By Naomi Sowell
In this guest blog post for MAI, marketing strategist Naomi Sowell shares her top 7 tips for anthology authors pre-launch and post-launch.
Pre-Launch
Determine your goals and dreams for this anthology
Write them down. Journal and really flesh out your goals—your why—and think about how you can connect with people and tell them that story.
Start spreading awareness
If an email list or Substack is your main platform, use the templates to schedule messages. If it’s social media, plan posts. (I highly recommend blocking out time to batch this all at once. Then you can just check up on things as each message or post goes out.) This is a good time to share the goals and dreams you wrote down.
Plan a celebration for Launch Day
This doesn’t have to be a full-blown launch party. It could simply be a Zoom call or a recorded thank-you message. Celebrating this huge milestone with your audience is super important. Include what this looks like and how people can join with you in your pre-launch messages and/or posts.
Practice your courage
See if connecting to your local library, bookstore, or media outlets is possible. If so, use the templates, tips, and tricks to reach out (absolutely no pressure though!).
See if virtual PR is possible
This means connecting to podcasts, newsletters, YouTube videos, larger social media followings—collaborating with people your audience is already engaged with.
Don’t forget to tell your family and friends!
Even if they maybe wouldn’t read the anthology themselves, they probably know someone who would love it and could support you by buying the book as a gift.
Brainstorm ideas together and collaborate
One of the great things about being part of an anthology is you are part of a community of authors. You can share marketing! This can help lighten the load.
Post-Launch
Celebrate meaningfully
Whether you choose to host an official party in-person or virtually, make sure you celebrate this accomplishment in whatever way would be most meaningful to you.
Make space to think through things
Read the Post-Launch Marketing Resource (contact the MAI team for a copy) and think through the questions there. For me, writing things down as I brainstorm is super helpful.
Breathe
Now that the Launch Day chaos is over, this is an excellent time to take a small break. Use your notes on what stuck out to you most. You can batch create more content—emails, social media, blogs, or a podcast.
Continue to research and figure out what sustainable PR looks like for you
I found it super helpful to set one small weekly goal (such as reaching out to three potential podcasts, emailing my local library, writing two emails, etc) to help prevent burnout and stress.
Try running a giveaway
These are super fun, but can be hit or miss sometimes when it comes to converting to sales or growing your audience.
Whenever you hit a goal or milestone, share that with your audience
People love feeling part of a movement, so inviting them along on the journey builds great relationships with readers. Whether it has to do with sales or impact, share that win!
Continue to brainstorm ideas with other anthology authors and collaborate
This can help lighten the load, and you’re supporting each other’s careers —which is beautiful and definitely the Jesus Way to go about the publishing industry!
Naomi Sowell spent 13 years touring the US and Eastern Europe as a professional musician with her family. Grief, loss, and a life lived on the move shaped her into a storyteller who writes the kind of stories you can walk through hell with, because darkness doesn’t have a chance in the end. She graduated from the Author Conservatory, where each class publishes an anthology as a capstone project, so she’s been an anthology author herself. She now works behind the scenes there too, which means she’s seen the process from both sides of the table.