There\u2019s no better kick-start to a book launch than to have a whole team of fans pushing your book upon release. With an effective group, and plan, you can get book reviews on day one, swell with initial sales, build real momentum, and help get the word out about your launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s so effective that it is considered a staple to most successful author book launches and is something you can build upon with each launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, how does one build such a team, much less manage it? This can seem hard, especially to new authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the good new is, that\u2019s exactly what I want to teach you in this article \u2014 no matter the size of your following or extent of your reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, you will learn:<\/p>\n
But first, let\u2019s get our phrases right because there are a lot of names for this process \u2013 sort of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve probably come across these three terms at some point. In many cases they are the same, but there are some subtle differences. So to break down any confusion on these, here is a brief description of each, their differences, and how they apply to this strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ARC Team<\/strong>: Advanced Review Copy Team is a group of people that you send a copy of your book in advance of the launch. This way, you have a cohort of followers who have not only read the book before your launch, but are therefore ready to leave a review the moment you publish your book. Generally, this term is used when they are meant to help build your reviews on day 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beta Team: Beta teams are a group of people who have read your book either while you\u2019re writing or after you\u2019ve written<\/a> it, who give you feedback and recommendations on what to change. Generally, this term is used when they are meant to help you improve your writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Street Team<\/strong>: These are a group of people who are gung-ho on your book\u2019s promotion. Upon the day of launch, they are ready to post about it, and help push its sales through key strategic methods. Generally, this term is used when they are meant to help you push your book sales during a launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each is a group of people that you have set up beforehand to help you with your book and or its marketing<\/a>. How you use the group, or for what specific intent, is what delineates whether you call it an ARC, Beta, or Street Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the purposes of this article, I\u2019m just going to call it an ARC team. However, I also recommend that while you focus on building an ARC team, think about potentially using all of your ARC members or a portion of your ARC team to perform the functions of a Beta and or a Street team. I personally use my ARC team for all three functions, and I suggest you do too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A well-curated and managed ARC team can help you with your writing, building your reviews, and creating a large marketing wave<\/a> upon launch. Here\u2019s how to do exactly that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many ways to find potential ARC team members, but here are some that anyone can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n * While Amazon sometimes removes reviews of friends and family, they aren\u2019t always consistent on it. Therefore, I don\u2019t cull my lists because of it and, if it happens, I just ask that person to leave their review on another market like Barnes & Noble or Kobo \u2013 which still helps.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, there are some services authors can use to get ARC reviews. They don't run the process for you, but they will help you find people who will read and leave reviews. Some authors may wonder if this is okay with Amazon\u2019s terms, but so long as the service helps to get the book to readers, and isn\u2019t paying or incentivizing the reviewers to leave reviews, then its okay. Also here is a video that helps to explain why Amazon is good with ARCs<\/a>. And here are some some services that do this correctly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n NetGalley: This is a professional service that has been used for years by publishing companies<\/a> to get ARC copies out to readers. I wrote a full review here<\/a>, but basically, they have a large database of avid readers and will work to get the right reader to pick up your book. With NetGalley, you can buy directly through them, which is a bit pricey, or go through Books Go Social, which offers a 50% off when you use my affiliate link to the right and add the code kdpr50. You can check them out here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Booksprout<\/strong>: Unlike NetGalley, where they work to get you reviewers from their system, Booksprout offers you access to their reviewer system where you can work to find and orchestrate reviewers of your ARC. They also boast an ARC management system as well. You can check out Booksprout here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Booktasters<\/strong>: Like NetGalley, this service will work to get you reviewers for your book. Their service includes both Amazon and GoodReads.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 1<\/mark>: Find ARC Team Members<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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