Launch a Bestseller

This is the only program available that has been tried and tested over dozens of bestselling launches, across both fiction and nonfiction genres.

As soon as you join, you’ll access more than 8 hours of video lessons that take you start-to-finish through creating your own book launch plan.

How Authors Can Launch a Bestselling Book

The hardest part of writing a book isn’t writing it.

It’s launching it.

Putting a book out into the world is terrifying. There are so many things that are poured into that moment.

You’ve worked on this project for months, or years.

Your family has encouraged you. Your friends have doubted you.

You’ve spent money you don’t have on editing and cover design.

You’ve dreamed about this moment.

And now — you’re finally launching your book!

There are 3 reasons why you haven’t found success yet:

The unknown unknowns are killing you.

There are so many things that go into a successful launch that you don’t even know about. Sure, you might absorb a few good ideas on Twitter and Facebook, and maybe a blog post or two. But that’s just the tip of a huge iceberg. What you can see is just the beginning.

Successful book launches are well planned and well timed to have the biggest impact possible. And if you miss any of the important pieces, the whole thing can fall apart.

Trust me. I’ve seen them fall apart.

And it’s always because of things we didn’t know that we didn’t know.

You have no start-to-finish, chronological plan.

Successful launches are not random events.

Authors don’t throw together a few Facebook updates and blog posts the night before, then watch their rankings skyrocket the next day.

There is a proven plan, enacted from start to finish, that gets their books selling fast.

You have no idea what to say.

Even if I dropped an email list of 50,000 fans and a Twitter following of 100,000 on you tomorrow, you’d probably be paralyzed, because you have no idea what to say to actually get people to buy.

Writing the kind of content that sells is simple — but hard.

You have to know what to say and when to say it, to get people to buy.

Once you have these three things in place, you’ll have a successful book launch.

But when the time comes, what do you do to make that launch successful?

Maybe you’ve Googled it. I did.

Here’s some of the advice I found:

  • Embed a Retweet button in a free chapter of the book
  • Leverage photos on Facebook
  • Post to free eBook sites
  • Hold a few GoodReads giveaways
  • Encourage word-of-mouth

This is why it’s so hard to launch your book.

You know that most of the advice you find isn’t actually going to work.

Sure, adding a retweet button or putting photos on Facebook might sell a handful of copies.

But you don’t want to sell a handful of copies!

What do you really want as an author?

Of course you dream of having a big-time New York Times bestselling book one day. That’d be great, obviously.

But really, all you want is to sell enough copies to keep writing.

Maybe even get to the point where you can support your family.

Get out of the rat race and actually have time to write.

Sell enough books to show yourself that it was worth all this time and effort, and that you’re not an idiot for having this dream in the first place.

But once again, we circle back around to the problem . . .

How do you actually launch your book?

No matter how much you Google and read and ask your author friends, all that advice never seems to crystallize into an actual plan.

So your book comes out, and you post about it on Facebook and Twitter, and on your blog.

You get excited as some sales start rolling in, and you see your Amazon ranking start to spike.

You run past the #100,000 rank in your Amazon category.

Then you break past #50,000.

Then #20,000!

Somewhere around the #18,000 mark, it’s midnight on your launch day, and you’re exhausted. So you go to bed, excited to see where you’ll be in the morning.

You might even put your laptop next to the bed, so you can check your ranking first thing.

But when you check again in the morning, it’s dropped back down to around the #20,000 mark.

You post about the book a few more times on Facebook, trying not to sound too desperate.

Your book’s ranking drops to #30,000.

Then to #50,000.

Then…

The fear sets in. And the shame.

The realization that this book is going to be a failure in terms of sales, and that you have no idea how you’re going to get closer to your dream of being a full-time writer.

A week later, and all it takes to get you excited is a single sale coming in.

And you’re not alone. Because according to industry stats:

Most books sell less than 250 copies in their first year.

That applies to both indie and traditionally published books.

250 copies!

If you’re making $2 a book . . . dear god, that’s only $500!

That doesn’t even cover your editing and design expenses, never mind all the time you spent writing!

And it definitely doesn’t get you any closer to your goal of writing full-time.

“My Amazon ranking is sitting at #176,037. God, I’m so embarrassed!”

And that’s not the sad part. Here’s what’s so bad about launching a book that doesn’t sell:

It takes you even further away from your goal of being a successful writer.

The support from your family and friends starts to falter.

Maybe you should just be happy teaching middle school English the rest of your life.

Or sitting in a cubicle answering phones.

Or serving coffee in a diner.

Now it’s harder than ever to sit down and write.

Because — what’s the point? You’re just going to put another book out into the world, sell a few dozen copies, and be done.

And every day you don’t move towards your goal, you’re getting further away from it.

But what if that wasn’t the case?

What if, instead of launching a book and hoping it sells, you had an actual concrete plan — a proven way to sell your book?

And not just 250 copies, but enough to make a dent in your dreams.

Pay some bills with the money. Quit your full-time job.

Become a bestselling author.

Not just bestselling-in-some-obscure-Amazon-category . . . but a legit New York Times or Wall Street Journal or Washington Post or USA Today bestseller.

Sound impossible? I used to think so too . . .

Hi, I’m Tim Grahl.

I’ve spent the last 10 years working with authors to help them connect with readers, build their platforms, and sell more books.

During that journey, I’ve worked directly with hundreds of authors of all kinds. I’ve worked with fiction and nonfiction authors. From big-time bestselling authors, to writers trying to get their first project off the ground.

I’ve also done consulting work for hundreds of other successful authors, and trained tens of thousands of authors through my online courses and trainings.

During that time, I’ve launched dozens of bestselling books — including multiple #1 bestsellers on major lists such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, among others.

Here’s just a few of the results reached by clients who have hired me to plan their book launches:

  • Daniel Pink’s To Sell Is Human hit #1 on the New York TimesWall Street Journal and Washington Post bestseller lists — all at the same time.
  • Chip and Dan Heath’s book Decisive debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.
  • Hugh Howey’s novel Dust debuted at #7 on the New York Times bestseller list.
  • Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list.
  • Sally Hogshead’s How the World Sees You debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list


In fact, in one week I had 
five clients on the New York Times bestseller list at the same time.

But here’s what’s so great about all of this: These methods I cracked into don’t only work for big-time, already-established authors.

They also work for new authors trying to get a book off the ground for the first time — for example:

  • My book Your First 1000 Copies is a niche indie-published book that sold more than 10,000 copies in its first year.
  • Michael Bunker’s novel Pennsylvania sold more than 80,000 copies last year — and he became a USA Today bestseller!

How do you get to that point?

First let’s find out why you’re not already having successful book launches.

There’s tons of free information out there about book marketing and book launches. So why hasn’t it worked for you?

You have the book. You can put it on Amazon, the most popular bookstore in the world, for free.

But…

  • Do you know how to find your audience?
  • Do you know how to get them to buy?
  • Do you know how to get them to buy now, instead of later?
  • Do you know how to get other authors to help promote your book?
  • Do you know how to leverage social media in ways that deliver book sales?

Theoretically, you can find a lot of answers online and in book marketing books. So why isn’t that advice working for you?

Here’s what authors say about my work:

“I’ve independently published fiction and non-fiction books, and I learned the hard way just how difficult marketing a book can be. As such, I was looking for information not only on how professionals market books, but on how they launch them to bestseller status. I was familiar with Tim Grahl from his other book marketing course, so when I heard he was releasing a new one, Launch a Bestseller, I signed up the first chance I got.

I knew the course was going to be fantastic, but what Tim delivered blew me away.

I’m currently in the process of preparing to launch my latest novel, and thanks to Tim’s course, I have a step-by-step system that I’m implementing in order to ensure that, this time, my launch is a success. Tim has clarified what I need to do, and the timeline I need to do it in.

His course has given me confidence in my marketing and provided a proven the system that I can follow.

Tim has worked with some of the top authors out there. In Launch a Bestseller, he shares the techniques he uses to market best selling books, while offering the course at a price an independent author like myself can afford. I highly recommend this course.”

Kevin T. Johns, www.kevintjohns.com

“When I launched my first book, we focused a lot of attention on publicity, and we got some amazing media (including interviews on national television). But the actual sales of the book didn’t match the popularity of the message. With Tim’s help, I’ve figured out what was missing and and designed a system that will draw attention, and sales, to my next book.”

David Burkus

author of The Myths of Creativity and a contributor to Forbes & Harvard Business Review

“Tim Grahl is fast becoming a legend, almost single-handedly changing the way authors around the world spread ideas and connect with readers.”

Daniel Pink

#1 New York Times bestselling author of To Sell Is Human

“Tim has a proven methodology for launching books to the bestseller lists, and works with traditionally published authors and indies like Hugh Howey. For creatives who need more structure in their launches, Tim’s step-by-step method is super helpful!”

Joanna Penn

 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

“Tim knows his stuff — he’s the go-to guy I call EVERY time I’m about the launch a book. Listen to him. You won’t regret it.”

Jeff Goins

Bestselling author of The Art of Work

“I watched in awe this year as Tim Grahl had 5 clients on the New York Times bestseller list in the same week. There is no one I trust more to learn about book marketing.”

Pamela Slim

bestselling author of Body of Work and Escape From Cubicle Nation

“I first met Tim right when I was in the process of launching my book and he gave me some invaluable last minute advice that I believe helped my ‘official’ launch be even more successful. Tim laser focused in on the advanced techniques I could use to leverage my community and fans and ensure my book was a bestseller. I still turn to him now for insights into what’s working for authors and how to continue the momentum I’ve created and that’s invaluable.”

Natalie Sisson

bestselling author of The Suitcase Entrepreneur

Why is Launch a Bestseller different?

There are hundreds of books, blog posts, podcasts, and other courses out there that offer book marketing plans.

So what makes Launch a Bestseller matter?

There are 3 fundamental things that set Launch a Bestseller apart from the rest:

1. It’s been tested in the Real World.

Most of book marketing advice is based on people’s assumptions and speculations about what will work. They read some books and talk to a few successful authors, and decide that now they’re an expert.

Unfortunately, that’s why most of their advice doesn’t work, and you’ve probably wasted your own time and money trying that advice.

The plan laid out in Launch a Bestseller is not my best guess on what will work. It’s a proven system that has worked over and over again. Every single piece of this program has been real-world tested on actual book launches. I don’t teach anything in this plan until I see proof that it will work — for any author.

2. It’s been tested with fiction books

There are many authors out there sharing their methods for finding success. In most cases, they are working very hard to be helpful. And some of their advice may work for you.

But the problem is, it’s only been tested once! It’s worked for that particular author — for their personality, their strengths and weaknesses, their genre, their writing, their connections.

What are the odds that it’s going to work exactly the same for you?

The system laid out in Launch a Bestseller has been proven to work for hundreds of authors from all walks of life, in all genres, of all ages. I’ve worked directly with almost 200 authors, and seen what works and what doesn’t, across a huge spectrum.

When I built the system that became Launch a Bestseller, I threw out the methods that don’t work for everyone, and kept only what works reliably, for any author.

3. It’s been tested through years of launches.

The vast majority of book marketing advice is based on a very short window of success — tactics that are here today and gone tomorrow. Someone found a loophole in how things work and sold a bunch of books, but by the time you’re learning it, it doesn’t work anymore.

Not so, with Launch a Bestseller! The system you’ll learn has not only worked over and over for years.

It’s based on fundamental ideas in marketing and human psychology that have been proven over decades of research and solid results.

This isn’t a collection of flash-in-the-pan tactics. It’s a start-to-finish system that is proven and reliable.

Launch a Bestseller offers 5 modules and 60+ lessons with huge benefits — and huge results:

  • Make it easy to promote your book. Your step-by-step guide on building a professional Media Kit that will stand out to influencers — in a way that’s easy to manage and completely free.
  • Find the best influencers. I show you exactly how you can find the big name influencers who are perfect for helping you sell a lot of copies.
  • Craft the right pitch. Form letters and press releases don’t work any more. You have to know how to craft a pitch that will get a “Yes!” My simple steps will help you avoid the mistakes that tank 99% of author’s campaigns. I even give you the exact copy I have used, to huge success for myself and my clients.
  • Grow your network fast. How to turn one “Yes!” from an influencer into three more, then nine more influencers promoting your book. It’s simple, I give you the exact email content to use.
  • Get the best blurbs. Almost every author makes 3 major mistakes when asking for a blurb. I show you how to avoid these mistakes and give you the exact emails I send to authors to get big-name blurbs.
  • Watch me do it. Learn all the tactics, then watch over my shoulder as I go from finding influencers, to crafting the perfect pitch, to getting a “Yes!” and then turning that “Yes!” into three more.
  • Build the perfect book launch webpage. Almost every book launch page I see is missing key elements that drive sales. I’ll show you how to make sure you have a book launch page that will drive sales. I’ll even show you a fantastic tool that makes it easier than ever to build out your page.
  • Learn the hidden system to getting thousands of pre-orders. Like I mentioned, the vast majority of a successful launch campaign components are hidden from view. I’ll reveal the hidden parts and exactly how they work.
  • Save huge amounts of time through automation. No need to handle every single pre-order yet get. I have a start-to-finish method for automating your system. (Even some of the biggest authors don’t know how to do this!)
  • Technology made easy. If the idea of dealing with technology terrifies you, have no fear! I do complete walkthroughs on the hardest parts. And almost every action that I recommend uses tools that are absolutely free.
  • Leverage social media the right way. We’ve all done it — post constantly to our social media account, and watch as nothing happens. But there is an effective way to use social media. I’ll show you how.
  • Create shareable assets. Why won’t people share your book with their social media followers? I tell you why, then show you exactly how to create posts that people will be excited to share.
  • Launch teams. This where I see most authors wasting huge amounts of time. I’ll show you how to organize a launch team in a way that is effective and timesaving.

Where are you going next?

Now is the time to make a decision on what is next for you as a writer.

You can keep on doing what you’ve been doing, and getting the same results. Or you can take the shorter, easier route.

You can keep hammering away, making mistake after mistake, hoping to one day figure it out on your own.

Or you can learn from my 10 years of experience, of making my own mistakes and learning what works and what doesn’t, then helping more than 100 authors succeed — and save yourself years of wasted time and thousands of wasted dollars.

To reach your goals of being a successful author, you’re going to have to step out and do something different.

When you join Launch a Bestseller, you get my personal guarantee.

You have my 60-day, full-course access, 100% money-back guarantee.

The short version: If you don’t love Launch a Bestseller, then I want to give you your money back.

The reason I can give such a strong guarantee is because I know the Launch a Bestseller system works.

It isn’t something I dreamed up one day and started selling as a nice idea.

This is the exact step-by-step system I’ve used over and over to put books at the top of the bestseller lists. I’ve seen it work in the real world, with real books, so I know it can work for your books.

But if you go through Launch a Bestseller and are unhappy with it within the first 60 days, simply send me an email, and I’ll immediately refund your money.

The only thing I’ll ask of you, is some feedback on why you’re asking for the refund, so I can make the program even more applicable to more authors.

Introducing: Launch a Bestseller

This is the only program available that has been tried and tested over dozens of bestselling launches, across both fiction and nonfiction genres.

As soon as you join, you’ll access more than 8 hours of video lessons that take you start-to-finish through creating your own book launch plan.

You’ll learn the exact strategies, timing, tactics, and content to use to successfully launch your bestseller.

This isn’t about selling a couple dozen extra books. You’re going to bust through that “250 copies” ceiling and launch a book that sells thousands of copies.

Module 1

Start Here

Introduction

4 min

Book Launch Timeline Survey

How to Get the Most Out of Launch a Bestseller

Are you ready for a challenge?

Module 2

Influencer Outreach

Introduction 

2 min

Media Kit

15 min

Identify Your Influencers

8 min

Finding and Building Connections

6 min

Organize Influencers

20 min

Choosing the Right Ask 

8 min

Choosing the Right Ask

11 min

Asking for a Blurb

4 min

Buying Influence

3 min

Outroduction 

2 min

Watch Me, Start to Finish 

54 min

Watch Me Plan My Outreac

40 min

Module 3

Sell To Fans

Introduction 

5 min

The System

6 min

Great Giveaways

9 min

Book Sales Page

10 min

Campaign – Part 1: Copywriting 101

5 min

Campaign – Part 2: Timing & Length

17 min

Campaign – Part 3: Content

5 min

Technology – Part 1: The Pieces

6 min

Technology – Part 2: Inbox & Email List

8 min

Technology – Part 3: Receipts to Email List

11 min

Technology – Part 4: Storing Giveaways

5 min

Technology – Part 5: Automation 

5 min

Tie It All Together

3 min

Module 4

Encourage Sharing

Introduction

3 min

Create Shareable Assets

15 min

Add to Automation

6 min

Launch Team

6 min

Module 5

Post Launch

Post-Mortem 

3 min

Week 1 

3 min

Weeks 2-4

3 min

Ongoing 

2 min

Module 6

Bonus Lessons

Welcome Webinar

36 min

First Mover – Bonus Coaching Call

Joanna Penn – Launching a Fiction Bestseller 

51 min

Ultimate Author Platform Program

Coach a Bestseller

2 min

Sell to Fans – Part 1 

47 min

Sell to Fans – Part 2 

37 min

Influencers – Part 1

33 min

Influencers – Part 2

7 min

Sharing 

24 min

10k Magic Number with Shawn Coyne: PART 1

27 min

10k Magic Number with Shawn Coyne: PART 2

9 min

Fiction Success with Rob Dircks

50 min

Finding Connection with LinkedIn 

13 min

Launching Multiple Books

3 min

Traditional Bestseller Lists Explained

15 min

How to Pick Content and Giveaways

8 min

How to Track Amazon Sales

9 min

How to Work with Your Publisher

11 min

How to Work with a PR firm or Publicis

5 min

Book Trailers

22 min

Which format should I promote?

2 min

How to sell 10,000 copies – Webinar 

81 min

Indie Secrets Webinar Recording with Michael Bunker

155 min

Instagram for Outreach 

44 min

Sell to Fans – Technology – MailChimp

4 min

Technology – Part 2: Inbox & Email List

5 min

Technology – Part 3: Receipts to Email List

10 min

Technology – Part 4: Storing Giveaways

7 min

Technology – Part 5: Automation

8 min

Interview – Josh Kaufman

37 min

Interview – Charlie Hoehn 

41 min

Interview – Chris Ducker

26 min

Module 7

Amazon Guides

Introduction

4 min

Amazon Book Page

9 min

Amazon Author Central

10 min

Launching with 25+ Amazon Reviews

17 min

Module 8

Resources

Schedule Coaching Calls

Client Vault and Downloads

Module 9

Launch Types

Bestseller Launch

2 min

Influencer Launch

2 min

List Launch

2 min

Long Game Launch 

2 min

There’s a glut of author courses promising similar results. But most of them have three major problems:

  1. They’re based on methods that worked for just one author—not hundreds of authors in dozens of different genres like Author Platform 101. Just because one person was successful with a certain method doesn’t mean you will be too.
  2. They’re based on untested “expert theory” instead of real-world experience. The content in Author Platform 101 has been tested in real life over and over again. Plus it has worked for authors with a wide variety of experience levels.
  3. They’re focused on one tactic instead of an start-to-finish methodology. Author Platform 101 is not focused on gaming the Amazon algorithm, tweaking ads, or getting hashtags right. It’s focused on a long term plan that has worked for hundreds of authors over a decade of experience.

So when you enroll in Author Platform 101, you’ll be getting proven advice to help you create an author platform that works—no matter what type of writer you are.

By the time you’re done with this program, you’ll know exactly how to…

  • Use social media, from Facebook to Instagram, to build a platform that sells — we explain our method using case studies and specific tests
  • Multiply your fan base — we show you, step by step, how to find new readers where you never thought to look and connect them to your writing
  • Handle the technology needed for success — we give you both the tools and the direction to easily create an online platform even if tech scares you and your “smart phone” is a brick phone from the 80s

When I built the Author Platform 101 program, I focused on making a system that any author could start implementing immediately…

I broke it down into a step-by-step, easy-to-follow process, so you can jump right in and start benefiting from this method as soon as you sign in.

Launch a Bestseller

$797

You’ll learn the exact strategies, timing, tactics, and content to use to successfully launch your bestseller.

Or Buy Now for 6 payments of $147

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I’m just getting started? Or have no fans? Or my book is already out?

This is the situation most authors find themselves in. Every author is brand new at some point!

In Launch a Bestseller, I outline the Long Game launch that I have helped authors use to make their first book a success, while setting themselves up to have huge success for their next book.

Is this another of the same-old “Get your book to #1 in some obscure Amazon category so you can call yourself a bestseller” scam?

Absolutely not. I’m not into fake accolades that don’t mean anything. My focus is on selling books. Launch a Bestseller will help you craft a plan that will sell a lot of books and make you a legitimate bestseller.

Can I be successful with this program?

First, we have to define the word success.

If you’re hoping to a find a silver bullet that requires very little work on your part and still guarantees a New York Times bestseller, then you will absolutely not be successful with Launch a Bestseller.

However, if you are looking for a system that has a proven track record of launching bestsellers, and you’re ready to put the work in, then yes — Launch a Bestseller will help make your book a success!

How does the course work?

The course is built on a customized system designed to make the course easy and fun to take. The 50+ lessons are based on a video formats that are also downloadable in MP3 audio. Additionally, the email templates, checklists, and spreadsheets are downloadable for you to use. The site is also optimized for mobile.

How long do I have access to the course?

You have unlimited, lifetime access to this version of the course. You can retake the course as many times as you’d like for additional book launches. All the material will be continuously updated.

How much time does the course take?

The course is designed to take at your own pace. If you have a book launch around the corner, you can go through it quickly. If you have time to plan, you can go through it at a slower pace. I recommend setting aside at least 2-3 hours a week to work through material and make your personal launch plan.

Do you guarantee I’ll have a New York Times bestselling book?

No one can guarantee that you will have a top bestselling book. I do not even guarantee my clients that they will reach New York Times bestselling status, yet they still pay me over five figures to consult on their launch. I can guarantee if you work through the content and put it into practice, you will see huge progress towards your goals of having a top bestselling book.