Launch to Market: Easy Marketing For Authors

Write Faster, Write Smarter #4

by Chris Fox

Have you written a book that just isn’t selling? Would you like the launch of your next one to be different?

Launch to Market provides a simple system to plan, track, and execute your book launch. It covers the basics of marketing in an easy to understand way, complete with exercises that will prepare you for your best launch ever.

You'll see real sales numbers from an author who just did exactly what you're trying to do, with take aways that will show you exactly how I did it.

Don’t leave the success of your novel up to chance. Launch your book to market.

"I bought it for the rocket alone. I mean, look at that thing." -- the Author's Totally Biased Friend.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business, Audiobook, Crafts, Self Help

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2016

About the author

By day I am an iPhone developer architecting the app used to scope Stephen Colbert’s ear. By night I am Batman. Ok maybe not. One can dream though, right?

I’ve been writing since I was six years old and started inflicting my work on others at age 18. By age 24 people stopped running away when I approached them with a new story and shortly thereafter I published my first one in the Rifter.

Wait you’re still reading?

Ok, the facts I’m supposed to list in a bio. As of this writing I’m 38 years old and live just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the beautiful town of Mill Valley. If you’re unsure how to find it just follow the smell of self-entitlement. Once you see the teens driving Teslas you’ll know you’re in the right place.

I live in a tiny studio that I can cross in (literally) five steps and don’t own an oven. But you know what? It’s worth it. I love developing iPhone apps and if you want to work in San Francisco you accept that rent for a tiny place costs more than most people’s mortgage.

If you and about 2 million other people start buying my books I promise to move out of Marin to a house in the redwoods up in Guerneville. No pressure. Wait that’s a lie. Pressure.

Reviews

[Krista Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Chris Fox's Write to Market, but this title didn't deliver much at all. Fox expounds on how his amazing results, subscribers, purchases, etc,. but he never explains how he got such a following. I felt like I was reading this "If you build it they will come" fantasy that offers no foundation or explanation. Like many other authors who have 'made it' in this saturated industry, Fox forgets how important it is to relate the vital information, the specific steps that show us how to get there.

See all of my reviews: http://kristawagner.wixsite.com/bookr...

[Dave Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're launching books into KU, this can be helpful.

[Rosey Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this was full of helpful tips and tricks that actually made me feel better about the fact that I'm about to do this myself. Only two months do set everything up, but THAT'S ONE MONTH MORE than suggested.

[Alexandra Gómez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buenos consejos, pero se queda corto

Debo admitirlo, soy una nueva fan de Chris Fox. Me he visto muchos de sus videos en la última semana y estoy muy alineada con su forma de pensar como escritor.

Este libro, sin embargo, me pareció muy básico. Tal vez necesite una actualización porque lo escribió hace varios años o tal vez sea porque yo he trabajado en marketing durante mucho tiempo.

En resumen: tiene buenos consejos, si eres un escritor que no sabe nada de marketing, este puede ser un buen lugar para iniciar. Me gusta que cada capítulo tiene ejercicios (y al final están todos compilados). Lo que más valoro es la mentalidad de Chris y creo que es algo que vale la pena aprender.

Le falta: estrategias más concretas, fechas estimadas, indicadores específicos (en ese sentido, la lista de reproducción relacionada con este tema en su canal de YouTube es un buen complemento).

Considerando el precio y que son libros cortos, seguramente seguiré leyendo los demás de la serie.

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Plot Gardening by this author earlier this month I eagerly dived into Launch to Market. As marketing is my area of interest I was curious to see what the author would say about that topic. While I think beginning authors can definitely get some information from this, I found it a bit lacking. And for someone who already has quite some knowledge about launches and marketing like me it just didn't add anything I didn't know.

This book brings to attention a variety of topics to consider when launching your book and addresses how to handle those. I liked how the author advises to start planning your launch plan a few months in advance as well as how he communicates the importance of your mailing list. I think both of those are important and was happy to see that in the book.

I think for new authors this book gives you a nice overview of the process and lists things to consider. But at the same time it feels a bit incomplete in terms of discussing the whole process and I would recommend Let's Get Digital by David Gaughran over this one as it's more complete and covers more topics. And as I already read a book that handled the whole thing better this one just fell flat for me. It probably also doesn't help that I already know a lot about the topics discussed here, so there was nothing new for me here. And makes it hard for me to gauge how much authors who might know less get out of this book.

I like the examples at the end of each chapter. This makes it easy for authors to bring what they just learned into practice and start applying it immediately. And having a whole chapter at the end with all the exercises summed up is nice for those who prefer to read the whole book first. The writing style of the author is pleasant and I like how it's pretty to the point. There is a bit of personal information about his own books and launches as well so it's clear he's speaking from experience.

I found it lacked some explanation and more direction/ clear actionable advice in some topics. Like the whole KU vs wide thing, he says to make a choice, but then doesn't elaborate on how to make the most out of the option you pick. I had expected some more about cover and blurb and how that helps market your book correctly, but that is apparently covered in Write to Market, which I hadn't expected from the titles. It also felt a bit dated in some places, like the lead magnet which he only now mentions trying out Bookfunnel as his current strategy didn't work, while Bookfunnel's a pretty standard option at the moment.

I also think it's important to question the premise at times in this book or make clear what your goal is and consider if his advice will help you get there. I found his focus to be on getting better and launching better with each book and while that certainly is a good goal to have, I can also imagine authors who are happy to launch their new book in the same tier as their previous book and that's totally fine too. Or if you value making sure your newsletter subscribers all hear about your new release asap more than spreading out your marketing for max effect to get that slow curve. Both are valuable strategies, but this book only shows one point of view.

To summarize: This is a nice read about how to launch your book, but for me personally it had little value as I already knew about the things discussed here and didn't learn anything new. For authors who have less knowledge about the whole process this might still be valuable. It has a nice overview of some things to consider when launching your book. The exercises are a nice touch as well and seem helpful. The book is short and to the point, but lacks depth in some places. It can feel slightly dated in a few places. It didn't include a few things like cover and blurb that I had expected in this book and lacked some elaboration or actionable advice in some places. It felt like the author had a clear goal of getting better and making more money with each release, if this is not your goal, you might be better off handling some things differently. While I think this book can be helpful for authors who don't know a lot about the book launch process for me it didn't provide much value and I think other books do a better job of providing a good overview.

[Joseph John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, easy read without the fluff. Great tips on marketing your book launch.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good precis of what goes into a release. Covers similar ground to what I'd already read in Amazon Decoded as well as learned from spending time with other indie authors.

[Rachel Brune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, down-to-earth, practical advice for writers who are getting their series off the ground. I'm working my way through the exercises, and getting ready to start Mr. Fox's other book on re-launching a series.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fantastic tips. A bit out of date, but much of it is evergreen. More useful if you're going the KU route.

[Erica Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handy but not mind-blowing. Most of this stuff I already knew. Didn't really learn anything of value. Giving it three stars because I still feel like effort was put in to make it helpful and some people might get something useful out of it

[Nellie Neves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful

Easy to read, very succinct, great information. I have a launch coming up and I look forward to implementing what I learned.

[Katherine Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great resource for writers

Chris Fox has a straightforward message for writers in it for the long haul and a self sustaining career: build a following with a mailing list along with writing a great book. There's more, but you just have to read this book, if you're that serious writer dedicated to the craft and committed to mastering the marketing of said work, which you must be.

[Katie Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. Listen to this man.

[Jim Wilbourne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a great starting point for writers who want to understand how get their polished book unto the hands of the readers who want to read it. It's short and to the point with actionable advice. Chris doesn't waste your time beating around the bush. He tells you exactly what you need to know.

This works great for two different types of people:
1. Someone who has know idea where to start.
2. Someone who has a lot of knowledge, but needs to know how to focus that knowledge into actionable advice.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Chris Fox's books because they are short but a wealth of information. He has action steps at the end of each chapters making the process of following his plan easier.

[Jane Night · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Chris Fox and I think he has great ideas. But, his books tend to be super compact. This was no exception. I read in about an hour. 

There were some good pieces of advice like having long term thinking and accepting that progress can be as slow as one new reader at a time. 

There is also lots of information that is pretty common place like mailing lists are important.

This book wasn't mind blowing but there was some good information. It wasn't information that wasn't available anywhere else but if you like Chris Fox's author voice then I would say it's worth a go. 

[Jamie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, Straightforward, and engaging!

This simple, engaging, straightforward book was a fantastic first step into my journey into officially studying marketing in indie publishing. He speaks to the average individual, comes across as a real person, and shares insight from experience that has proven successful for him. It's a must read whether you've published one book or fifty...or are just preparing to publish your first.

[J.A. Ironside · Rating 5 out of 5]

More essential reading for the indie author. I will be checking out the rest of the series but this and 'write to market' should be read by all authorpreneurs. This book on particular examines what a launch is (it's really not what you think), how to plan and execute one to set up long term sales, and how to automate most of it so that you can get on with writing the next book. Haven't read another book that quite covers this - very useful.

[Lucas Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid overview

I've really enjoyed all the books in this series and so I bought this one the minute I saw it. I was hoping to take away at least one really cool idea that I hadn't seen before. Unfortunately this one didn't deliver on that hope for me. It's a great book that authors should read, but just didn't wow me like his others.

[Yesenia Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boils down to the long haul

So many useful tips and strategies in this book, including exercises. But Chris also teaches us that the most important thing is to keep experimenting and never give up. Great book!

[Elise Edmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great marketing and launch advice.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd highly recommend this for indie authors! :)

[Joy Kieffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many people think this concept is a sell-out - as if doing this will sell your soul to the devil. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, I did what Chris suggests (on my own, without instructions or even a concept of the term) with my first book published in 2015. And it was a result of prayer. Because prayer without action is wishing and just plain superstitious. I asked God to help me see something I could do to make an income that wouldn't take up all my time so that my time could be flexible for our nonprofit work.

I'm writing this in the middle of the pandemic of 2020. I'm running a food pantry, which is taking up 40-50 hours of my time a week. I can't begin to say how grateful I am to have a steady income from royalties right now, even when it's hard to find a few minutes to give to my writing and publishing.

So here's the thing. I prayed that prayer and the question "What's in your hand?" kept coming to mind over and over. So I looked at what I was good at, what my passions were, and what experience I had. Bingo. I knew what to do. And then I did the research. I figured out how to do all those things Chris suggests in his book. I Googled everything about everything. I learned programs and processes. I studied the "competition" intensely, from every angle. And it's paid off.

It's not selling out. It's working smart. It's applying what you know, and learning what you don't. It's called being prepared.

[John Riselvato · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate books like this. It's a collection of "have these things and you'll be successful like me" instead of here's how to do it.

Of course you need to manage your own emailing list. Of course you need to have a landing page. Of course you need to write more than one book and each book builds up your potential to thrive. These are all obvious and exactly what every author is wants in order to win this game... but where's all the tips for how to launch?

The sad thing is there's a chapter here title "Everybody Starts at 0" and that title alone is as useful as the chapter. How does one build an emailing list when they have no following? Chris states he doesn't like using social media, so where did you build your massive soon to be 10k following? How does one direct future readers to their landing page? Ads? That's the big answer... ok thanks.

This is all candy and no substance. "Here's how easy it is and you can do it too. I just won't tell you the fine details how."

Who wants to waste time reading a book like that? What's worse is he's probably making major bucks off these cheap 90 page books.

[Sean Bai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Reading

I like Chris Fox's nonfiction books that teach me about writing and marketing.

My first military science fiction book is coming out on January 1st, 2021, so I thought I'd pick this up about ten days before my book releases.

Chris writes like he's your friend. He doesn't write like he's giving a boring lecture. Dare I say it's fun reading this? :)

This book does reiterate a little bit that he has mentioned in some of his other books on writing, but he also includes some data from two of his first book launches in a new genre. He also talks about what not to do, which helped me clear up some questions about whether I should spend more money during the pre-launch, or whether I should spend that money over time.

Thanks for the help Chris. I managed to sell five pre-orders through Amazon ads today :)

[Barbara Schiffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful insights for all genres of self-publishing authors

I found Chris Fox's suggestions on simple ways to plan book launches extremely helpful. Although I write non-fiction self-improvement books (and edit books of all types for other authors), Chris's tips and insights on the long haul approach to selling books clarified the steps I will take for my next Amazon book launch and suggest to my author clients (to whom I will recommend this book as a guide). The most helpful tip was to look at the pre-launch, launch week and post-launch phases individually as well as how one leads into the other, with suggestions on steps to take for each.

[Skye Hegyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of things in this book that I will be taking into consideration when I launch my new series, even though I don't agree with the write-to-market method. What I loved about this book was that even though it's more for those who do write-to-market, the plans detailed will work for those who don't as well and may even yield the same results. Whether you write-to-market or not, a website, paid ads, or even a newsletter are all ways you might increase your readership and sales, and to see the examples Fox provides to show it all in action just makes it even better.

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recommend the Write Faster, Write Smarter series enough for anyone who is seriously considering publishing their work. While the series does focus more on self-publishing, the knowledge and useful tips it provides would be just as helpful for those seeking traditional publishing. I took copious notes on this volume and intend to reread it before each launch. One of my favorite things about Chris Fox's book is the absolutely lack of filler. I want to get in, get the info I need, and get out, and I am so grateful to a nonfiction author who doesn't waste my time with fluff.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very impressed with this one (and his entire writing series is very good). This gave me a great foothold to get moving. I really appreciate how Chris not only tell you what worked for him, but gives the apparent reasons for WHY it worked. I process materials like this far better when I understand the why behind the thoughts. I also really appreciated the specifics on many tools (yes, Amazon included) and decisions and steps in the launch, and the marketing process. I definitely will be reading this again (to solidify and practice). Thanks Chris!

[Tina Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Launch to Market is an easy book to read and understand. Fox writes in an engaging style while using his experiences as examples for good and for bad. At the end of each chapter Fox gives a homework challenge related to the chapter. These assignments are all listed again at the end of the book. I did a first readthrough without taking notes and plan to reread the book, taking notes and forming a plan. While the title says, "easy marketing," one must understand that marketing is not easy. Fox's tips build on each other and take time to show success or failure.