Preparing for publication starts much earlier than many indie authors expect. This is because you’ll need to have many things completed long before your book launch day to set yourself up for success.
Growing your author platform and building your brand are the first things you’ll need to concentrate on, long before your book is published. This part of the process can start as early as 24 months before your publication date, and ideally, 18 months before at the latest. Believe me, you’ll thank yourself when the time comes and you’re prepared.
Below are the things I help my publishing consulting clients with to prepare for their big day. I’ve broken this list into three categories to make it easier to digest, and so you’ll understand why each of these is important to the preparation process.
1. Building your online platform and author brand
2. The marketing strategies and materials you’ll need
3. Seeking out and preparing yourself for media opportunities
Preparing for Publication Begins with Building Your Author Platform
Because the earliest and most important part of preparing for publication is growing your author platform and establishing your indie author brand, you’ll need to make yourself visible online. This is also where you’ll identify what your author brand is, and decide how you will present yourself, and your book, to your readers.
To establish who you are and what you want to present to the world you’ll need to consider and hone things like:
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Your mission statement
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An elevator pitch
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Your value proposition
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Key talking points
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Knowing what you stand for
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Understanding your superpower
All this will come in handy in preparing for media opportunities and in your book marketing in general as well. These elements will become the foundation of your author brand.
Making Yourself Visible
Making yourself visible will be part of the process when preparing for publication. This is how you’ll grow your author platform and establish your brand. It’s all part of your larger book marketing strategy. To make yourself visible online, you need to establish a solid presence. This means creating a space for yourself on social media, and most importantly, having an author website that aligns with your brand.
For this part, you’ll be doing the following:
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Creating style guides for your brand( your author name, fonts and color schemes)to be used on your website and social platforms.
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Building your website
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Buying URLs
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Setting up optimized and customized social media accounts
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Creating fan pages and/or blogs on platforms like Facebook, Patreon, Substack, or your website
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Writing your bio versions for your website, book, and other online platforms(make sure to mention forthcoming titles)
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Getting professional headshots
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Adding your book title to all of your platforms
You’ll be doing all this to create and build your brand and it will all be needed as part of your larger book marketing strategy, including your readiness for media opportunities!
The Marketing Strategies and Materials You’ll Need to Prepare for Publication
Because you’ll be setting up all the things above while preparing for publication, you’ll also need these marketing tools, materials, and strategies to go hand in hand with the rest of your efforts.
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Contact Manager with subscriber incentive setup: MailChimp, ConvertKit, Constant Contact, etc.
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Create a mailing list signup form (with incentives to subscribe)
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Add a marketing page to the back of your book that tells people how they can connect with you; direct readers to your website for a free gift
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Create accounts for free image sites and Canva for content creation help
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A social scheduling account like Buffer to make social media sharing easier
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Identify possible content ideas to sell or give away: diagrams in the book, worksheets, tips sheets, etc.
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Developing a list of hashtags for promotions
Some Marketing Materials You’ll Need When Preparing for Publication
These print marketing will come in handy when networking, or seeking media opportunities.
- Business cards
- Book One Sheet
- Expert/Speaker One Sheet
Preparing for Publication Also Means Preparing for Media Attention
I know many authors can be shy, and hesitant to put themselves out there. But at some point, you’ll need to try to do that to reach a larger audience and focus more attention on your book and yourself. It’s all part of the bigger picture. When you’re prepared, you’ll feel more confident!
Some Ways to Prepare Yourself For Media Opportunities
With a little practice and some media training, you’ll grow to feel more confident in yourself. Remember, you’re now building your author platform, and you have a solid brand and a mission!
You can train yourself for media opportunities by:
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Practicing being interviewed. You can do this with friends, family or colleagues
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Joining a ToastMasters group
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Filming yourself on your cell phone and making notes on how you can improve
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Taking advantage of any opportunity to deliver a talk in front of a live audience
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Record an intro video on your website, or start sharing videos on social platforms
All this will help you feel more comfortable in your own skin and therefore, more confident in putting yourself out there. It’s really not as scary as it seems. And don’t stress over being perfect.
Then you can identify other opportunities for visibility. Remember, because you’re in the process of preparing for publication and are following this prep list, you’ll have your one-sheets ready, and your online presence will be solid!
Some Opportunities for Visibility to Consider
Besides putting yourself out there online and taking advantage of networking opportunities, there are some other ways to increase your visibility that you may want to consider. One or all of these may be a good fit for you!
- Podcasts
- Essay/story contributor opportunities
- Speaking gigs
Overall, this list is a purposeful and actionable template to follow when preparing for publication. All of this works to build your author platform and establish your brand. And it will serve as the foundation of your book marketing strategy. It’s best to take one bite at a time. And to start early! It can seem like a lot but you’ll build as you go. Seek out help when you need it and make sure your strategy is sustainable. Because it’s a long, steady road, but when your publication day comes, you’ll be glad you were well-prepared.
