15 – Expert Tips for Your Book Launch, With Kathi Lipp
“This will be the world’s longest book launch.”
Kathi Lipp, a best-selling author of 20 books, faced a dilemma when preparing to launch her new book, Ready for Anything: Preparing Your Heart and Home for Any Crisis Big or Small.
Should she launch her book on the scheduled publication date? Or, because readers were clamoring for a book on prepping for a crisis, should she release it early?
Kathi and her publisher opted for an early release. In Episode #15, Kathi shares the early results of that decision, and the approach she’s taking during what could be “the world’s longest book launch.”
4 Book Launch Tips
A master of book launches, Kathi shares four tips that form the foundation for any book launch:
- “Find your freaks.” Find the readers who look at the world the same way you do (this audience will change, depending on the topic of your book).
- Get in front of your “freaks” on podcasts, Facebook, and Instagram (or wherever they hang out).
- Serve your audience. Approaching your book launch with a “service first” attitude benefits your readers, as well as your book sales and future platform-building efforts.
- Tap into the power of your local library. Librarians recommend books to each other, and when you do a fantastic talk at your library, word gets around.
Getting In Front of Your Freaks
In addition to discussing book launch best practices, this episode is a fantastic example of how an author “soft sells” her book while guesting on a podcast (see #2, above).
The #1 reason people don’t prepare for a crisis is because they’re overwhelmed, says Kathi. “They either think it’s not trusting God to prepare, or they think they need 10 years of canned beans and an AK-47 to guard it.”
In Ready for Anything, Kathi suggests an approach that combines faith and wisdom.
Follow the Red Cross guidelines and begin creating an emergency stash of:
- Two weeks of non-perishable food
- 100 one-dollar bills
- A get-out bag with three days of supplies (including an up-to-date first-aid kit and fresh water)
Having clean water is essential during a crisis. Kathi recommends the 7-gallon Aqua-Tainer, and the WaterBOB Bathtub Emergency Water Storage Container.
“People get desperate during a crisis,” says Kathi. Ready for Anything includes practical things to do when you’re not in crisis so you’ll have “a little longer to figure out your next options during a crisis.”
About Kathi Lipp
Kathi has written 20 books, including Ready for Anything, The Clutter-Free Home, Clutter Free, The Christmas Project Planner, The Get Yourself Organized Project, The Husband Project, and Overwhelmed.
She is the host of Clutter Free Academy the Podcast! with Kathi Lipp She also runs the Facebook group, Clutter Free Academy, where thousands of women (and a few brave guys) support each other in living a Clutter Free life.
She and her husband, Roger, created the eCourse, 7 Days to a Published Podcast.
Kathi hosts “Writing at the Red House” retreats at her home in the El Dorado National Forest of California.
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Laura