Yes, we’ve been planning on January 20, 2021 for my book launch for The Joy of Writing Journal, and my friend Portland Helmich asked, “Isn’t that the Inauguration?” It is.
So, here’s what you do when book launch falls on Inauguration Day. You reschedule it. Do you push yourself to get those videos filmed and edited, the emails written and sent, the guest blog posts written, yada yada…a week early? Do you push the date a week later and let go of the new year, new you, self-improvement angle?
Here’s what you don’t do:
You tell yourself, “it’s going to be okay. The universe has my back. This will all work out in the end.” And you take a deep breath. Then you look at everything you have to do and you “reverse engineer” as my friend and colleague Kristin Meekhof says.
You and your team ask some more questions, “Can we make a tighter deadline? What will we let go of to make it happen? Or should we let go of the New Years Intentions PR angle and slide to a later date? After all, we could use the extra time to set up additional opportunities.”
The jury is still out on this one and I’d love your input as I plan to make a firm decision by Friday.
Lisa’s Book Launch Tips
And here are my book launch tips, so far. More to come, for sure:
- Breathe. You’re going to make mistakes. When you relax, you can find better, more creative solutions than if you stress out. If you’re still stressed, journal about it. The research says that journaling relieves stress and helps you access your creativity!
- Google the date you’re planning for your book launch to make sure it’s not an important holiday or event. No, my at-a-glance calendar did not mention the Inauguration. And yes, I am a dinosaur who still uses a date book!
- Assemble a great team. If it’s just you, it’s going to be harder to weather the challenges that come up during a book launch. If you have a team surrounding you, their support will help you access creative solutions and get the extra work done if you hit any snags. I’m lucky in that department!
- Order Advance Review Copies to send to the media before your book is available for purchase. It’s a little trick, because if you’re publishing with KDP (Amazon), which has some marketing advantages on Amazon, you can only order 5 proofs at a time. So my assistant Geri Lafferty, found an outfit called 48 Hour Books and they are printing the advance review copies for my most urgent media pitches.
- Change up your media questions: Here’s my confession: My friend and colleague, Dan Janal, offered to interview me about The Joy of Writing Journal and the benefits of journaling for his excellent podcast (now on Audible—congrats, Dan). At the eleventh hour, I realized I needed a whole new set of questions for this new angle on creativity and Dan helped me prepare for his own podcast! Don’t wait. If you’ve been guest podcasting or doing media interviews for a while, don’t assume this will be the same. Ask yourself whether your book invites new questions and a different focus from before. Then, prepare and practice.
And the final lesson for today:
There are more lessons but lesson 6 trumps anything beyond it:
6. Get a good night’s sleep! I know I’ll be fresher to deal with the next set of challenges in preparing for a book launch if I go to bed on time! Good night. And good luck.
Please share your own book launch tips and questions as comments below. Thanks!
Great tips! Thanks for the encouragement and a plan!
Hello Lisa,
Jan. 20th is an Astrologically auspicious day. Moon, Mars and Uranus are all conjunct (together)
in the sign of Taurus and Squares Jupiter in the sign of Aquarius. With Uranus involved in the co-joining, it’s best to expect the unexpected- sudden surprising, out of the blue occurrences. Since Mars rules Aries, it aligns with your Sun sign to start something new. Mars creates movement and activity. The Moon adds an element of taking care of your needs on a physical level, which can foster a sense of security. The sign of Taurus represents stability, material concerns and financial success. Now, we add the square to Jupiter in Aquarius and bingo, you have a recipe for elevating consciousness, (your book), as Jupiter rules publishing! A square can sometimes create challenges, which is why its important for you to have excellent intentions around the launch. I support this date for your launch – it is no mistake spirit is moving you in this endeavor.
I wonder what this will mean for Inauguration Day? Hold on to your hats! All the Best, Deborah
Wow, Deborah, what an inspiring vision. Thank you!
Lisa is there a way to actually play off the inauguration angle …. joy in writing about historically significant events…such as the first women VP …or suggestions about some ways to capture important moments in our lives…..just spit balling some ideas… one of the meaning of inauguration means …..a ceremony to mark the beginning of something……sounds like a book launch to me…..I’d keep it the way it is and just play off that theme in some way….good luck and congrats on your new book coming out.
Thank you for encouraging me to think creatively, Jan.
I have realized that aiming for Jan. 13 is just causing too much stress for me and my team. I will think about your ideas and/or possibly move the date to even later and trust that the book will reach people in it’s own perfect timing. I’m getting clearer too that there’s some personal work to do so that I embody the full intention of the book. And that means no stress, no trying to control outcomes or push things. Trust. Align. Breathe. This truly is a journey! Thanks for accompanying me on it!