As most authors will tell you, writing your book is just a small part of becoming a successful author. Whether you choose a traditional publisher or self-publishing, there’s lots of work ahead for you. Editing, choosing cover art, more editing… it’s a long process regardless of what publishing options you choose. But even after all that work, a book launch can make or break your book’s success.

Authors (whether self-published or traditionally published) must try to make the biggest splash possible. Creating a buzz around your book is essential if you want to sell more than a handful to family and friends. If you were lucky enough to land a major publishing contract with a big publisher, you might have a marketing team behind your book. But, for the rest of us, we have to promote our books on our own.

After publishing two books (one with a small press…