The first books I published were very modest successes. That’s because they were made using an intuitive process. The books were written, edited and formatted for the first time. An attractive book cover and convincing blurb wrapped up the package. And only then did the marketing effort begin.

After a few months, due to the great interest in his subject, there were a couple of hundred sales. That wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t too good either.

But after studying how a formal product launch works and implementing the strategies in an expert program, the results were just beginning. The key difference to this new approach was that my book launch was now an event!

Marketing Product launch starts early

A book launch begins almost a year before the book is ready. Yes, it’s surprising that beginners appreciate it, but it takes a year to build anticipation and get potential buyers in the right frame of mind so they’ll rush to the bookstore and order a copy as soon as it’s released.

So what should you do during that year?

Set the stage for the launch event that will be the publication of your book. In other words, make writing a book a special event that people will find exciting and looking forward to.

Here are some ideas for doing this:

1. Give readers a peek behind the screen

Invite potential book buyers to sign up for your notification list, and send them news and information about how your book is doing. Tell them about the problems you face with a difficult character. Show them drafts that you later discarded, because they weren’t good enough. Let them see how the process of creating a book works.

2. Offer tidbits from your book

From time to time, you may share excerpts from your book or other product. The sample you offer should seduce and tempt, without delivering all the value that a finished product will provide. That way people who have had a bite will look forward to the whole plate!

3. Run contests

Since you have plenty of time to keep up the hype, you can run a series of contests, giveaways, and trivia quizzes with your book or product as the prize. People can sign up for a chance to win by doing something like sharing a tweet on Twitter or posting a picture of your book cover on Facebook, getting the word out about your upcoming release to a wider audience than you might arrive alone.

4. Involve them

You can ask the followers of your blog or email list or social networks to help you co-create your product. For a book launch, you can search your feedback to choose one of a set of 3-5 book covers. For a seasonal special, you can ask them what price would be best. For a bonus package, you can invite suggestions as to what they would like the most.

5. Build excitement near your launch

When the imminent launch is just around the corner, increase the pace of your promotions. Post updates more frequently. Send more emails. Continue to get your crowd into a frenzy so they’re eager to grab your new product on launch day.

These are all easy ways to turn your product launch into an event that builds excitement and leads to more sales.