How Pro Authors Launch Books With a Bang

What Every Indie Author Needs to Know about Book Landing Pages

What We are Going to Cover Today :

First: The Industry Landscape What is a “landing page” Business value of book landing pages Pros and cons of legacy options

Second: The Essentials and Next-Level Must-Haves 8 things your book landing page must have How to take your landing page to the next level

Third: a Better Way to Launch Books How book launch pages save you time and money A private demo with a special gift

What IS and IS NOT a book landing page

What IS and IS NOT a book landing page

IS:

A dedicated, single permanent which contains all the relevant information for a book

IS NOT:

- a sidebar ad that links to Amazon

- a Books listing page YourAuthorSite.com/books.html

The Industry: Book Landing Pages Are

Trending Up

Hillary Clintonhillaryclintonmemoir.com

Tim Ferrissfourhourchef.com

Ben Horowitzhardthings.bhorowitz.com

Reasons Why Pro Authors Favor Book

Landing Pages

Reasons Why Pro Authors Favor Book Landing Pages

Single focus; no attention leak

Book as brand and gateway into the platform

Easy to share and engage with

SEO power

Pros & Cons of Current Options

Pros & Cons of Current Options

PROS

Amazon, Facebook, Micro-blogging

CONS

RISKY

Quick to startDIY

At mercy of platformNot uniqueFB: Narrow Target, needs updates

Pros & Cons of Legacy Options

PROS

WordPress themes

CONS

TIME-CONSUMING

$30-$50 themeDIY

Need developerDifficult to customizeTime to update

Pros & Cons of Legacy Options

PROS

Custom Design Site

CONS

EXPENSIVE

UniqueCustom

$$$ - $$$$ and Time NeededNeed developerDifficult to customize

Book Landing Pages Essentials (8 Things You Must Have)

Book Landing Pages Essentials (8 Things You Must Have)

1. Captivating Book Cover

2. Irresistible Headline

3. Immediate Call-to-Action

4. Book Trailer Video

5. Self-Identifiable Bio

6. A Sneak Peek

7. Blurbs (Validating Endorsements)

8. The Network Effect

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

1. The Captivating Book Cover

First impressions do matter.

A strong book covers sets the right expectations.

Your book cover establishes yourself as a serious author.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

1. The Captivating Book Cover

TIPS: FROM JOEL theBookDesigner.com

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

1. The Captivating Book Cover

2. The Irresistible Headline and Welcome Copy

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

Readers want to know, “What’s in it for me?”

Clear, concise, and confident communication always wins.

Your book is seen as authoritative and valuable.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

2. The Irresistible Headline and Welcome Copy

TIPS: NONFICTION TITLES: Short paragraphsBenefit-driven bullet points

FICTION TITLES:Don’t give away the entire plot Leave a cliffhanger

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

2. The Irresistible Headline and Welcome Copy

3. The Immediate Call to Action

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

Book buying is often driven by impulse behavior.

Buying a book is a low-risk purchase.

Your book sales are maximized through optimal conversion rates.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

3. The Immediate Call to Action

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

3. The Immediate Call to Action

TIPS: Clear, unambiguous messageConfident text on buttonColor Contrast - should stand out

4. The Book Trailer

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

Visual storytelling is very persuasive.

Content consumers have become conditioned by video.

Your book’s value proposition is “stickier” with a reinforcing video.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

4. The Book Trailer

5. The Self-Identifiable Bio

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

People buy from people they know and like.

Empathy is one of the most powerful human emotions.

Your book will resonate on a personal level if your bio resonates with your reader.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

5. The Self-Identifiable Bio

TIP: Photo - Let people see you or a great representation of you

Contact info - make sure people can find you

Social networks - so they can hang out with you online and stay up to date

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

5. The Self-Identifiable Bio

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

Tiny glimpses of a larger desire are always alluring.

Humans are predisposition to finishing things they start.

Your book will become something readers will want to finish if they start with a sample.

6. The Sneak Peek

7. The Blurbs (A.K.A. Validating Endorsements)

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

Positive endorsements from credible people elevate the value potential of a purchase.

Blurbs are a direct way of capturing (and catalyzing) word-of-mouth buzz.

Your book’s appeal is legitimized through positive associations.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

7. The Blurbs (A.K.A. Validating Endorsements)

TIP: Include a person’s face to make it seem like a legit endorsement

Ask beta readers to collect endorsements before you create your launch page

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

7. The Blurbs (A.K.A. Validating Endorsements)

8. The Network Effect (via Social Sharing)

TIP: Even if you don’t use a network, allow someone to share on their preferred networks.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

Sharing books with friends, family, and book clubs is a common behavior.

Enabling readers to easily share their discovery (your book) promotes more discovery.

Your book is positioned to benefit from word-of-mouth discovery across networks.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

8. The Network Effect (via Social Sharing)

TIP: Even if you don’t use a particular network, allow someone to share on all of their preferred networks.

Essentials of an Effective Landing Page

8. The Network Effect (via Social Sharing)

The Best Authors Do MORE Than the Basics

How to Take Your Landing Page to the Next Level

Email lists are the keystone of all strong author platforms.

Email remains a personal, even intimate means of communicating 1-to-1.

Email-based relationships with readers are built on trust and value.

Email Remains the Gold Standard

The Best Authors Do MORE Than the Basics

Tips: Utilize an email service provider like MailChimp and Aweber

Integrate your book launch page with your email service provider

Have a content plan for what happens once your reader subscribes to your list

Email Remains the Gold Standard

The Best Authors Do MORE Than the Basics

Analytics offer invaluable insights into readers’ consumer habits and interests.

Authors need to understand analytics if they are to grow their platforms.

Google Analytics remains key. Detailed interaction analytics hold lots of insight.

Know Your Audience Through Analytics

The Best Authors Do MORE Than the Basics

A book is a major brand asset for any author and his or her platform.

Customized book landing pages create the most effective on-brand experience.

Readers that fall in love with a book AND its brand are more likely to stick around.

Customize Your Page to Support Your Brand

The Best Authors Do MORE Than the Basics

TIP: Design your page to match your book’s design A Custom domain is very simple to share and is really memorable.

Customize Your Page to Support Your Brand

The Best Authors Do MORE Than the Basics

From an Author’s Perspective

Time: Speed to market is key for any launch, especially for books.

Cost: Book launch pages don’t need to be expensive to be effective.

Ease: You’re an author, not a programmer. Use tools that make your life easy.

Book Launch Pages Maximize Your Resources and Simplify Your Life

Introducing Booklaunch

- The essentials are a breeze to configure.- The next-level features are available for a bargain.- The whole experience is professional and perfect for indies.

Booklaunch.io Is Built For the Modern Author (Like You)

DEMO

Introducing Booklaunch

https://booklaunch.io | twitter: @booklaunch_io