Gabriella Zielke founded one of the world’s first tech accelerators where she was fortunate to mentor and fund hundreds of founders whose ideas previously only existed as science fiction. Fast Company named Zielke one of its Most Creative People, among other accolades from her business career. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Creative Writing at Harvard University Extension while living on St. Croix with her husband and their zealous Great Dane. When she’s not writing, you can find her dancing with fire.
Her latest book is the scifi novel, The Sound of Creation.
Visit her website at www.gabriellazielke.com or connect with her at Twitter and Facebook.
After your book was released, what was the first thing you
did when getting ready for your book launch?
I celebrated my launch day with a reading at a favorite restaurant. We had a champagne toast, then took to the stage for a reading accompanied by…fire. It might have been the world’s first book reading set to fire dancing.
Did you do anything different to spice up your website in
lieu of your upcoming book release?
Nothing too special. I deleted the coming soon language and wrote a blog about where the idea for the book came from.
Did you ever consider using a PR agency to help you promote
your book or did you prefer the DIY route?
I spoke with a PR agency at one point, but decided to learn as much as possible on my own for my first novel. It won’t be my last, so I can take this time to determine which marketing approach works best for me.
Were finding reviews a top priority for you and, if yes, how
did you approach that?
Absolutely. Reviews are a great way for a buyer to determine if they might enjoy a book. I didn’t get the prerelease reviews I planned on because I didn’t create a system for sharing the book and asking for reviews. I also didn’t know how the book would be received. So, I decided on a wait and see approach before spending the effort. It took a week to get the first review, and it wasn’t from someone I know. Thankfully, they’ve all thoroughly enjoyed the story and gave it 5 stars!
What are your views on social media for marketing your book?
Social media helped me spread the word to my friends easily. However, a reading audience doesn’t come only from friends, so social media isn’t an end all, be all. Now that my first novel is out, I am focused on growing my reading audience on social media.
What social media has worked best for you?
I’ve really only spent time posting on facebook.
Did you write a press release and do you think it worked for
you?
No. Press releases can be great if you aren’t showing up in search engines (highly recommended if that’s the goal), but it’s rare to receive any actual press from them.
Did you revamp your author’s page at Amazon in any way to
prepare for the launch (https://authorcentral.amazon.com/)?
I created my page during the presales period, so yes.
Did you have other books you offered for free in order to
help sell your present book?
This is my first novel!
Did you set up book signings and, if so, how did that work
for you?
Aside from the launch, I found book signings difficult to set up due to covid restrictions. I also decided they would be better received after the book had more reviews. Now I’m setting them up in cities where I have friends or family. What a great excuse to visit!
Did you create a book trailer?
What did you do on release day?
I threw a launch party with a reading set to fire dancing.
Did you time your book launch around a certain holiday?
No, but 2-2-22 is pretty awesome date.
What was the best money you ever spent on your book launch?
Purchasing copies of the book to sell at the launch party. Should have tripled my order.
Any tips for those authors wanting to set up a successful
book launch?
There are so many things you can do for a great launch. This
is one place where social media is an absolute must. You can create invitations
for the event, keep track of RSVP’s, post updates, etc without feeling spammy.
Also, have fun with it. Is there a theme in your book you
could extend to the party? Could you have characters attend?
Control costs and expand your audience by having the event
at a restaurant where attendees can take care of their own refreshments if they
want them. I paid for a champagne toast, but that was a personal celebration
decision, not a marketing one. Many of the people who bought a book that night
weren’t even there for the party!
Consider a giveaway that fits with your book. It’s another excellent use of social media premarketing.
Title: THE SOUND OF CREATION
Author: Gabriella Zielke
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Science Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
Brilliant and relentless tech CEO Ava Lawson built a system to play the currency market and make her billions. Instead, it begins to play strange music and makes normally level headed people behave irrationally, violently, dangerously.
While on the run from a coup to steal her code, Ava meets an ethereal stranger who seems to know more about her than she does.
The stranger calls himself an apprentice. He pleads for her help to stop what they have started.
“The Sound of Creation is a mind-bending book filled with big questions about our existence. It takes you on a journey disrupted by action scenes and strange characters. You will find yourself floating on dimensions you did not know even existed. This book is a mind game. You have been warned.” ~ George Papa, author of The Manual and The Architect’s typist for The Code
Book Information
Release Date: February 2, 2022
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1509239139; 342 pages; $17.99; E-Book, $5.99
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3B8ILUz
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