The weeks and months leading up to your book’s launch are full of excitement… and lots of promotional work.
As you fill your days with podcast interviews, guest blogs, and email blasts, you try to conjure up as much buzz around your book as possible.
But one thing you might not have considered is a book reveal. This fun marketing strategy isn’t just for big-name authors; whether you’re self-published or traditionally published, you can use a cover reveal to attract even more potential readers (although it does help to have at least a moderate online following).
In this post, we’ll show you when, where, and how to do a book cover reveal that converts your followers into future readers and fans.
How to Do a Cover Reveal
Here are 6 tips for a successful book cover reveal that will leave readers eager to pick up a copy.
1. Start early and announce your reveal in advance.
The exciting thing about a cover reveal is that your readers get a sneak peek of what your book will look like before it’s actually released. And one of the benefits of doing a reveal in the first place is that it can help you generate extra buzz for your book!
So to get as much buzz as possible, make sure your cover reveal is at least a few weeks before your book’s release (ideally, as soon as the cover is finalized!).
Then, make sure you announce your reveal in advance too. Tell your followers at least a week before you plan to share the cover on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Live, or wherever you plan to do your big reveal (it could even be all of these platforms at the same time).
In the meantime, you might release some teaser quotes or blurbs from your book to generate reader interest and make sure they come back to check out your cover (and eventually order the book).
2. Ask your readers for feedback.
One way to generate buzz for a cover reveal and engage your audience at the same time is to ask your readers for their opinions.
Generate a few cover design options and post them as a poll on social media or on your website. Even if you want to make the final decision yourself, readers will have fun being part of your creative process and appreciate the fact that you considered their opinions.
We make this a regular part of our cover design process, showing our Facebook followers early mock-ups and allowing them to vote on their favorite designs.
Some authors give readers the complete final say in their cover design. Earlier this year, TikTok star Alex Aster let her followers decide between two cover options. The winning cover was revealed in Times Square, and her book will be released this August by Amulet Books.
3. Pitch your reveal to publications.
If your publisher hasn’t already offered to do so, ask them if they’d be willing to post your cover reveal on their social platforms or websites. This is particularly helpful if they have large followings.
Most of the larger publishers only post their most anticipated titles of the year, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. If they say no, or if you’re self-published, you still have plenty of other options.
You can pitch your cover reveal to websites and online publications that your readers are likely to follow, such as Bustle, BookRiot, Paste Magazine, or LitHub. These sites have run cover reveals in the past.
You can also try genre-specific blogs or post to social media influencers who cover books and the literary world. Explain why your book would interest their audience, and offer them the chance to run an exclusive first-look cover reveal.
4. Post it on your social media accounts and author platforms.
If you’re running your own cover reveal, you may be wondering where you should run it.
You can reveal your cover on pretty much every social media platform (including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube), and your author website.
You can (and should) also share your cover with subscribers to your email list. Encourage your followers to share their thoughts in the comments, reshare the cover, and so on.
And of course, if your book is already available for pre-order, be sure to share the link too!
5. Make it an event.
You’ve written the book, and now it has a cover. That’s exciting, and something to be celebrated!
Consider hosting a virtual (or even in-person) event for the big reveal. You can live-stream the event and even host a Q&A for your readers, or read a few chapters from your book.
This is an excellent way to generate buzz for your book, get to know your readers, and boost your engagement and following online.
6. Update your author profiles.
Once your cover is finalized and you’ve already done your big reveal, make sure your cover is present on all of your author profiles.
This includes retail sites like Amazon, social sites like Goodreads, and other promotional sites like BookBub. (This is assuming that your book has a page on these sites, which likely won’t happen before it’s available for pre-order.)
When Should You Do a Book Cover Reveal?
Try to plan your book cover reveal as early as you can ahead of your book’s publication, at least several weeks in advance.
However, do make sure that the cover is finalized and that it won’t be changing after you share it with your readers.
More Ways to Promote Your Cover
You can use many of the promotional tools and strategies that you’d use to promote your book to promote its cover, too.
Try contacting bloggers and influencers, or write some guest blogs yourself. These are additional opportunities to link to your book and its cover, and get people excited ahead of its release. Check out more tips in our ultimate book marketing plan!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 19 Famous Book Covers and the Stories Behind Them
- 5 Tips to Create an Attractive Book Cover
- The Ultimate Book Marketing Plan: What To Do Before, During, and After Your Launch
- 7 Social Media Strategies Authors Use to Sell More Books
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
