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Five Indie Author Tips For A Successful Live Ebook Launch

Five Indie Author Tips For A Successful Live Ebook Launch

ALLi's new member handbook

Indie Authors Annual

We going to be launching ALLi's Choosing A Self-Publishing Service 2013 at London Book Fair as an ebook.

So we're collecting tips for a successful ebook launch party.

Here's the top five so far:

1. Don't make a signing the focus of the event. Ebooks can be “autographed” using Authorgraph, which sends personalized inscriptions and signatures to the customer's ebook reader but it's not quite the same. All book launches should be entertaining and fun (though most aren't). Without the physical presence of the book this becomes even more important. So get creative. Can you do a presentation or some fun-and-games based on the book's content?  A panel discussion, an interactive activity, short readings, Q&A with the audience…

2. Make sure your venue has wifi and encourage attendees to bring their Kindles and Kobos and Nooks to the event so they can download the ebook there and then.

3. Provide a laptop computer (or a few if you expect a big crowd) where people can order the book if they don't have their ebook reader with them. Have somebody on hand to log them in and out of the etailer's website.

4. From Amy Shojai: Create a QR code, have it printed on your book poster or post cards, so they can order/buy from their smart phone (see our post about QR codes here). Have some book plates printed (on mailing labels) for you to “autograph” as a keepsake.

5. From Joanna Penn: “I've sold downloads in envelopes at the back of the room whilst speaking. You load the ebook onto a password protected page on your site ( easy with WordPress ) then put the URL & password on paper in envelope with book cover label on the front. So they buy access & can download when they get home. However I've usually done this with higher priced digital products …”

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What about you? Done an e-launch? Tips to share, disasters to report? Tell us in the comments below.

Author: Orna Ross

Orna Ross is a bestselling and award-winning author of historical fiction and inspirational poetry, and a creativity facilitator. As founder-director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, she has been named one of The Bookseller’s Top 100 people in publishing. 

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This Post Has 6 Comments
  1. We found that the most important point in a launch or release is a tie in with multiple indie bound bookstores, and created a map of those storefronts on google maps, with a ‘Front of Store’ placement for our ebook. Take a peek at the link on our site, and imagine the possibilities.

  2. A book plate is a fancy literary name for a sticker! 🙂 Our members have a discount for London Book Fair — only £15 for the three days — and we are working hard to make it very worthwhile for indies this year — with author showcases, seminars, workshops, meetups and ALLi’s first birthday party. This newsletter will tell you more, if you need to know: https://selfpublishingadvice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/alli-march-2013-newsletter.pdf Thanks for stopping by Lada.

  3. Great tips, and best of luck with the launch. How expensive is it to be a part of the London Book Fair? Is it worth it for an indie?

    Also, what is a “book plate”? Must be something pretty simple judging by the name; however, I’ve never heard this one before.

    Cheers and thanks,
    Lada Ray

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