Recovery from a Book Launch Disaster

Edie here. Today I'm so excited to present a publishing industry giant. Terry has an incredible amount of knowledge and since he's just published a new book—10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed—I convinced him to come on and share some of it with us. I know you will be blessed. Give him a big TWC welcome!

Recovery from a Book Launch Disaster
by Terry Whalin @TerryWhalin

How do you recover from a book launch disaster? Over 4,500 new books are published every day.  As someone who has been in publishing for years, I understand without the author's active role, little happens. 

In recent years, I've watched authors launch books and participate in their launch teams. I've gotten advance reading copies of the book, read it then posted my reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble. I've taken online courses on launching books. As an acquisitions editor for a New York publisher, Morgan James Publishing, I've watched many other authors launch their books. Like many things in publishing, I've found not everything will go according to your plans.

While I've written more than 60 books, I haven't published a new book in several years. My new book, 10 Publishing Myths released to the bookstores on December 17th. Earlier this year, I asked New York Times bestselling author, Jerry B. Jenkins to write my foreword. Also I gathered 18 endorsements from other bestselling authors, publishers, editors, literary agents and publicity experts. 

When editor and writing coach Alice Crider sent her endorsement, she told me I was missing the 11th publishing myth: “If I send my book to Oprah, she will book me on her show.” I laughed then I decided to write this chapter and have it designed exactly like the rest of the book. You can get it immediately at this link. 

Plans were moving forward. The cover was designed and went to the sales team. Often they never respond but for my book, they suggested some changes to my cover. Simultaneously I worked with a former Hollywood screenwriter to create a one-minute book trailer and printed business cards (with my first book cover).  

Months ago,  I had Advanced Reader Copies. took them to a couple of writers' conferences and sold a few books. A reader emailed asking if I wanted feedback. I said of course. This reader turned out to be a proofreader and sent a detailed email with over 50 typos, missing words, wrong words and other errors. I fixed everything—thankfully before the print or ebooks were released in the bookstores.

My book launch didn't happen as planned. Maybe your published book isn't selling as you expected. I've got good news: it is never too late to promote your book. Here's some things you can do for your book—no matter when it releases:

1. Do what you can every day to tell more people about your book. It doesn't have to be a lot but be consistent in your efforts.

2. Gather your own resources and use them. They can be simple like use your email list, write a  blog, write a guest blog posts, or ask friends to read and review your book.

3. Make your own promotion page. For 10 Publishing Myths, I created a page to help others promote my book. Look at the diversity and see if you can do something similar. 

4. Make an excellent and short book trailer. People need to hear about your book over and over before they buy it. A good good trailer helps in this effort. Follow this link to see my one-minute trailer.

Your passion for your topic and book will carry beyond a launch date.  You can continue no matter what happens—part of being a writer is to have such persistence and perseverance. In spite of any glitches along the way, you can keep going. 

TWEETABLE
How do you recover from a Launch Disaster? Get ideas and resources from a prolific author and editor, @terrywhalin. (ClickToTweet)

10 Publishing Myths
Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed
by Terry Whalin

Because of the common misconceptions and conflicting information about publishing, many authors are left confused when it is time to publish their book. These authors often focus only on the content of their book, but either ignore or do not fully understand the business side of publishing. While there is nothing wrong with ambitious authors having big dreams for their books, they also need to be realistic and well-informed about the publishing industry they are entering. 10 Publishing Myths explains everything authors need to know about publishing so they can make their dreams a reality.

10 Publishing Myths is designed to give authors a full, realistic picture of the book publishing process and the market that their book is entering. Author and editor W. Terry Whalin addresses not only the misconceptions about publishing, but also the specific steps that authors can take to ensure their book’s success. By following the advice in this detailed guide, authors gain the advantage they need when entering the publishing industry. Through helpful insight based upon real-world experience, 10 Publishing Myths gives authors the best possible chance for success.

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. His work contact information is on the bottom of the second page (follow this link).  One of his books for writers is Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success. One of Terry's most popular free ebooks is Straight Talk From the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission. He lives in Colorado and has over 205,000 twitter followers.