I’m reading Tim Grahl’s new book, Book Launch Blueprint, and something he wrote really resonated with me:
A book launch is the best time to ask your fans to get involved and help.
And here’s the thing . . . they want to! They’ll do it gladly, and be excited to help!
You all are such generous, supportive people, but I’ve been kind of remiss in directly asking you for help. I’m sorry about that. . . I should have known you might like to give this baby of mine a boost. (And if you don’t want to help, that’s totally fine, too. Really.)
About the Book
When Mary Steele mysteriously finds herself in an old cemetery down the road from her house in a tiny mountain town, she’s not concerned. She’s not even frightened when a ghost named Moses approaches her or when she has to stand-off against a bulldozer. But when her inquiries into the history of the cemetery and the people buried there begin to draw out the worst in the members of her community, Mary begins to be afraid. Will she be able to recover history while keeping the people she loves safe?
This is a story of American history, of community, of racism, of healing, of friendship . . . and there’s even a little romance, too.
Why I Wrote This Book
Recently, a couple of people have asked what the important lessons of Steele Secrets are, and I honestly am completely unwilling to answer that question because it’s not my job to tell readers what they can get out of my books. That’s for them alone to decide.
But I can tell you why I wrote this book and why I really believe in it with all of my Virginian heart.
I wrote this book because over and over again I see African American cemeteries and other historic sites destroyed through apathy and intention. I wrote it because I know people are working very very hard to save those places, and sometimes that work saves a place and sometimes it doesn’t. I wrote this book because these places should be protected like all other cemeteries and important historic sites, but they are not because of systematic racism.
I wrote this book because I needed to explore what it meant for me, as a white woman, to be deeply invested in these places and because I need to explore (spoiler) what it means to identify as white when my ancestors were black.
And I wrote this book because a woman who I call Judith comes to me sometimes in this farmhouse of ours, and she comforts me and gives me hope, even though this was the site of her enslavement.
My Pre-Order Goal
I have the goal of having 500 pre-orders for this book before it releases, and so far, my launch team (see below for more info on the team) has KICKED TAIL with this goal. As of last count, we had over 150 pre-orders, and we still have a little over two weeks before the book comes out.
If you’re new to book sales, one of the key things that drives future sales is rankings on sites like Amazon. (Okay, mostly on Amazon because like it or not, they’re the biggest game in town.) When people pre-order a book, that sale doesn’t get recorded until the day the book is out, so the more pre-orders, the bigger the sales on that first day. . . and the bigger the sales on that day, the more likely the book hits the bestseller’s lists. . . and the higher it is on the list, the more people see it . . . and the more people see it, the more like they are to buy it.
So if I can get 500 pre-orders, I’m likely to top at least one or two of the bestseller’s lists for my book’s categories. And that’s where you can help.
A Few Things We’re Doing to Boost Sales
- First, the e-book is just $1.99 for a limited time, so if people want the book at it’s lowest price for the foreseeable future, now’s the time to order.
- Secondly, I have a sample chapter of the book at andilit.com/steele-secrets. So if people want a taste of the book before they buy, they can get it there.
- Finally, anyone who pre-orders Steele Secrets can get a FREE electronic copy of my earlier book The Slaves Have Names. All they have to do is email their receipt to me at steelesecrets@gmail.com.
How You Can Help
1.If you haven’t already, please pre-order the book. You can order a copy directly from me here – andilit.com/steele-secrets – and I’ll gladly inscribe it any way you want. Perhaps you’d like me to say you are “The Greatest Writer in the World.” If so, I understand because that’s what Siri calls me when I ask her to do something on my phone. No joke. (A little boosting of the confidence for this writer.)
Or you can order the book from Amazon or Smashwords. Those purchases help with rankings and so they are greatly appreciated, too.
2. Tell your friends about the book. And when you do, please use the hashtag #steelesecrets.
- Post the Amazon link – http://amzn.to/1P7UohK – to your Facebook page, Tumblr, etc. and tell people why you are ordering it.
- Or grab one of these images (just right click to “save” it to your computer) and share it anywhere you’d like.
- If you tweet, here are a couple of ready-made tweets for you to share:
A teenage girl. The ghost of a slave. An abandoned cemetery. Pre-order now for just $1.99 http://amzn.to/1P7UohK#steelesecrets
A teenage girl fends-off a bulldozer to save a slave cemetery & discovers secrets long hidden. http://amzn.to/1P7UohK#steelesecrets
- Add the book to your “Want To Read” List on Goodreads. Plus, enter to win a free print copy of the book in the Giveaway there. . . and tell your friends so they can enter, too.
- Share the video. My friend Jen of Mercurial Forte created this amazing book trailer for me, so if you know folks who love videos, this is the thing to share.
3. Or if you’re in for all of it, join the launch team. There you’ll get tools to share, updates on sales, and a FREE early copy of the book to read. Plus, I need lots of advice on how to do this thing, and I’d love to have yours, too.
Thank You
Thank you so much for your enthusiastic support of my work. Thank you for taking any or all of these steps to help spread the word about Steele Secrets. I believe mightily in this book and in Mary, its protagonist, so I’m eager for her to come into the world with all the fanfare and celebration possible.
If you’d launched a book, any other suggestions for me or others? If you haven’t, have you thought about using these ideas when your book comes into the world?
By the way, if you have a launch team, be sure to let me know – I’m there!!