Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: PJ Colando, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Natalie Aguirre!
March 4 question - What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?
I don't know that I'm as good at launching books as I could be. For Fractions of Existence, I did multiple book blog tours. I did one book blog tour for Proof of Existence (only on blogs of blogger friends). I certainly reached a larger audience with the tours on sites of people I didn't know.
Neither resulted in many sales. I spent more than I earned. For Proof of Existence, I also used an AllAuthor promotion. This got me a fair amount of exposure on Twitter (yup, back then, before it was sold and changed names). Below is an example of an email promo they sent me. Also, the link to my AllAuthor site.
https://jlennidorner.allauthor.com My AllAuthor profile
I recently bought this book. And, as this is the current topic, I read and reviewed it.
https://amzn.to/4qKi2Ws - The Snowball Book Launch: How To Create A Huge Buzz And Massive Pre-Order Sales Before You Release Your Self-Published Book Kindle Edition by Ray Brehm
The Snowball Book Launch: How To Create A Huge Buzz And Massive Pre-Order Sales Before You Release Your Self-Published Book by Ray Brehm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I did enjoy this book overall, though it feels geared much more toward entrepreneurs who will self-publish a nonfiction book in their field of expertise, rather than toward fiction authors. However, I shall try some of the suggestions that could benefit my own author brand.
This book had been on my Amazon wishlist, and it was at a reasonable price, so I bought it. Book releases are the subject of discussion for the IWSG's March 2026 prompt, so it was the perfect time to read and review this, to my mind.
In the introduction, it talks about a book being the "primary engine of your business," which feels true for all authors, but it speaks more to how this book applies mainly to people who will publish nonfiction primarily. I would absolutely recommend this book to people who want to be an authority on a nonfiction topic. Typically, when I read reference books like this, they're aimed more at fiction authors.
By part III, it becomes fast-paced. The book is slightly complex, it's informative, and has a very strong author’s voice by someone who is clearly an authority on selling and marketing.
"The people who download your book for free are generally not as likely to buy anything from you later." This excerpt is the exact opposite of the advice of nearly every marketing book and program aimed at fiction writers, who are told that a free book gets readers hooked and encourages them to come back to buy your higher-priced fiction books later.
The book has multiple sections discussing what being a "bestseller" means, if anything at all. That such a title is no guarantee that an author will generate an income from writing. It also mentions that the average author sells fewer than 200 books. (The four books I have on Amazon have more sales than that, so I must be above average, and that news makes me feel good about myself. Thanks, Ray!)
I read the entire book because it definitely builds, and you have to get to the end to get all the information! But, in the VIII section, where it talks about "lead magnet is more valuable than your book," that really didn't speak to me as a fiction author. And the major problem solved in my reference book about writing book reviews is, well, how to write a book review, and there's not really a cross-promotion to go with that. (I mean, if a fellow author bought one of my fiction books, and then used my reference guide on writing book reviews to review one of my fiction books, yes, that would be a dream come true. But I'm pretty sure that's not what this Snowball book means.)
The edition of this book I bought came with a link to get another book from the author for free. Part of the marketing plan laid out in the book is to hook customers and keep them coming back for more, so this makes sense. (The catch, of course, is getting that free book means agreeing to daily emails.)
I enjoyed the "Five Interview Questions" the most. The book talks about KDP Rocket, which no longer exists, and is now Publisher Rocket, which is twice the price.
I do like the cover with the snowball and the orange-and-white lettering, and the title makes sense.
Something I question, though it may just have changed, is that my BookBub link is bookbub DOT com/authors/j-lenni-dorner, which does not use the word "partners," which part V suggests it would if I have an author account, which I'm pretty certain that I do.
The section on "Update KDP with new categories" needs some updating, as there have been changes. However, I have attempted to follow the instructions for my reference book about writing book reviews, as there is no actual specific category for books on that topic, despite there being several such books for sale.
As a self-published author, I found this book relevant, though it doesn't feel especially aimed at writers focused primarily on selling fiction books. The book mentioned Pixels, but not as a unit of a digital image, there's a whole chapter on Pixel Linking but I still don't understand it. (I did a search and learned there's a plugin, but it slows down websites, so I'm not sure it would help me.)
This book is probably part of a series, as the author mentions some other books, but most books about selling contain mentions intended to sell more books or classes or whatnot.
This book is in the category Kindle eBooks > Computers & Technology > Electronic Publishing -- which feels accurate.
View all my Goodreads reviews
I was emailed by BookBub about their new "author websites."
A free custom domain for the first year ($15 per year after)
$9.99 per month
https://authorwebsites.bookbub.com/pricing
I didn't sign up, but I thought others might be interested.
"Fewer than two percent of children’s to YA books published in the United States depict Native and Indigenous characters. In part because of this program, that number has increased to nearly three percent."
https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
#AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features!
My THEME REVEAL post is coming this Friday!
https://jlennidorner.allauthor.com My AllAuthor profile |
| Email promo screenshot ^ |
I recently bought this book. And, as this is the current topic, I read and reviewed it.
https://amzn.to/4qKi2Ws - The Snowball Book Launch: How To Create A Huge Buzz And Massive Pre-Order Sales Before You Release Your Self-Published Book Kindle Edition by Ray Brehm
The Snowball Book Launch: How To Create A Huge Buzz And Massive Pre-Order Sales Before You Release Your Self-Published Book by Ray BrehmMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I did enjoy this book overall, though it feels geared much more toward entrepreneurs who will self-publish a nonfiction book in their field of expertise, rather than toward fiction authors. However, I shall try some of the suggestions that could benefit my own author brand.
This book had been on my Amazon wishlist, and it was at a reasonable price, so I bought it. Book releases are the subject of discussion for the IWSG's March 2026 prompt, so it was the perfect time to read and review this, to my mind.
In the introduction, it talks about a book being the "primary engine of your business," which feels true for all authors, but it speaks more to how this book applies mainly to people who will publish nonfiction primarily. I would absolutely recommend this book to people who want to be an authority on a nonfiction topic. Typically, when I read reference books like this, they're aimed more at fiction authors.
By part III, it becomes fast-paced. The book is slightly complex, it's informative, and has a very strong author’s voice by someone who is clearly an authority on selling and marketing.
"The people who download your book for free are generally not as likely to buy anything from you later." This excerpt is the exact opposite of the advice of nearly every marketing book and program aimed at fiction writers, who are told that a free book gets readers hooked and encourages them to come back to buy your higher-priced fiction books later.
The book has multiple sections discussing what being a "bestseller" means, if anything at all. That such a title is no guarantee that an author will generate an income from writing. It also mentions that the average author sells fewer than 200 books. (The four books I have on Amazon have more sales than that, so I must be above average, and that news makes me feel good about myself. Thanks, Ray!)
I read the entire book because it definitely builds, and you have to get to the end to get all the information! But, in the VIII section, where it talks about "lead magnet is more valuable than your book," that really didn't speak to me as a fiction author. And the major problem solved in my reference book about writing book reviews is, well, how to write a book review, and there's not really a cross-promotion to go with that. (I mean, if a fellow author bought one of my fiction books, and then used my reference guide on writing book reviews to review one of my fiction books, yes, that would be a dream come true. But I'm pretty sure that's not what this Snowball book means.)
The edition of this book I bought came with a link to get another book from the author for free. Part of the marketing plan laid out in the book is to hook customers and keep them coming back for more, so this makes sense. (The catch, of course, is getting that free book means agreeing to daily emails.)
I enjoyed the "Five Interview Questions" the most. The book talks about KDP Rocket, which no longer exists, and is now Publisher Rocket, which is twice the price.
I do like the cover with the snowball and the orange-and-white lettering, and the title makes sense.
Something I question, though it may just have changed, is that my BookBub link is bookbub DOT com/authors/j-lenni-dorner, which does not use the word "partners," which part V suggests it would if I have an author account, which I'm pretty certain that I do.
The section on "Update KDP with new categories" needs some updating, as there have been changes. However, I have attempted to follow the instructions for my reference book about writing book reviews, as there is no actual specific category for books on that topic, despite there being several such books for sale.
As a self-published author, I found this book relevant, though it doesn't feel especially aimed at writers focused primarily on selling fiction books. The book mentioned Pixels, but not as a unit of a digital image, there's a whole chapter on Pixel Linking but I still don't understand it. (I did a search and learned there's a plugin, but it slows down websites, so I'm not sure it would help me.)
This book is probably part of a series, as the author mentions some other books, but most books about selling contain mentions intended to sell more books or classes or whatnot.
This book is in the category Kindle eBooks > Computers & Technology > Electronic Publishing -- which feels accurate.
View all my Goodreads reviews
🤔
In following along with the book's instructions, I edited the categories for my book about Book Reviews:
Obviously, those ranks could be better. 😔
Here I learned that Amazon now allows authors to pick THREE categories!
The book suggests picking the "non-classifiable" category and then contacting help.(The exact method has changed since the book came out, but still, I found the general area.)
And then I sent my message with suggestions for other categories my book should be in.
There currently is no category specifically for books (regular or ebooks) about book writing bookreviews. There are, however, many books on the subject. Mine is still the only one I found aimed directly at authors (though really, anyone can use it to write a review).
BuckBooks is now DigitalBookToday. (A site mentioned in the book.) But promotions have rating restrictions, as shown in the screenshot above.
https://booksends.com/advertise.php BookSends is also mentioned, but for my category, I need to earn one more review and then spend $40.😧 That's more of an investment than I'm willing to make for this.
But, the next time I put Fractions of Existence on sale, I could see spending the $35 to promote it there.
PLEASE check out part two of this in tomorrow's post! I'll be focusing my efforts on Fractions of Existence.
Obviously, those ranks could be better. 😔
Here I learned that Amazon now allows authors to pick THREE categories!
The book suggests picking the "non-classifiable" category and then contacting help.
And then I sent my message with suggestions for other categories my book should be in.
There currently is no category specifically for books (regular or ebooks) about book writing bookreviews. There are, however, many books on the subject.
BuckBooks is now DigitalBookToday. (A site mentioned in the book.) But promotions have rating restrictions, as shown in the screenshot above.
https://booksends.com/advertise.php BookSends is also mentioned, but for my category, I need to earn one more review and then spend $40.
But, the next time I put Fractions of Existence on sale, I could see spending the $35 to promote it there.
PLEASE check out part two of this in tomorrow's post! I'll be focusing my efforts on Fractions of Existence.
I was emailed by BookBub about their new "author websites."
A free custom domain for the first year ($15 per year after)
$9.99 per month
https://authorwebsites.bookbub.com/pricing
I didn't sign up, but I thought others might be interested.
And they have this article, which also may interest you this month:
https://diversebooks.networkforgood.com/projects/296556-native-writing-match
"Fewer than two percent of children’s to YA books published in the United States depict Native and Indigenous characters. In part because of this program, that number has increased to nearly three percent."
📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge
https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
#AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features!
My THEME REVEAL post is coming this Friday!
A lifetime of engaging with language and the written word – including reading books, writing, and learning languages – could be one of the best ways to keep your mind sharp and delay or prevent dementia, according to a new study. -- https://www.sciencealert.com/simple-lifelong-habits-can-cut-your-alzheimers-risk-by-38-study-finds
