Marketing Books: Understanding Book Launch Teams

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

One simple, cost-effective way to market your book is through a book launch team. This term has been around for several years, but not everyone understands how these teams operate or why they should join one. We’re going explore those questions today.

First, what is a book launch team? Edie Melson defined this in an earlier article:

“A street team—also called a launch team, dream team, tribe, posse, road crew, etc.—is a group of readers passionate about your book. These are people who believe in what you've written and see the value of sharing it with others. They agree to post reviews, mention it on Goodreads, share about it on social media, and of course talk about it in person.” 

For more background on launch teams, read Edie’s full article here.

Why should a reader should join a launch team?

There are benefits to being on a team. Above all, you receive a free copy of the book before it’s released. For avid readers of a particular author, this may be all the incentive needed. However, some authors provide additional bonuses such as special downloads, giveaways of book-related gifts, and behind-the-scenes peeks into the writer’s life. 

Why should a writer should join a team?

To see how book launches are done. Last month I shared how to learn marketing by studying others’ techniques. Being on a launch team is a great way to study book promotion. 

Recently, I was on a street team for Lynn H. Blackburn’s latest novel Beneath the Surface.Not only did I learn tips from Lynn on how to run a launch, I gained valuable information from her team members. One in particular was familiar with aspects of Goodreads that were a revelation to me. More about that in a future post!

What can you expect being on a launch team?

The number of activities requested within a launch team can vary widely. I studied four teams for this article, including ones for both new and seasoned authors. At minimum, you’ll be asked to read the book and post a review. At the higher end of the spectrum, you’ll be encouraged to do some or all of the items listed below. The more an author asks of you, the more incentives he or she usually provides. 

Note: All of the authors wanted honest reviews. None pressured members to provide a certain rating, so take that worry off your mind. 

Here are common book launch activities:

• Read the Book
• Share on Social Media: Authors generally provide prepared memes and tweets. You can also share your favorite quotes from the book or post pictures of the book “in the wild”—pictures of the book on your coffee table waiting to be read or on a bookstore shelf next to other awesome authors.
• Post Reviews: Besides reading the book, writing a review was the most common activity. Posting on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Christian Books, and other book sites is critical for author recognition. People can also review books on their blogs, Pinterest boards dedicated to books, Instagram, etc. An author interview, if that’s appropriate for your blog, would definitely be welcome.
• Participate in Group Events: Team members may be asked to join a Facebook Live launch party or participate in another social media campaign. 
• Follow the Author: As writers, we know that publishers place value on the social media reach an author has. Launch team members may be asked to follow the author on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, a blog, or a newsletter to keep up with the latest activities.
• Vote: Support the book in reader favorites contests and Goodreads lists. Authors will often find these and share them with the team to make voting easy. Team members can also post any pertinent lists or contests they find.
• Share the Book with Others: Some simple ways to do this are: 
• 1) suggest it to your book club, 
• 2) ask your library and local bookstores to stock the book, and 
• 3) give copies to friends as gifts.

What have you learned from being on a book launch team? What types of activities were done? Which ones seemed to get the most responses? Please share your experience in the comments so we can all learn together.

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Cynthia Owens is The Efficiency Addict, a technical trainer helping writers, speakers and small business owners work more effectively. For more writing and small business tips, connect with Cynthia on Twitterand Pinterest. Cynthia’s new website www.CCOwens.com~ Grace for every dayis currently in development. Readers can follow her weekly posts to see how a website is created and have input into the process.