How to Build Hype for a Debut Novel Novel Marketing

After you finish the final edits of your novel, it’s time to launch your book into the world. But how do you get readers so excited about your book that they can’t wait to buy it and tell their friends? How do you create hype for your novel?







Many first-time authors make the mistake of rushing to upload their books to Amazon and then kicking back, waiting for readers to flock to their books. But nothing magical happens when you upload your book to Amazon. In fact, nobody even knows it’s there unless you tell them. 







I asked author C.J. Milacci how she got readers excited about her debut YA novel. C.J. writes stories for teens and young adults with heart-pounding action and hope. She is an active member of the Novel Marketing community and has participated in the Book Launch Blueprint as well as The Five-Year Plan.















Why did you start writing?







Thomas Umstattd, Jr.: How did you get started writing?







C.J. Milacci: I started writing because I was working with the youth ministry at my church and asking the girls about the books they were reading.







I started reading some of the titles they mentioned, and I could see why they liked them. The books were exciting. But inevitably, I’d feel depressed when I finished reading because they had such hard, dark endings. The books also included a lot of inappropriate content that I couldn’t believe a teen was reading. I felt it was so inappropriate that I could barely read it as an adult.







I was looking for a well-written, exciting, engaging alternative that would bring hope and Christian worldview values. I had a hard time finding that kind of book, so I decided to learn how to write one myself.







I wanted to thrill my young adults and teens with incredible stories woven with deeper truths and a good message without all the doom and gloom.







Thomas: I love that you started with your target reader and not with a story that was burning in your heart. You wanted to write the kind of book they already liked but one that wouldn’t leave them depressed.







Young women are more depressed now than they’ve ever been in recorded history.







Your aim is very noble, and from a marketing perspective, it’s very savvy. Writing for a specific reader with a particular need makes every other book marketing task easier because you know your reader.







C.J.: Half of the girls I was talking to were already depressed and struggling. As I read what they were reading, I knew those books were certainly not helping them feel better about life or the world. Those girls and their needs have definitely been the motivating factor for me from day one.







What did your writing process look like?







Thomas: What did your writing process look like?







C.J.: I started like many other writers. I wrote the first draft and thought I was done. Then, shortly after that, I came to the hard realization that the first draft was awful.







I love learning, so I started to read books on the craft of writing.