Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

Preparing for a #NewRelease #Authortips


It’s a little less than a month, October 21st-eeek, before my new release hits the shelves and there’s so much to do!

Here’s a short checklist of what I’ve done, and what is left. I hope it helps you with your book baby.

  1. I place my book onto my preferred marketplaces two months in advance of release day to build up interest.
  2. Newsletters and cross-promotions begin, highlighting short excerpts (up to 10% for KU), teasers, character studies (could do more here), and book trailers.

3. 1 month out, I booked a blog tour. Xpresso Tours provides a NetGalley option which I’ve taken advantage of, I’ll let you know how it goes. If you have room and would like to participate, or even just check out the website, here’s the link: https://xpressobooktours.com/2022/09/23/blitz-sign-up-letting-go-by-jacquie-biggar/

4. 1 month out, Reedsy has a program called Discovery where you can submit your book to be reviewed and promoted on their site for launch day. Here’s mine if you’re interested. https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/letting-go-the-defiant-sisters-duet-book-1-jacquie-biggar#preview

Things to Do Next

5. Reader’s Favorite is another favorite review site for me. You can request a free review and go into their catalog for readers to choose from, or for a nominal fee you can book a professional review within two weeks. I plan on doing this soon. They also have a yearly contest which gets a lot of hype. Here is their link: https://readersfavorite.com/

6. At about the same time, I’ll send out a newsletter to my read/review crew. I’ve worked hard to build it up over the years and now have close to three hundred-fifty members. I’d like to say they all participate, but that’s not true. In some cases, it might depend on the genre, or maybe whether it’s available in audio format. I get between twenty to thirty entries and of that about three quarters post reviews. You can sign up to my newsletter here for more information. http://www.subscribepage.com/jacqbiggar

7. Adding to the previous item; in order to send ARCs to my review crew, I have an account with Bookfunnel. They allow you to upload your ePub and PDF files, watermark them for protection, then share a link with your readers so they can download their preferred format. The site keeps track of downloads and dates, allowing you to better manage your manuscripts and prevent pirating.

8. Hidden Gems. This is my secret weapon. They are a reader-centric website focused on matching authors with reviewers interested in their particular genre. Warning, they aren’t cheap, but they are worth the price. https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/

I’ve done everything I can think of to give this baby a good send-off. Do you have anything I could add to my list?

Coming October 21st

Letting Go: The Defiant Sisters- Book 1

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3R41NWF

International: https://books2read.com/Letting-Go-Defiant-Sisters

TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61269995-letting-go–the-defiant-sisters-book-1

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/letting-go-the-defiant-sisters-book1-the-defiant-sisters-duet-by-jacquie-biggar

A coming-of-age novel about the pain of misconceptions and learning from them.

 When life gives you lemons…

Izzy

Mom is barely in the grave and the prodigal child is here to pick the bones clean.

I don’t want her here. My sister’s defection is a wound that won’t heal and her return simply rubs at the scabs covering my heart.

I’ve managed just fine without her. She can go back to her fancy college and forget about us- that’s what she does best anyway.

If only I didn’t need her help. Or miss her so much.

Renée

The day my dad committed suicide I ran. I’ve been running ever since.

Going home is supposed to be the answer. Instead, it makes me question every thoughtless decision I’ve made.

My sister hates me. My little brother barely knows me. And Simon… is engaged.

None of it matters- or so I tell myself. I’m here to make amends and face a past haunted by regret.

As long as I can convince myself to stay.

Letting Go is a young adult romance dealing with tragedy, restitution, and love in all its aspects. The story relates to sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers.

56 Replies to “Preparing for a #NewRelease #Authortips”

  12. Great list before release, Jacquie. There are a couple I didn’t know about. I look forward to being a part of the tour and seeing how they work. Wishing you much success. Xo

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Great list, Jacquie. Thanks for sharing. I have stopped signing up with professional tours. They tend to treat participants with little regard. This group may be different and best wishes with your launch and tour. If you want my help I have most Wednesdays free and would be happy to feature your book. All I need is the blurb, cover shot, author bio, maybe an excerpt, and the links.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. You’ve certainly got your bases covered, Jacquie. With my next book coming out on October 19th, I am overwhelmed with all I need to do and stressed about all I haven’t done. There are SO many options out there. I’ll be curious to hear the results of your Xpresso tour. My publisher offers a NetGalley option. Guess I should’ve looked into it before now. Deep sigh. Am I allowed to say I’m tired? And it hasn’t even launched yet. Best wishes on this release. It is already on my radar!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. I know you can do it!
    I feel your pain, Jacquie. About 5 weeks ago I started what I meant to be a long-short story that I wanted to finish by October 1. The darn thing keeps getting bigger and my deadline is breathing down my neck…
    Thanks very much for this post. It’s helpful. I’ll look into some of the links you offered. Hugs on the wing.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Wow, Jacquie. I could have used this advice six months ago. Lol. You’re amazingly organized and what great resources. Thanks so much for sharing your calendar and the sites that you contact to set up your launch. I’m going to favorite this. And I’m looking forward to the read too. I loved Sister Pact and was excited to see this series.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Hi Jacquie, I am not able to offer you any advice but you have certainly provided me with a great deal. I do very few of these things and had wondered how to get a book on to NetGalley. You certainly know your way around the publishing world and it is very generous of you to share that knowledge. PS I hope all is well with your daughter and grandson.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Robbie, I’ve tried to soak up information over the last ten years (Wow, ten years of writing!) and decided it was past time to share with my blogging friends.
      The kids are doing well, thanks for asking. Brandy managed to find a house on the outskirts of the city that she can hopefully afford. The rent there is a lot like here- astronomical. Aiden is going to start high school in January after two years of home schooling. I’m worried for him with his Diabetes but know it’s important for him to meet new people- fingers crossed it goes well.
      I hope everything is well with your boys {{hugs}}

      Liked by 2 people

      1. It is very kind of you to share. I am so happy that things are going well. I do remember that property was very expensive in New Zealand. I noticed that when we visited. Eating out and good generally was also expensive. We found NZL to be much more expensive than the UK which was interesting for me.

        Liked by 2 people

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