Butterfly Dreams

Butterfly Dreams Marketing Plan

Overview and audience

Description: Butterfly Dreams is a literary novel that has elements of romance, mystery, and magical realism.

Purpose: The book is intended to be fun to read and provide escape and entertainment value, but also to immerse the reader in a different culture. The purpose of this marketing plan is to detail an action-oriented plan to launch the book into the marketplace, generate sales, and find ideal readers. A secondary purpose of this plan is to generate leads by way of mailing list development through the author’s site (butterflydreams.mcclard.com), publisher site (aristatapress.com), through in-book and blog post signup invitations.

Author Demographics: Anne McClard is a 62-year-old woman who grew up living in many parts of the United States. As an anthropologist she has traveled extensively throughout the world and lived abroad.

Target Market: Butterfly Dream’s ideal reader is likely female, 35 years or older, although men who enjoy learning about other cultures will (and have) enjoyed this book too. The ideal reader is someone who enjoys reading literary fiction with strong cultural themes and magical realism. People who enjoy reading books by Barbara Kingsolver, Isabel Allende, and Carlos Casteñeda. Anybody with an interest in island culture will relate to this story as well.

Reaching Target Market (Overview): Butterfly Dreams will be distributed worldwide through the Ingram distribution system for online sales and brick and mortar stores. It will be available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook. Leading up to the launch date, September 7 2023, the author will send free copies of the book to “beta readers,” in exchange for an honest (yet not obligatory) Amazon and or Goodreads review. She will also make the eBook version available to readers through NetGalley, and to media reviewers through the Independent Book Publishers Association Media Outreach program.

In addition to these programs, she will use targeted advertising through her non-profit publisher using moneys from a Google Ad grant. Advertisements on book websites and review sites will be purchased to drive initial traffic, and intermittently as needed to drive continued interest.

The author also plans to have “Virtual live book readings,” and to host “book groups” online and in person, as well as doing in-person book signings and readings at select bookstores. 

Strategy

1. Advertisements: Paid advertising will be done through the Publisher’s Google Ad’s account, Facebook, Instagram. Pre-sales advertising will be used to build interest in the title and to socialize the cover. Monthly budget will be up to $10,000 per month, at the discretion of the publisher. Author will have a more modest budget dedicated to Facebook and Instagram promotions. No less than $100 per month.

2. Social Media: Social media will play a supplementary role in marketing Butterfly Dreams. In addition to Facebook and Instagram, the author will engage with her audience through Medium, Substack, and Goodreads. Advertising will direct potential buyers to author’s website to help build email list and direct potential readers to the distribution outlets where the book will be available.

3. Interviews: The author will seek out at least 20 interview opportunities both on podcasts (audio) and on blogs (written). 20 questions and answers will be pre-written, but the author will of course request that additional/alternative questions be asked. These interviews will focus on inspiration for the book, writing process, choice of style, etc. The author will try to schedule the interview “go-live” dates for the third week after the launch date.

4. In-Person Appearances: The author will seek out local bookstores and shops in the Portland, and Eugene areas in Oregon and will plan to schedule book signings and meet-ups one month after launch, with additional events at bookstores in Santa Fe, NM and Providence, RI.

5. Mailing List: The author has built a mailing list of ~1,000 people through an organic processand continues to grow her list through her two personal sites—anne.mcclard.com and butterflydreams.mcclard.com. In addition, her publisher will publicize the release of Butterfly Dreams through their newsletter and advertising.

6. ButterflyDreams.mcclard.com: is the author’s site and focused specifically on Butterfly Dreams. In addition to the usual background on the book and author, the site contains book extras like recipes, book chapter samples, and photos from the Azores. Prior to launch week, the blog will showcase Butterfly Dreams, and give some insights from the author about the impetus behind the book, and characters. Also, the site will provide a means for sharing upcoming events and accolades for the book. Visitors will also be able to link directly to Bookshop.org to purchase the book, as well as to a universal Amazon link.

7. Three to four weeks after launch week, the author will host a giveaway for ten copies of Butterfly Dreams paperback format. This giveaway will be sponsored and managed by Aristata Press, the publisher.

8. Facebook: The author will post announcements, updates, and release/launch information on their personal Facebook page and the author page. These announcements will focus on keeping the author’s close friends and family up to date with Butterfly Dreams.

9. ButterflyDreams.mcclard.com Word-of-Mouth: The author will ask friends and family to post links and to share information about Butterfly Dreams Facebook, Twitter, and other social media feeds, and will request that if they are going to buy the book, that they all purchase on launch day (to drive additional “early-bird” sales).

Calendar and Timeline (based on launch date of 9.7.2023)

By July 7 [2 months before official release]:

• Finalize and “lock and load” all version of book

• Order final proofs

• Receive back blurbs and early reviews from beta readers

• Have arranged a few in-person author events for the weeks immediately following release of book.

• Write teaser post on blog and work with publisher to get book release ads out on Google Ads, schedule ads for pre-release, book give aways, and launch week events.

By July 21 [6 weeks prior to official release]:

• Approve proofs, have blurbs in place, and provide publisher with any missing meta data requests

• Remind early readers about launch date and encourage to post reviews as soon as book launches.

• Give okay to begin presale orders of book after approval.

• Write weekly blog posts, and continue to develop following for book site

By August 7 [1 monthbefore official release]:

• Have author pages set up on Good Reads and Amazon

• “Harvest” reviews from NetGalley, and publish them on website and share on publisher’s website, and author pages elsewhere online

• Write and schedule Facebook posts, and any other social media updates

• Post sample chapter links to social media, including Substack and Medium

• Write personal blog posts inviting potential readers into conversation

By August 21 [2 weeks before official release]:

• Review marketing/launch plan

• Review guest post publish dates (mark them on calendar)

• Review/confirm interview appointments/posts

• Send “launch week” email to mailing list

• Create tracking/sales spreadsheet

Week of September 7 [Launch week]

• Personal email to friends and family/mailing list

• Publisher site blog with link to online venues

• Publicize dates of in-person and online events

• Advertise book giveaways

• Respond to comments on author pages and blog posts

• Remind known readers to post reviews

• Post on social media

Week of September 14

• Review first-week sales; alter/redo advertisements

• Send final follow-up email to beta readers (end of 2nd week)

• Solicit requests for in-person appearances (use reviews as social proof)

September 21 to end of September

• Advertise and Run a promo

• Publicize dates of in-person and online events

• Build book group reader audience