Planning a Pre-Order Campaign: By Brian Asman

In honor of the release of Brian Asman’s new novel #VANDEATH, Dunham Literary sat down to hear from Brian about how he approached the project differently, given that it’s his third release. One aspect of the business side that Brian wanted to focus on this time around was increasing his number of preorders. Preorders are an excellent tool for launching books so they get into readers hands as soon as a book is available. They’re a lot of work, but fresh ideas can make the work fun while building an author’s audience. Keep reading to find out how Brian executed a successful preorder campaign!

My latest novel, #VANDEATH, came out September 22nd. It’s a fast-paced horror/thriller about two van life influencers, Morgan and Jasper, who run afoul of a relentless stalker deep in a remote section of Death Valley. It’s my third book, and I really wanted strong preorder numbers. Preorders are especially helpful because they signal to booksellers and publishers that readers are interested in a book.

But preorders can be a tough sell. Why should a reader spend $20-$30 for a book they can’t read until weeks or months later? It’s a big ask, so you need an equally big value proposition to entice readers to click that preorder button.

My preorder strategy had 3 prongs:

1. Awareness campaign: Leverage social media and my mailing list to ensure readers are know about the book

2. Swag: Encourage preorders with exclusive promo items

3. Contests: Give away cool prizes to incentivize preorders

Awareness Campaign

You can write the best book in the world, but all that brilliance will be for naught if readers don’t know about it in the first place.

A few months before #VANDEATH launched, I added preorder links to my social media profiles and started posting about the book: cover reveals, blurbs, and glamour shots. I even made a few tongue-in-cheek videos to hook viewers. Every time, I casually mentioned #VANDEATH was available for preorder and---nudge, nudge--to click that link in profile. Social media is iffy at best for selling books, and while I’m not sure how many direct sales I netted from these pitches, they did accomplish my goal of making sure people knew about the book.

Ex. Email

A more effective way to direct market is to target readers who already dig your books. To that end, I used my mailing list to let my fans know a new book was on the way. Thanks to the various campaign analytics available in MailChimp, I was able to measure metrics like click through rate (how often a recipient clicked on the preorder link in the email) and adjust my messaging accordingly. I didn’t just say “hey, buy my book,” I also included snippets from the novel, insights into my writing process and inspirations, etc.

The key to leveraging your mailing list and social media platforms effectively is to vary your content. In addition to my preorder pitches, I shared non-promotional content like the books I’m reading, dog pics, hiking photos, etc. That way, readers don’t get burned out by endless self-promotion.

Swag

Look, there’s literally MILLIONS of books released every year. You can stand out from the crowd by offering readers more than “just” your book. I partnered with my local independent bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy, to offer a preorder swag package that included stickers, a bookmark, and even a #VANDEATH-branded keychain flashlight.

Ex. The official #VANDEATH flashlight

Remember, spending $20-$30 for a book you won’t receive for months, especially when the last burrito I bought was fifteen bucks, is a big ask for readers these days. It’s easier to buy the book when it comes out. But if there’s a special item or two they can’t get unless they preorder, they’ll be much more likely to whip out their credit card.

Common swag items include stickers and bookmarks. But thanks to companies like Vistaprint it’s possible to get art printed on just about anything these days.

Writing a sports romance? Try offering custom footballs. A political thriller? How about customer campaign buttons? Scifi adventure? 3D printed spaceships.

It can get expensive, but the potential return on investment (ROI) is huge. And as a bonus, your readers will be more likely to show off your swag on social media, becoming volunteer marketers.

Contests

You’ve gotten the word out, and are offering cool promo items to sweeten the deal. But how do you get interested readers to take that last, crucial step and click preorder?

Ex. the contest of a lifetime!

For #VANDEATH, I ran contests, offering prizes like bookstore gift cards or, for my last marketing push, a chance to DIE in my next novel. To enter, I asked readers to preorder the book (or request it from their local library) and email or DM me the receipt. This was the most “measurable” direct marketing effort, because I could actually see in real time how many people were ordering the book.

The final “die in my book” contest was quite successful, racking up a ton of new preorders in that last week before the book launched. And for those who didn’t preorder, the contest was a good attention-getter. Maybe next time they’re browsing the Horror section at their local bookstore, they’ll see #VANDEATH sitting on the shelf and take it home with them.

Preorder campaigns aren’t easy, but if you make readers aware of the book, sweeten the deal with swag, and run a few attention-grabbing contests, you’re sure to lock in more early orders.

And if your preorder campaign wasn’t as effective as you hoped, that’s okay too…take those lessons with you and GO WRITE YOUR NEXT BOOK!