SPS-461: The Book Launch Process

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch checks in from his final day in New Zealand while Cissy Mecca takes us behind the scenes of her upcoming historical romance launch. They discuss realistic launch goals, building an ARC and influencer team, setting a marketing budget, and choosing advertising strategies that have actually worked for you rather than simply throwing money at launch day.

James also shares insights from Written Word Media on how authors at different stages of their careers are approaching AI, plus plans to test different Facebook ad setups and share the results with the SPS community.

Key Talking Points

• Cissy's strategy for launching her upcoming historical romance
• Setting realistic goals and expectations for a book launch
• Building ARC, street team and influencer support
• Finding and approaching relevant book influencers
• Deciding when to send physical books to creators
• Creating a launch budget that feels sustainable
• Facebook versus Amazon advertising
• Why proven strategies matter more than simply spending more
• James's upcoming Facebook ads testing and challenge/webinar
• Written Word Media's findings on author attitudes towards AI
• James's plans for another writers' retreat in Florida in 2027

Links & Resources Mentioned

• ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com
• SPS Patreon / Support: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support