Last week, I had three different authors ask me variations of the same question: “Should I do a Kickstarter like Sarah Jessica Parker did, or that $1.99 thing like Mike Pence, or maybe try that free shipping deal like Jennifer Lopez?” (OK, they didn’t use those specific examples, but close enough.)
I realized we have a problem that needs to be addressed PDQ.
Authors are watching other authors launch books and thinking they should copy whatever strategy looks most successful. It’s like watching someone run a marathon in racing flats and deciding you should wear the same shoes for your grocery store trip. Sure, they’re both involving your feet moving forward, but the context matters just a tiny bit. (I personally think it’s a bad idea to run a marathon in racing flats given the lack of arch support, but I digress.)
The book launch world has gotten complicated, and frankly, most of the advice out there, implied or overt, treats every strategy like it’s interchangeable. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
You’ve got authors running six-month pre-order campaigns with fancy bonuses if you show them your receipt. You’ve got others doing Kickstarter campaigns asking for $10,000 to print their book. Then there’s the crowd doing 99-cent Kindle launches, (or $1.99 or $2.99) trying to hit some bestseller list. And lately, everyone’s talking about free audiobook codes if you buy the hardcover.
No wonder authors are confused. These strategies look like they’re all trying to accomplish the same thing—selling books—but they’re actually solving completely different problems.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you: each of these launch strategies has a completely different purpose. They’re not all variations on “sell more books.” They’re answers to entirely different questions.
The six-month pre-order campaigns? Those are about proving to bookstore buyers that your book won’t sit on shelves collecting dust. It’s a conversation between your traditional publisher and Barnes & Noble, and you’re just providing the ammunition. The goal isn’t really to sell books to readers—it’s to convince retailers to stock books for readers to eventually buy.
Kickstarter campaigns are about raising money to actually produce the book in the first place. You’re essentially asking your future readers to fund your printing costs. It’s venture capital, but friendlier and with more imaginative rewards.
The $1.99 Kindle launch? That’s about visibility and credibility. You’re creating a sales spike that gets you those “bestseller” badges Amazon hands out and keeps your book visible in search results longer. For professionals, that credibility can be worth way more than the immediate revenue. It’s strategic positioning, not just discounting.
And those bundled audio offers? That’s about maximizing the money from people who were already going to buy your book anyway. Instead of selling someone a $15 paperback, you’re convincing them the $25 hardcover is a better deal because they get the audiobook “free.”
When authors see a successful launch and try to copy it, they’re often solving the wrong problem. It’s like seeing someone use a hammer successfully and deciding you need a hammer too, when what you actually need is a screwdriver. Not just any screwdriver, a Philip’s head!
I watched one author try to run a Kickstarter campaign because she saw another author raise $50,000 that way. But the successful author was trying to fund a luxury art book with special printing requirements. This innocent author was writing a business book that could be printed anywhere. She spent three months building a campaign to raise money she didn’t need to solve a problem she didn’t have.
Another bright-eyed author saw someone hit #1 on Amazon with a $1.99 launch and thought that was the ticket to beaucoup book sales. He didn’t understand that the successful author was a consultant using the bestseller credibility to differentiate herself from competitors and land higher-paying clients. This dude was just trying to sell books. Sure, he got his sales spike and bestseller badge, but then couldn’t figure out how to convert that credibility into anything meaningful and lasting.
All this is to say, before you decide on any launch strategy, you need to know what problem you’re trying to solve.
- Are you trying to prove market demand to traditional publishers or retailers? Then pre-orders with bonuses might make sense.
- Do you need capital to produce something special that requires upfront investment? Crowdfunding could work.
- Are you trying to gain professional credibility and market visibility through bestseller status? Strategic promotional pricing might be worth considering.
- Do you want to maximize revenue from existing fans? Bundled offers could be your thing.
- Are you trying to build direct relationships with readers while keeping full profit margins? Maybe you want to look at shipping campaigns where you handle fulfillment yourself.
Or maybe you just want to write a good book, put it out there at a fair price, and let it find its audience naturally. That’s a perfectly valid long-term strategy that banks on sheer luck, but, hey, no harm no foul.
Here’s what I’ve learned after watching hundreds of book launches: the strategy that works is the one that matches your actual situation, resources, and goals.
If you’re a first-time author with no platform trying to run a six-month pre-order campaign, you’re going to be sorely, nay, crushingly disappointed. If you’re an established author with 50,000 email subscribers running a 99-cent promotion, you’re probably leaving money on the table. I mean, like, lots of money.
The most successful launches I’ve seen are conducted by authors crystal clear on what they’re actually trying to accomplish. They’re all about choosing the strategy that best serves that goal. Not the strategy that looked coolest when someone else did it. I mean, you wouldn’t wear acid-green loafers just because Kim Kardashian wore them in Venice, would you?
Which means before you worry about tactics, you need to answer some basic questions: What’s your timeline? What’s your budget? What kind of relationship do you have with your audience? Are you trying to build a business or just get your ideas out there? Do you want to handle customer service and shipping, or would you rather focus on writing?
Your answers to those questions matter more than whatever launch strategy is trending this month.
Because at the end of the day, the best book launch strategy is the one that actually fits your life and goals, not the one that worked for someone else with completely different circumstances and good arches.
Even if their Instagram stories made it look really, really cool.
