3 Overlooked Steps to Add to Your #1 Amazon Best Seller Book Launch Plan

Not every speaker writes a book...but when they do, they want it to be a Best Seller!

Sounds a bit like the Dos Equis beer commercial, doesn't it?

Well, the good news is that the book launch process hasn't changed much since my wife and I went through our first Amazon book launch in 2013.?

My suspicion was proven correct just this week with the launch of my most recent book, "Lions Always Win: How to Spot What You Want in Your Professional Speaking Business and Life...and Get it Too."

This is a specialty book for new speakers getting into the business and speakers who are already in the business and have reached a plateau wondering why they can't seem to get as many speaking opportunities as they thought they might have.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLKTZB86 FOR THE EBOOK

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLFT2MBZ FOR THE SOFT-COVER?

The book reached #1 in Free Downloads on Monday, November 7, 2022.

On official launch day, Tuesday, November 8, we reached #1 in New Releases in the Business Education category.

Then on Wednesday, November 9, we got the official #1 spot in three categories of "purchased" books.

And, as you can see, we didn't place the book into weird, unrelated categories either, like References > Banana Peel Uses or something with no books in them like so many do just to get that best seller label.?

Why So Few Books Become Amazon Best Sellers

I've managed 22 book launches for clients, consulted with and trained several people to launch their own books. Between my wife and me, we have launched nine books of our own.

Overall, I'd say about half have become actual, true, #1 Amazon Best Sellers.

Why Does One Book Attain Best Seller Status While Others Do Not?

One answer to that question is of course process related. But, even more important than process is focus.

Between one week's time, Wednesday to Wednesday, this past week, with book launch day on Tuesday, I invested at least 50 hours into the launch. And that includes most of Saturday and half of Sunday.

Most authors are willing to invest their time initially but become unable to sustain their focus in the launch plan beyond a certain point or number of hours per day. They have their other clients to attend to, other projects to work on or other scheduled commitments.

I'm no one to judge. When other tasks take priority over your book launch, it just means those tasks are more important. Nothing wrong with that.

What is unreasonable is to expect to attain #1 Amazon Best Seller without investing in the focus required to make it happen.

With all of that as a baseline, let's uncover what you really want to know from this article.?

How Can YOU get #1 Amazon Best Seller for YOUR Book?

I'm going to share three key steps for you here that I'm betting not many book launch courses provide.??

1. Build a Community Around Your Topic Before Your Launch.?

Had I never co-moderated the Make Money Speaking room on Clubhouse with Lois Creamer, I would have never created Speakers Speak Group on Facebook...and would have never even thought to, or earned the right to even ask her, to write the book's Foreword.?

Speakers Speak LIVE on Zoom would have never become a thing if not for Speakers Speak Group and my new group on LinkedIn: Professional Speakers Speak and Sell Services.

And, I would have never agreed to invest my time to rewrite 80% my original 2020 Lions Always Win book to create a special edition just for professional speakers had it not been for the opportunity to meet so many speakers over a short period of time and hear the same struggles nearly everyone was facing.?

Not only did I have a willing audience to support my launch when the time came, but I had reassurance that a large portion of the members, those new to the business and established alike, really needed the process I provide in the book and have been using for years myself.

When it came to build a launch team, several of those members were eager to support the project.

2. 3X Everything.

Whatever you think you'll need to get #1 Amazon Best Seller, multiply by three and you might get there.

The number of emails you have to send out. The number of social media posts to publish. The number of recruits to be on your launch team. The number of hours it will take you to write or design graphics and promotions. The number of hours it will take Amazon to make change requests to your campaign. The number of direct messages you'll need to send to your contacts because Facebook is only displaying your posts to 2% or less of your connections now. The dollars you'll have to pay your virtual assistant or book launch company to do and/or manage this whole process for you so you don't have to.

Literally everything you plan for a book launch will need three times the amount than you think it will require to get to #1. Be ready for it. Be accepting of it. It's only a week out of your life to achieve something you'll always be able to claim.

3. Join My Other Group on Facebook: The Book Launch Connection.

Many people I've helped with book launches over the years had little to no social media connections or established email lists. So, I created the Book Launch Connection group on Facebook to attract people who simply enjoy being involved with book launches.

TBLC is an exclusive, highly vetted, group of about 300. Some of the members are authors with upcoming book launches. They will post their book covers and ask for book launch team members. Others simply enjoy reading books and helping out authors when their book launches.

I know I should do a more formal study, but I'm going to guess that about 3/4 of books posted in the group become best sellers. I won't go as far as saying "because" they posted to the group, but many of those launches are certainly supported by members of that group.

If you have a book coming out, want to learn about the book process by being a part of someone else's book launch team, or just enjoy being part of launches and supporting other authors, you are welcome to join.

In the Guides area of the group, I have a detailed sequence of steps for anyone to follow for a book launch.?

CHARGE FORWARD

Getting #1 Best Seller on Amazon is an exhilarating, affirming endeavor worth the sweat equity it takes to attain and is absolutely possible for you...even if your book was already launched months ago!

I'm very excited to change all of my social media header images, signature lines, speech introductions and one-sheets to contain "#1 Amazon Best Seller!" The first place I'll say that is at the end of this article.

Realize getting #1 Amazon Best Seller is a game. There are specific steps to take that need to happen in a specific sequence. If you try to shortcut the process, you're very likely not going to achieve the goal.

Yet, even if you have the best, proven, and promised process for attaining best seller, you absolutely will not successfully execute the sequence without also committing to complete focus.

I'll end this article with a slight variation to how it started...

Not every speaker's book becomes a best seller...but when they do, all the sacrifice is worth it.

Marty Dickinson is the #1 Amazon Best Selling Author of Lions Always Win: How to Spot What You Want in Your Speaking Business and Life...and Get it Too. He works with speakers who want to put the courses and coaching they've paid for...to work...so that they can speak on as many stages as they want, impact as many lives as they can, and make the income they've been hoping for.