15 Creative Ways Authors Announced Their Book Launch

The weeks leading up to and after launch day offer authors a great opportunity to announce their new book, generate visibility to new readers, and build excitement for existing fans to dive back in. To help you brainstorm creative ways to announce your book launch, we’ve compiled this list of inventive methods authors have used to announce and promote theirs.

From social media giveaways to author collaborations, there are tons of strategies that can help you make a splash during your launch — whether you’re launching a standalone, a first-in-series title, or a sequel. Check out our free flipbook for more ideas on how to promote a book release before, on, and after launch day!

Take readers behind the scenes of your launch

Sharing the latest news on your book launch experience is an excellent way to connect with the highly engaged book community. Try taking readers along on your journey to publishing your latest (or first!) book.

Brandon Sanderson posted a YouTube video about receiving the physical copies of his book Isles of the Emberdark. He kept readers engaged in the process by sharing updates on the launch in the vlog-style weekly videos he posts on his writing and life.

Rick Riordan promoted The Court of the Dead with an unboxing video on Instagram, showcasing the final copies and their stunning artwork.

Make a book trailer

Posting book trailers or short animations can catch readers’ eyes when they’re scrolling through their feeds. This type of exciting content also provides readers with something they can easily share with their friends.

Lauren Palphreyman reposted a trailer video from her publisher of The Wolf King, containing release schedule details and positive reviews.

Marie Force shared a trailer for her new book, Delivery After Dark, highlighting exciting tropes and plot points to grab readers’ attention.

Run a giveaway on social media

Giveaways can get readers excited about a new release and encourage them to interact with your posts. Naming the winner and asking them to post about their prize can extend the life of the campaign.

Katia Rose promoted her new novel, Touch the Sky, with a signed paperback giveaway, asking readers to share her post to their Instagram story to be entered. She also updated the post after the contest was over to let readers know when it was closed.

Matthew Hubbard promoted the release of The Rebel’s Guide to Pride with a giveaway of an exclusive, signed advanced reader copy. He also included a fun reader care package and posted a photo of all of the goodies! The post explained how readers can enter by following his account, ensuring more readers see future updates on his launch.

Send a newsletter to your subscribers

Sending a newsletter around launch day is a great way to remind loyal fans about a book’s release. Many authors include links to purchase on each retailer, making it easy for readers to buy books wherever they prefer.

Dan Ames sent a newsletter with the subject line “Too Hot To Handle!” to announce the latest release in his John Rockne series. Dan also took the opportunity to give another new book a boost — the short and sweet message included covers for the latest and upcoming releases in his core Joe Reacher series.

Angela J. Ford sent an announcement email on the day Wicked Prince of Mirrors released, with a description of the book and links to buy. The next day, she shared her exciting launch day results with her fans, thanking them for their support and reminding them to order or tell a friend!

Run a BookBub Ads campaign

Many authors run BookBub Ads for their new books to help drive early sales and buzz. By targeting yourself (or the author of the new release, if you’re running ads on behalf of an author), you can announce the new book to existing fans, and by targeting similar authors, you can spread the word to new readers who might be interested in the launch.

Jaime P. Bradley used the BookBub Ads creative builder to create a campaign promoting Reasons to Risk starting on release day, drawing fans’ attention to the tropes included in her book and its great hook.

Kevin Partner launched an ad on the release day of the complete box set of his Last City series. He emphasized its low launch price to encourage fans to buy it quickly!

Use social media stories and reels

The Stories and Reels features on Instagram and Facebook let you share quick posts such as spontaneous book updates or glimpses behind the scenes, or reposts of fans’ content.

Hank Phillippi Ryan reposted a positive review from a bookseller of her new book, All This Could Be Yours.

Adam Silvera reposted a fan’s story encouraging their friends to read the book — and asking for a sequel!

Cultivate fan discussions on your website or online profiles

Starting a discussion around a new release can encourage more interaction with your book and foster a sense of community among your fans.

Nora Roberts’s publicist pointed readers to the comments section of her blog to discuss Nora’s latest pen name release, Framed in Death.

Social media also works well for engaging readers in discussions, especially with specific questions and prompts.

Cassie Clare posted a series of question/answer slides about her upcoming book, Better in Black, drawing dozens of comments from fans excited to discuss.

Use crowdfunding platforms to reward your fans

Crowdfunding is a popular way for authors to finance their projects while engaging their fans. In addition to helping you fund future works, crowdfunding and subscription platforms like Patreon and Kickstarter can disseminate your new releases to your most devoted fans, who are willing to pay more for special editions, early access, exclusive content, or other benefits.

Anthea Sharp posted on her website about the special hardcover, paperback, and ebook editions of her new fantasy novel, Crown of Sea and Storm. To keep the momentum going, she also hinted at future special details to be revealed.

Sierra Simone’s Kickstarter campaign gave readers 24 hours to pledge for the chance to win early access to the next book in the series.

Promote other authors’ launches

Promoting your peers’ book launches is a great way for authors to reach new readers and show what books they’re excited about. Authors can recommend each other’s books on social media and BookBub. Even if you’re not coordinating efforts, posting about other authors’ books on their launch day can establish a mutually beneficial relationship — the next time you launch a new book, they might return the favor!

Katie Wu supported the release of House of the Beast in a video sharing why she loved the book and what type of readers would be interested in it. She used the popular hashtag #bookrecommendations to help readers find her video.

Denise Hunter reposted author Beth K. Vogt’s Facebook promotion of her preorder for Together This Christmas. Beth returned the favor when Denise posted about her own preorder.

Collaborate with authors to co-promote a launch

Another great way to reach new readers is to collaborate with other authors — whether those are friends, a coauthor, or authors of a similar genre — whose audiences would be interested in your new book. You can interview each other, run joint giveaways, publish posts on each other’s blogs, or feature each other in your newsletters (also known as a newsletter swap). These strategies provide wider exposure than posts on your own feeds.

Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper published a video on Instagram promoting their new book, You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder. By publishing it as a joint post, they each reached their own followers.

Elizabeth Suggs interviewed Dave Stanasolovich on Instagram Live the day after she launched Darkness 102, giving her exposure to a similar audience to hers.

Announce a book launch on your blog or website

Use your own communication channels to announce a launch to the readers most likely to buy the new book. Many authors update their website’s homepage on launch day to promote their new book, so readers can see it straight away and easily find the synopsis and retailer information.

Andrew Townsend used the above-the-fold space on his homepage to prominently feature his new book with calls to action for readers to buy now or learn more.

Brenda Novak celebrated the launch of her new book, Meet Me in Italy, with a “Reader Weekend.” She promoted the event on her homepage with all the details about when it would take place.

Share your dedication

Some authors give their new book visibility by sharing the moment when their loved ones discovered the book was dedicated to them. These heartwarming posts can resonate deeply with readers and get lots of engagement.

Ayana Gray posted a video of her sister finding out her book I, Medusa was dedicated to her.

Morgan Pager shared the moment when her grandmother read the dedication of her debut novel, The Art of Vanishing.

Introduce the characters of your new book

Giving your readers a sneak peek of the characters in your new book is a great way to stir up excitement about your story. Try sharing character art or information about your main character’s personality traits to draw readers in.

Corinne Michaels announced the latest installment of her small-town romance series by introducing the town’s newest resident in a clever carousel post revealing the cover on the second slide. She also highlighted some tropes readers can expect to attract the right audience.

Jojo Moyes introduced the characters in her new book, We All Live Here, in a video sharing the current status of each one. Her publisher encouraged readers to let them know in the comments which character they were most excited to meet.

Promote a previous book

Having a new book out is a great opportunity to promote other books in the series or from your backlist. You can run a discount on an earlier book or highlight older titles alongside your new one to attract readers already familiar with your books, or encourage new readers to catch up on your other books first.

For #ThrowbackThursday, Wes Markin highlighted Forgotten Lives, the second book in his Whitby’s Forgotten Victims series, encouraging readers to read the previous titles before the upcoming release of the sixth title.

Miranda Howman ran a BookBub Ads campaign for her first-in-series Thorns of Fate, urging readers to start the series “before book 2 releases in October.”

Reveal the audiobook narrator(s)

For readers who prefer to listen to audiobooks, revealing who the narrator will be and what their voice will sound like is a popular way to excite existing fans and draw in fans of the narrator who are new to the author.

Victoria Wilder shared a narrator reveal for her audiobook Bourbon & Proof, sharing snippets of the narrators’ voices and tagging their accounts to reach their own followers. She included slides with character information and photos to bring her characters to life.

Julie Janis shared a carousel announcing the news of her audiobook’s production, highlighting details about the narrators and their work in the caption.

This post was originally published on December 13, 2018, and has been updated with new examples.

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About Hanna Baublitz

Hanna Baublitz is a Junior Account Manager on the BookBub Business Development team. She helps publishers and authors promote their titles and achieve their book marketing goals.