Long before I started writing my novels and short story collections, I was writing — but you may have heard my words, not read them. As an Emmy Award–winning documentary director, cinematographer, and writer, I’ve produced nearly 100 films, mostly in the adventure and wildlife genre, for networks like National Geographic, PBS, and The Discovery Channel. All those moments when I wondered if I would be bitten by a tiger shark, shot at on a ride-along with cops, or sucked up into a tornado gave me a boatload of life experiences just waiting to be turned into fiction. And that’s what I did.
I first transitioned from documentary film narration to writing feature screenplays. Then the Writers Guild of America struck in May 2023, bringing the screenwriting world to a halt. Rather than work on a screenplay that might be shelved during the strike, I decided to give writing short stories a shot. By September, I had written enough short stories for my first collection. Sticking with my style of incorporating personal experiences into my writing, Dread was a look at the dark side of nature, a collection of horror and suspense tales that you’d never find in a David Attenborough documentary.
I had a book and now I needed a plan. Launching books is like making first impressions: You only get one shot at it, so how would I make sure I got it right? Below are some of the paths I followed to get me to my final destination: a successful book launch.
Self or traditional publishing?
First came the decision every writer must make after they’ve finished their book. What route should you go to get it published? Traditional publishing would entail querying agents and publishing houses and waiting months for a reply. If, by some miracle, someone accepted my work and wanted to publish it, then it could be months (or years) before the book saw the light of day.
Or… I could self-publish. No months or years of querying, and I would be the one making choices on all the creative aspects of the book. I would have the final say on the cover, editing, and promotion. I also liked the idea that I could have my book out in the world in a matter of days rather than months.
In a publishing forum on Reddit, I asked folks what they thought. I was approached by a small publisher, Blair Daniels of Black Widow Press. Blair was a successful short story writer in her own right, having achieved numerous number-one bestsellers on Amazon in horror short story collections. Although I was leaning toward self-publishing, I decided to partner up with Blair as we both shared a similar quick-release strategy — I’d publish Dread, then release my next book three months later. Working together, we managed to edit my book, design a cover, and get it published within six weeks of meeting. That’s my kind of schedule. Now it was up to Blair and me to do whatever we could to ensure a successful launch.
Organic new release promotions
Since Blair was already a name in the game, she had a great ARC (advanced reader copy) review team in place whom she graciously asked to review my work. This helped tremendously in gaining the book reviews needed for buyers to trust a first-time author.
I also reached out to over 150 different reviewers, Bookstagrammers, and BookTubers to see if they would be interested in reviewing my work as well. To find these booklovers, I did simple searches for reviewers in my genre on each platform. I sent either a DM or an email and laid out who I was, my book blurb, and a request for a review. Of those 150, I managed to get 16 readers to review my book in addition to Blair’s team. (Many of the 16 who reviewed my work later became regular readers and reviewers.)
For my promotions, I wanted to utilize social media to the fullest. In addition to starting an author website, I also launched a YouTube channel and TikTok, and tapped into my existing X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads accounts. I posted what I continue to post every day: short (usually under a minute) horror stories and book trailers that end with a pitch for my book or books.
View this post on Instagram
Does social media help sell books? My feeling is if it sells just one book, then it justifies my effort. If a reader buys one of my books, they’ll likely buy my others, and if they recommend it to a friend, then you get that domino effect.
Another thing I did for organic reach was contact numerous websites, podcasters, and YouTubers that have authors as guests. As with contacting Bookstagrammers and BookTubers, I searched podcasters that worked within my genre. I ended up appearing on some great podcasts and YouTube channels to talk about my work. Here are a few examples:
- An interview on We Bleed Orange & Black: The Podcast
- An interview on The Writers’ Hangout Podcast
- An interview with Uncomfortably Dark
These were not only great outlets for promoting my book but also great fun! The folks I worked with were true professionals and so kind to assist authors like myself. This helped topple a few more dominoes. And the great thing about the guest interviews and social media promotions is they are always out there. Any reader might find me through a Google search and sample my work based on my presence on the web.
Finally, I also put my book up for preorder, which I know still sparks a bit of a debate as to whether it’s a good thing. But there really shouldn’t be any debate, since there is no downside to generating interest in your book before your launch. I used social media to promote the preorders, with many of my posts coming out weeks before release. To me, it’s free marketing, especially when the keyword gods work together and my book pops up in a reader’s search. To quote a famous movie, “That’s a bingo!”
Paid new release promotion
The marketing tool I found most impressive — which helped launch all three of my short story collections, Dread, Creep, and Cursed, to #1 on Amazon for Horror Anthologies and Collections — was BookBub’s New Releases for Less. It is by far the best way to get a new book out to readers of your genre and get them to sample you as a first-time author.
In case you’re unfamiliar with how it works, you must apply to be accepted by BookBub for a New Releases for Less promotion. BookBub has become a standard of quality in the publishing world, and its well-earned reputation means that if they accept your book their readers trust their choice. They’ll then send out a recommendation to their vast list of members via email. Your book, depending on the genre, could reach hundreds of thousands of potential buyers overnight. Blair Daniels and Black Widow Press utilized New Releases for Less for Dread and Creep, and both books reached #1 on Amazon in Horror Collections by the end of the day after the emails went out.
New Releases for Less is not only for the big publishers, or smaller houses like Black Widow, but also for self-publishers as well. I decided to go the self-publishing route with my third collection, Cursed, and my first novel, The Visitor, and had the same results: top sales and top of the lists.
This huge boost not only gains you readers and sales, but it can also push you on top of the Amazon algorithm wave, which you can then ride for weeks depending on how many sales you generate and continue to generate after the New Releases for Less promo. I recently applied for and was approved for another New Releases for Less promo for my latest novel, The Crone, and I firmly believe it will keep my streak of successful book launches alive.
My advice for new authors
As always, when reading about someone’s publishing journey, the key takeaway is that it was their journey. Your path and how you go about getting your book to the masses will depend on your own choices and what works best for you. Whether you publish independently or traditionally, or use social media or BookBub or not, is something you have to weigh against your personal vision. The main thing is that you need to be able to look yourself in the mirror and be satisfied that you did everything you could to get the word out there.
Hopefully, what I’ve laid out here will help you with those choices and have you more informed as you begin your writing career. And of course, good luck!
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