You need more RUNWAY!

The reason why many self-published authors have crickets show up at their book launches is that they did not allow for enough RUNWAY. This blog explains what that is and why every self-published author needs to understand the concept and strategy behind it.

Dear Self-Published Author,

You need more RUNWAY!

 It is true that we don’t have to wait the traditional 18 months to 2 years for our books to be released unlike those who go the traditional publishing route.

 It is true that we have full creative and marketing control over our books.

 It is true that as a self-published author we can set our launch date when and where we want it.

 What is not true is that our book launches will be a success just because we liked the date and location we picked for them.

There is strategy involved in having a successful launch and you need to understand what that strategy is.

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I have seen it way too often. I visit a self-published author’s social media page and it’s like crickets. The author has not effectively promoted their book launch. They don’t have any posts on their page and when you do see posts they have nothing to do with their book’s subject matter.

It’s as though they are expecting people to just show up because they created an event. It’s like throwing money out the window and hoping it will land on something you wanted to purchase from the store. It-just-doesn’t-make-sense.

WHAT IS RUNWAY?

From a marketing perspective, you must have enough runway for your event to be a success.

The more runway you have, the better decisions you can make. For instance, you don’t have to settle for just any location that happens to be available for your launch, but you have time to explore all of your options and book the ideal location based on your projected attendance and response from your audience.

Your strategic planning should involve asking and answering some important questions, including:

1. What is the greatest takeaway I want those attending my launch to depart with? Examples:
– Do I want them to leave inspired to change, grow or do something positive based on what they’ve experienced?
– Do I want them to see that I qualify as a coach, speaker, minister, go-to-person in the area of my book’s subject?
– Do I want them to support a new business, ministry, or other entity that I am launching complimentary to my book release?

2. How many books do you want to sell on your launch date?

3. How many people do you need to attend the event?

4. How much space will you need to accommodate those in attendance?

5. What is the budget I have for this event and how much time do I have to create it?

6. Have I tailored this book launch to be the springboard for my overall vision (the underlying reason why you wrote the book) and will it produce the results and momentum I need to move forward?

Now, I want you to keep in mind that unfortunately, everyone who attends your launch will not buy your book. I know. I know. Hard to believe, right? But there probably will be a small percentage of people (up to 20%) in attendance who will not purchase. (They will probably be members of your family too.) 🙂

But this is okay because you are not basing your success on the sale of the book but rather on the fulfillment of your overall vision.

WHY YOU NEED RUNWAY…

To ensure your overall vision is a success you must cover these key areas so that you will have a good enough runway to ascend and soar:

1. Content Creation
2. Marketing & Promotions
3. List Building

Your content involves you creating the messages that over time attract your target audience. Everyone in the publishing world knows that CONTENT IS KING! Never forget this.

When you think of marketing and promotions, there are several dynamics you need to keep in mind. Your content involves an aspect of marketing because it is attracting people to your message. It is the concept of selling without selling. You provide value with your content which is a form of marketing itself.

Promoting involves the short reminder blurbs of your book launch and where your book can be purchased.

One way you can determine your attendance is by setting your event up on a free event site like Eventbrite.com and requiring the attendees to register even though the event is free. This will give you a good estimate on how many people to expect and if you find that your numbers are not good, you make adjustments along the lines of engagement with your tribe to turn things around.

This strategy will also assist you in building your mailing list because you can download the emails of the registrants. List building is major if you desire long-term sustainability and growth. You can find more about this subject on a blog I wrote previously by following this link: https://www.kishknows.com/buildinglists

Even though your event is free, you should remember that you still want to intrigue people enough to make the effort to support you. After all, we are all busy people, right?

Time is Valuable
Which Means Time is Money
Nobody Wants Their Money Wasted
Busy People Don’t Want Their Time Wasted

So, they are constantly thinking about how they are spending their time. Even if they are interested in your story, they are still going to weigh the experience, the opportunity, the value, everything they are going to get from attending your event and supporting you with everything else going on in their lives.

RUNWAY & YOUR TRIBE

Your runway helps you identify your tribe and possibly your launch team and get them on board. You are setting yourself up for failure and extreme disappointment if you are trying to launch your book on your own. That is an absolute NO-NO!

YOU CANNOT OPERATE WITHOUT A TRIBE!

The weight of the entire event cannot rest on your shoulders. Ask yourself,

“Who can I bring on board to help me coordinate and promote my book launch project?”

Your committed tribe members (volunteer support group) will not only help you promote your event but they will help to reduce, if not totally eliminate the stress involved. With a long enough runway, you will have the time to properly build and identify your tribe members.

In 2012, when I launched my first book “The Do It Mandate – Defeating the Delays to Destiny” I had a full house of attendees in a venue that accommodated 200 people. My launch was a success because I understood the concept of RUNWAY.

I hope you understand it now as well.

Blessings in Abundance,
~ Pastor Kish
Your Book Publishing Coach & Self-Publishing Servicer