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Book Launch Gladiator: The 4 Phase Approach to Kindle Book Marketing Success in 2018

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"This book is perfect for anyone who loves actionable content without a lot of fluff." ~ Steve Scott, Wall Street Journal bestselling author.
Are you Struggling to Create a Launch Plan for Your Book?
Do you have a finished manuscript but are scared to hit publish?
Do you have no idea how to market your book?
Are you completely overwhelmed by all of the publishing and marketing decisions you have to make?
Fear not contender!
Welcome to the only guide written by someone on the front lines that will show you how to succeed in the Kindle world. By learning how to become a Book Launch Gladiator you will reign victorious in the Kindle Colosseum, where many others have failed.
In this book you will
Jordan wants you to succeed as a new author, and the process packed within these pages will lead you towards your goal. It isn’t an easy journey, and this book doesn’t pull its punches, but by the end you will have a much better grasp on the process as a whole.
Learn how to do book marketing the right way, without loads of money or time. Becoming a book launch gladiator requires careful planning, and this book will be your guide to meet that end.
If you want to launch a book that receives the coveted Amazon best seller tag, gets more than 3 reviews on launch day, and doesn’t immediately fade into the abyss of similar Kindle titles, this is the book for you.
Grab this book right now and become one step closer to becoming the author of your dreams.

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2018

35 people are currently reading
38 people want to read

About the author

Jordan Ring

15 books15 followers

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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Bernard Jan.
Author 12 books228 followers
March 11, 2018
New authors, pay attention to this book! If only I had it last year when I was stumbling through the catacombs of self-publishing, trying to figure out what to do, where and when! I had a few good friends who helped me with their advice and experience but not even they knew or used all the tricks of the trade. And there is a lot about it to learn and know, believe me. Writing is the easier part!

Like it or not, you are now in the self-publishing arena. To survive and save your book from sinking into an oblivion of mere statistics (once upon a time there was a book published by an unknown author and read by a few), you need to arm yourself. With as many weapons (books, information) you can get.

Become a gladiator and fight for your books!

Book Launch Gladiator: The 4 Phase Approach to Kindle Book Marketing Success in 2018 by Jordan Ring will help you with that. Consider it your guide, a map about which path to cross and what tactics to use to succeed once you step in the Kindle Colosseum.

Jordan Ring wrote this guide from his experience on the front lines and he wants to help you with the important decision-making. You will get your answers on launching and marketing and everything you need to know about a not so easy journey from a green and insecure beginner to a happy and successful indie author. Isn't that a great starting point?

Good luck!

Bernard Jan
www.bernardjan.com

Join my mailing list, subscribe to blog Muse!

Bernard Jan
Profile Image for Graham Downs.
Author 11 books66 followers
February 12, 2018
I've read quite a few books on marketing since becoming an author, so I'm going to review this one in the context of those.

There are a couple of things I liked, and a few I didn't.

First off, I really liked the author's candour. From the get-go, he's upfront about the fact that this book is for beginners, launching their first book. He's no expert, he tells the reader, but he's learnt a thing or two after publishing five books, and he's here to share them with us. He's honest enough, too, to share with us that, as of February 2018, he has fewer than 1000 subscribers on his mailing list.

He admits that he works for a publishing company, Archangel Ink, and tells us that he runs a course there, which you can sign up for if you want. But don't worry, because if there's one thing he can't stand, it's a marketing book where the author plugs his business every chapter. He's not going to do that....

And then he proceeds to do EXACTLY that. Everything he recommends you do, Archangel Ink can help you with. They're a one-stop shop. Need help with a cover? Archangel Ink. Need help finding reviewers? Archangel Ink. Need help with promo sites? Archangel Ink.

The other thing that I didn't particularly like is that the book is VERY Amazon-centric. There's no mention of any other retailers. What's more, he recommends (except under really specific circumstances) that new authors always go with KDP Select.

Jaw. Dropped.

The decision about whether to go Select or Wide is the single most contraversial in publishing today. Without a doubt. Personally, I have a massive philosophical issue with the whole idea of KDP Select and how much it's damaging the industry and putting other retailers out of business left, right, and centre. I believe that every book that's available exclusively at Amazon is another nail in the coffin of every other retailer out there, and I'm old enough to have seen them come and go. Literally stomped out of business by the behemoth that is Amazon. And all those employees at those companies. And their families!

No, no, no. Amazon has way too much power already. Do you really want to give them more?

The Amazon-centricity of this book also alienates plenty of readers and authors who live in countries where Amazon has no native presence. Like South Africa. Personally, I tend to focus on the Kobos and Google Plays of the world, where my fellow South Africans can actually buy books in their native currency.

Another bone of contention I had was the book's treatment of Amazon's policy against friend and family reviews, and review swaps. The author understands that it's against Amazons terms of service, and doesn't recommend you do it too much, for fear of getting caught.

Really? That's the only reason? In case you get caught?

I happen to think the aforementioned policy is a GOOD one. First off, if you're a good friend or relative of an author, would you ever leave a negative review? Well, you might, if only to make a point that you're not just leaving a positive review because you're close to the author. But that's a dead giveaway, too.

Review swaps are a bad idea too, not because Amazon might catch you and delete both of your reviews, but because it's damn near impossible to be unbiased when writing them. Suppose I read your book first and give it a one-star review. Are you going to be able to keep that little fact out of your mind when you read mine?

Or, how about I give you a five-star review, but then you read my book and legitimately don't enjoy it. Are you going to be able to, in good conscience, give me a two- or three-star one? And if you did, how do you think that'd make me feel?

No. Stay away from asking close friends and family to review your book, and stay away from deals with other authors, where you agree to review each others' books.

There are some decent ideas in this book, like building a mailing list, and reaching out to potential reviewers in general. But there are also some downright dangerous ones.
Profile Image for David Styles.
134 reviews5 followers
February 19, 2018
First and foremost, this is a great overview of the process of launching a book, with stacks of information and resources for such.

To be clear, what it’s NOT is a guide to the rest of how to publish a book, much less how to write a book. So if you’re looking for either or both of those things, you’ll want to look elsewhere (but pick this up too!).

There are some typos, some word use errors and missing words, that sort of thing, but nothing that impedes understanding. If this were “Book Editing Gladiator”, this would be a harsh criticism, but it’s “Book Launch Gladiator”, so I don’t think it’s too critical and won’t penalise it for such.

I was initially concerned that a large portion of the beginning of the book was spent referencing the upsell options, and wondered if despite the author’s protestations to the contrary, this was going to be the theme throughout.

Happily, as promised, the rest of the book was just meaty information and directly applicable advice. Much of it is in the form of pointing to external resources that you can use (on various budgets from free to cheap to expensive), and much of it is on the mechanisms of timing various aspects of the launch so that everything comes together synergistically.

We’re also treated to some raw data from the author’s own previous experience; one could be tempted to disregard this as anecdotal / a small sample size, but if you are new to this then a full set of data from a well-handled book launch campaign on a relatively small budget, with a lot of different parts and notes on what worked and what didn’t, then that data is a LOT more than you’ll have already. His own improvements should save around half of his budget, and probably multiply many times your effectiveness if you didn’t have a clear (and costed) plan that was already tested and found to give the needed results.

All in all, if you have (or realistically plan to have) a book to launch, and do not have extensive successful experience in doing so, then I strongly recommend snatching up this book.
Profile Image for Iola.
Author 3 books28 followers
March 5, 2018
Book Launch Gladiator starts by emphasising the importance of building a platform well in advance of launching your first book, with an emphasis on the importance of launching a good number of reviews. He recommends some good tools, and has some good tips particularly around book promotion sites, and the importance of getting reviews early. He also has a Udemy course available free for purchasers (RRP $149).

He doesn't talk about pre-orders at all, which I found odd, as I know a lot of authors use pre-orders to drive early sales and reviews. He also claims reviews help trigger amazon [sic] algorithms to help your book become more visible on Amazon. I've never seen any evidence of this: reliable sources such as David Gaughran say sale are what count, not review numbers (although reviews provide consumer proof and may encouage sales).

I also disagreed with his statement that "it can be very hard to be the first person to review a book." As a long-time reviewer, I find it's a small buzz to be the first person to review a book (as long as my review is positive. I loathe being the first reviewer of a book I didn't like). I would also point out that authors who rely too heavily on reviews from friends and family are going to run into problems with disappearing reviews, as Amazon doesn't like reviews from people who have a close personal or financial relationship with the author.

The author provided me with a free copy for review, and the review copy opened at the free bonus (nice) and opening chapter (fine). But the book opened after the part where the author disclosed he is a marketing coach for Archangel Ink, a pay-to-publish press, and the publisher of this book. I do think the book falls short as an advertisement for the publisher, because there were a lot of proofreading errors (e.g. capitalisation errors).

Overall, this isn't a bad book. The information and links were useful and interesting, but there were a few too many psuedo-promotional mentions of the publisher for my taste, along with borderline reviewing advice and indifferent proofreading.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.
Profile Image for Rica.
710 reviews39 followers
September 17, 2018
Ideas good; execution needs work

Plenty of good ideas, marred by constant repetition, redundancy, and grammatical errors. Author apparently either ignored his own advice about getting books professionally edited/proofread before launching--or ignored too many of his editor's suggestions. Comma splices abound throughout.
Profile Image for J.A. McLachlan.
Author 9 books72 followers
March 4, 2018
Book Launch Gladiator is a useful guide for any new author about to launch his/her book on Amazon. It contains valuable information on launching and marketing both fiction and non-fiction books. It's written at a very basic level, so would be best for newcomers to self-publishing, and states that right up-front. Throughout the ebook there are links to tools or resources that simplify a recommended action, and articles that give step-by-step instructions.
Aside from the content, which is very good, this ebook needs a good editing. There are too many typos and minor grammatical errors. The first third has a lot of repetition and some rambling, so that I almost quit reading.
I recommend you stick with it, though, because as it continues there is a lot of good, solid, useful information here, and great links that you will want to refer to again and again. Mr. Ring promises your books will sell better if you follow his suggestions and I fully believe from my own experience and knowledge that he keeps that promise in this ebook.
Profile Image for Prakash Sharma.
Author 10 books110 followers
March 26, 2018
A must read piece of work!

Learning is a continuous process. Every author learns from his/her success or failures. But there must be something to guide the beginners and I am sure this short read is worth for aspiring authors.
Profile Image for Scott A..
Author 11 books5 followers
November 18, 2019
Outstanding book for new authors

I know quite a few writers who don't take advantage of these tactics , and that mystifies me . Why go to all the effort to write a book and yet pay so little attention to marketing it? I strongly suggest this short, well organized , and eminently readable book for those who plan to put out a book of their own .
Profile Image for Ivory R.
144 reviews3 followers
February 27, 2018
Book Launch Gladiator is a well organized guide on how to market your book without loads of money. It is another book that I wish I had read when trying to assist my mom in marketing her book. These are not any tips you may not have heard before but it is organized in such way so that the process isn't overwhelming. I liked that he also included so many links to references and resources that a reader can choose to use like trello. I agree with the author that the pre-launch and post-launch periods are just as important in generating sales. I also liked that he emphasized having small target goals so as to not discouraged.

The author's style of writing is conversational, humorous and knowledgeable. It helped me to feel confident in his expertise since he outlined his process and results in following these guidelines. I also appreciated that he outlined pros and cons for using different types of book promotions. He also mentions that even the best ones the results are not guaranteed. I think that is imperative for newbies to understand how random results can be. Overall, great read for any new writer and even not so new authors who want to have a successful book launch. 
Profile Image for Lee Rubsam.
Author 22 books9 followers
February 28, 2018
Book Launch Gladiator is a marketing book geared toward new authors. While the topic is specific to e-books at Amazon, some of the info could also be applied to other e-book retailers and to print books. Although I have published numerous books, I still found several ideas which were helpful to me.

The author is personable, and I liked how he encouraged authors to keep at it and not give up, even if the results are not stellar at first. It does take time to learn the ropes, as well as to build recognition and credibility, so I was glad he addressed that.

While the book starts out slowly, it does increase in depth and practical ideas as it progresses. The author provides numerous helpful links to articles and products, especially toward the end.

The sample e-mails he provides for contacting and keeping in touch with reviewers was one of the sections I felt was most useful.

Profile Image for Steven Howard.
Author 53 books8 followers
December 8, 2018
A good range of tips, techniques, and resources on book marketing for new authors.

Unfortunately, the author spends too much time attempting to sell readers on his various courses and services (though he claims this is not his intention). Otherwise, I would probably have given this book a higher rating.

The number one marketing strategy proposed here seems to be “give away lots of Kindle versions of your first work, which will lead to numerous reader reviews on Amazon and the foundation of an author platform.” Oh, how nice it would be if book marketing were so easy and simple.

Nevertheless, the author does provide dozens of useful tips, techniques, and resources for both newbie authors and experienced ones. Finding these nuggets make the read worthwhile for experienced authors.

For those who are new to the joys and tribulations of the self-publishing world, you will definitely want to include Book Launch Gladiator on your reading list.
Profile Image for Brian Tubbs.
95 reviews18 followers
February 18, 2018
Short, Basic, but Filler-Free and With Great Links

“Book Launch Gladiator” fulfills its promises. It provides a brief, but adequate, overview of the book launch process — divided into 4 phases. It’s easy to read and packed with lots of resource suggestions (and links). It is a little on the basic side. Those wanting more advanced information may wish to look elsewhere, but for beginner or intermediate level indie writers, you can’t go wrong with this one. Definitely recommended.
Profile Image for Jim Rodgers.
14 reviews13 followers
March 5, 2018
Fantastic Resource!!!

I’ve read quite a few book marketing guides similar to this, but this is by far the best resource I’ve read. It is FULL of great tips and websites to help authors market their books, and I genuinely felt like Jordan wanted to me succeed. This will become my marketing Bible.
Profile Image for Ed Ashford.
Author 8 books25 followers
November 3, 2018
Some solid advice in here. Not sure how I feel about the advice to reach out to several hundred people via Amazon and send them multiple emails about reviews for my book. Supposedly that's not spammy just because they went through the effort of having their email on Amazon... I dunno, I mostly would just rather reach out to book reviewers that actually say they want to be contacted about potential books to review. Maybe I'm just an old fuddy duddy like that, I dunno.

Was a little shorter and less detailed about a book launch than I would have liked. This either means I know more about book launches than I give myself credit for, or the book just didn't tell much. Maybe because he's counting on you taking the course he mentions at the end of the book. Who knows. But things like "talk about your new book release a LOT on social media!" ...Isn't that obvious? Am I missing something?
Profile Image for John Nichols.
Author 19 books1 follower
October 29, 2018
Great ideas along with the means to do them!

Many books nowadays will give you only the surface-level answers to their claims... Book Marketing Gladiator is not one of those books. There’s always room to go deeper, and Jordan Ring tells you how to get more help if you need it, but I was really happy with the content and depth of this books insights. I took notes and am now looking forward to putting them into action. If you’re getting close to publishing (or need help selling what you’ve already published), do yourself a favor and get this book.
Profile Image for Paula Puddephatt.
31 reviews82 followers
November 27, 2019
I would definitely recommend this book for indie authors, particularly those who, like myself, are in the earlier stages of their self-publishing journeys. There are some excellent tips here. The heavy emphasis upon strategies within KDP Select is not for us all, but so much else remains relevant. The approach of the author is honest, and I appreciate this. I won't be taking every piece of advice provided, but much is applicable, and the book also inspires and motivates me.
Profile Image for Rob Clifton.
135 reviews2 followers
March 12, 2018
Extremely valuable and thorough

Of all the books I've read on getting your first book out there, this one is by far the most complete. Tons of excellent suggestions and resources, along with a detailed plan for your book launch. Well worth the money.
7 reviews1 follower
June 3, 2018
A must read for a new author.

Thanks for the info. My launch is soon. I'm in the children's book niche. I think all the steps to launch will remain the same. Ill let you know how it goes :)
Profile Image for Chad Gramling.
19 reviews
August 21, 2019
Real-life self publishing advice & tools

A nice compilation of Ring' s experiences and lessons learned in the world of self publishing. He provides a peak behind the curtain that's sure to aid many newbie and emerging sp authors.
Profile Image for David Navarro.
Author 20 books32 followers
September 8, 2021
Great information. Some things require an ideal scenario that not everyone enjoys. Sometimes reality is a bit different than the potential ideal. But all the information is solid, good, helpful, and will stimulate thinking for what you can do in your own individual situation.
Profile Image for Larry O'Connor.
Author 3 books1 follower
March 3, 2018
I really enjoyed Jordan's book. It was self-explanatory and gave me some missing parts to the whole kindle e-book writing.
Profile Image for Amanda.
495 reviews3 followers
March 14, 2018
A quick read

Quick to read but somewhat costly to put into practice. I was hoping to help my first novella but it looks like it will help book two.
Profile Image for Michael Beaulieu.
Author 10 books25 followers
March 31, 2018
Solid info

I had successfully done many things suggested in this book and can therefore say this is invaluable information for any author going the self-publishing route.
Profile Image for Astudillo Karina.
Author 3 books3 followers
Read
December 26, 2019
Great advice for novice authors

The book is well written and contains good advice for novel authors. Nevertheless, experienced authors can benefit from some marketing tips too.
Profile Image for Shirley Corder.
Author 26 books73 followers
March 27, 2021
I'm going very slowly as I keep going back to re-read and implement the suggestions made. A very helpful book! Thank you to the author.
Profile Image for Pauline.
Author 6 books30 followers
December 11, 2024
While this is written for new authors, experienced ones will find new ideas too.
Profile Image for Cynthia McBride.
Author 20 books
July 25, 2020
A much needed book marketing education!

Wow! Writing and publishing also must include marketing for a book to be successful. Thank you Jordan Ring for this great info!
Profile Image for Stephen Archer.
Author 9 books9 followers
June 29, 2021
Roadmap to Success!

This primer on book marketing is a practical, detailed guide with personal experience recommendations for methods and services to plan and successfully implement the launch of your wonderful book and then grow the demand for it!
Profile Image for Frank Lucianus.
Author 9 books6 followers
Read
November 21, 2018
A good guide for launching your book

I downloaded this book intrigued by the title itself. It has a wealth of great advice on book launches for any author marketing level.
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