The Ambitious Author

3 Reasons You Need a Launch Team for Your Next Book Release

Posted on November 29, 2017

Street Team, Launch Team, Influencers, ARC Team, or Fan Club—the name varies, but any author who’s launched a book with a strong Launch Team knows their value with a new release.

A Launch Team is basically a group of readers who are ready and willing (and eager!) to get the word out on the street about an author’s books. In exchange for free Advance Review Copies (ARCs), they post reviews, share memes, and shout from the rooftops about the new release. When I think of my launch team, I think of my first readers, my inside circle, my front lines, my most enthusiastic fans.

Having a strong Launch Team will provide countless benefits, but here are my favorite three: 

1. Early Reviews. If you’ve distributed your ARCs at least a month before and communicated effectively with your team, members should post reviews the first week of your book launch. Those reviews provide the social proof your book needs to hit the ground running.
2. Access to a Wider Network. When your Launch Team members share your book with their social media friends, suggest it to their book clubs, and request it in their libraries, your personal reach expands exponentially!
3. Word of Mouth Buzz. That elusive, hoped-for free promotion that every author dreams of. Other people talking about how much they enjoyed your book. Mentioning it to a friend at lunch or a co-worker by the coffee pot. If you’ve grown and nurtured your team of enthusiastic readers (i.e. Launch Team members), they’ll be the chief instigators of the word of mouth buzz for your books.

If you don’t have a Launch Team yet, or if your team needs a bit of pep injected in their step, I’ve put together a course that walks you through the Launch Team process from start to finish. The course is called “Launch Team Lift-Off.” 🙂

Through a combination of videos, course notes, and examples, you’ll learn:

– How to start and grow your team, including sample wording and sign-up forms.

– How to interact with your team so your expectations are clear and your team is engaged.

– Pro tips for both traditionally-published and indie authors.

You can get more info HERE. And my blog family gets 10% off all courses, so just use the coupon code “BLOG” to get the discount (without the quotation marks).

Now, tell us about your Launch Team experiences! Have you done or seen unique strategies that you loved? Have you been part of an exciting Launch Team in the past?