaking at a Unitarian Universalist Church

Two weeks ago, I spoke at my Unitarian Universalist Church. I got the gig by, first, being a member. (I noticed that the first books I sold, and attention I got, came mostly from the people who I already knew before I published the book.) Secondly, I have a business card that says, "Tammy Takahashi, Writer/Author/Speaker," as well as my contact information. I gave this card to a few people when they asked about my work.

One of those people happened to be the speaking coordinator. He asked me if I would speak at the church.

Even though I had never done a speaking engagement for a non-homeschooling venue, and I had never spoken in a church, AND I had absolutely no idea what I would say, AND I had no idea if I would get paid, I immediately said, "Yes."

The speech was 20 minutes. I wrote it to fit the UU audience's interests. After the speech, there were many questions. So many, that it had to be taken to the coffee room because it was getting too long.

I brought one copy of my book into the church with me. (I had a box full in the car.) I took the one copy out of my bag to show someone who asked about it. Word spread fast through the small congregation that I had my book with me. Several people asked how much it was. When I told them, "$20", they said they didn't have the money right then, and asked if they could order it online. I gave them a card with ordering info, and spent the rest of the time answering questions.

I go to this church regularly, so I was in no rush to get orders. If people are interested, every time they see me, they'll be reminded that they want order the book.

It turned out that speaking to an audience who had no previous interest in homeschooling wasn't a wasted effort. They ended up paying me a small stipend, and I perked up the ears of some teachers in the audience (and one librarian).

Speaking at a UU Church Book Promotion Analysis:

How many books did I sell with this kind of marketing? No direct sales.
Does it create buzz? A small buzz.
Was it worth it? Yes. This experience inspired me to add UU churches as potential speaking venues in the future. Plus, it was very low investment (I go to church anyway), I didn't have to hire a babysitter, and I got paid a small amount.
Would I do it again? Yes. There are some big UU churches in my area. Although they may not be homeschoolers, the feedback made it clear that it's an appropriate audience.
What would I do differently? Next time, I'll bring more cards to pass out, with ordering information. Most people in the congregation aren't planning on buying books, and give their money to the collection.

Using Email Signatures to Promote a Nonfiction Book

Using email signatures to promote books is not new. It's an assumed marketing practice for any author to include information about one's book in an email signature.

So, why haven't I done it?

For a long time, before I had a book, I used to include information about my blog. I simply put a link in my signature to my blog homepage. I wrote a lot of emails to exactly the kind of groups and people who would be interested in my blog topic, so the odds of getting hit from an email were pretty high, right?

Wrong.

My clickthru ratios were dismal. Very rarely would someone check out my blog by way of my email signature, even when my emails generated a lot of discussion on the e-lists.

I figured that it was one of those "free, but longshot" marketing ideas that was like wearing a t-shirt.

Then, I discovered a new way to work my email signature, and now, I get a much higher click-thru rate. In fact, nearly 1/3 of my daily non-RSS clicks are from my emails.

What did I do differently? I'll show you by example.

Here is what my old email sig said:

Check out my blog: http://justenough.wordpress.com

Here's what my new email sig says:

----
Discover 5 homeschooling secrets!
http://justenough.wordpress.com/2007/08/05/5-homeschooling-secrets/
----

----
Is Homeschooling Anti-Feminist?
http://justenough.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/feminist-homeschooling-concerns/
----

----
Have you heard of zen-schooling?
http://justenough.wordpress.com/2007/10/05/unschooling-zen-schooling-and-trust/
----

Which email sigs would you be more likely to click on?

Now that my book is out, I don't want to go back to the old standby of "I have a book. Here's the link." No, I want something catchy, with a hook. I need to get people to think about why they want to buy my book. Having had such a huge success with my new email sigs, I won't go back to the boring, basic, book sigs. If I can't get people to click through to my book, then I'd rather have them click through to my blog, where my book is prominently displayed.

Email Signature Book Promotion Analysis:

How many books did I sell with this kind of marketing? Impossible to tell.
Does it create buzz? Absolutely. It gets people to my site, and see that I have a book.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. It's free and it works.
Would I do it again? Yes, and I do.
What would I do differently? I will increase the number of sigs, and include a provocative hook for a direct link to my book.