As I contemplated the reasons for relaunching a couple of my novels, I came across an article by Jane Freidman listing 6 reasons an author may consider relaunching one of their books. I’m happy to report that I qualify in all six categories.
Following are the reasons she gave, along with a bit of commentary from me.
- Revise and Re-release
Jane mentioned an author who had learned so much, he was sure his book would have done better the second time around. She suggested making those changes he wished he’d done before. I can’t say either of my books needed many changes, but in terms of how they were marketed, there definitely was huge room for improvement.
- You have your rights back.
Check. Sometimes a publisher believes that a book has lived its usefulness, because selling more books would require a major effort, and they’ve got a whole list of new books that need their efforts. The author, on the other hand, may have the ability to give the book the fresh attention it needs. It IS their baby after all.
- Your Book Needs a New Cover
Oh, Holy Moly Yes. So much so that I won’t even publish the old covers. I will say that both were beautiful, but not in keeping with the tone of the book. That falls into the “live and learn” category. And, by the way, enough cannot be said about the importance of a cover to a book.
- Relaunch a Brand
Absolutely. That’s what this relaunch is all about. When I published ExtraNormal, it was supposed to be the first in a series of three. Those other two are still outlined in my head, but my health caught up with me and I wasn’t able to continue. I continue to receive requests (sometimes demands) for those next books, and it’s been a constant nag at the back of my mind.
“This relaunch allows me to put out books 2 and 3, with book one given a fresh start. It also allows me to put both my books of different genres into the same brand. Win, win, win. ”
- Poor or No Promotion the First Time
Oh yes, check. Here’s how it went down. My first published novel. Oh, happy day – a published novel! Was released just a few months before being diagnosed with breast cancer. So not only was I an unknown newbie with flailing marketing skills, but I was in crisis. Book two, ExtraNormal, was the result of pure inspiration during my cancer treatment. Basically, it was in a new genre, (a fun genre) and it kept my mind occupied during treatment. Once I got my strength back, a wonderful community rallied to help me get it edited and typeset and ready to self-publish. And it did remarkably well (became an Amazon best-seller). But soon after the release I felt like a marathoner who had reached the end of the race. To put it bluntly, I knew that if I kept writing that cancer would come back. And so it all came to a screeching halt.
That is until I came up with the idea of re-branding and re-launching and even adding in the coaching I’d transitioned to. And I couldn’t be more thrilled. What about you? Have you re-branded? Re-launched? Or do you know of a book that has?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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