Last night, my newest novel Her Billionaire Bodyguard broke into the top 100 in three categories: Clean & Wholesome (#20), Inspirational (#51) and Billionaires (#78). In the overall paid category, it hit #1486. I didn’t buy ads but mainly swapped newsletters with other authors. Here are some things that helped me get these launch numbers:
1. Finish the book. Really. No more pussy-footing.
2. Get it professionally edited. When people read your sample, they will base their purchase on it. If it is your best work, your readers will sense it. And hopefully review it well.
3. Utilize beta readers who read and write in your genre who can help you fine-tune your story.
4. Pick a market that is selling well and tweak a book idea to fit it. I never thought I would write billionaires. But I gave it a shot and discovered it was kind of fun.
5. Write to your strengths. I don’t write just romance, I usually have an element of suspense. So I incorporated it into the book which probably made my storyline more unique and natural to my storytelling style.
6. Arrange newsletter swaps ahead of time with authors who write similar books.
7. Get a professional cover. I had made the original cover, got some feedback, changed it up, and, when some folks said it looked photoshopped, I hired someone to finish it for me and brand the series.
8. Share your book with everyone using fun, non-spammy posts. But don’t be shy. People need to know about your book. They can check it out at their leisure and hopefully buy it.
9. Give out Advance Reader Copies and ask for reviews by launch day.
10. Write the next book and put it up on pre-order. This will get readers excited to see it’s a series and you can build on the momentum.
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