What are the key factors of a product launch strategy for an e-book?

I'm about to finish writing an e-book that will introduce children to programming. I'm at the point where I'm thinking through the elements of launching a site and marketing the ebook.

As I've scoured the web, all the product launch information I can find are from self-proclaimed Internet Marketing Gurus who have gimmicky looking websites which remind me of cheesy late-night infomercials.

Are there any good resources out there on launching an e-book? Has anybody here launched an e-book before, and if do you have any sort of outline for a product launch strategy? What are the key things I should be thinking about? Are there specific marketing and announcement strategies that work well with e-book launches?

It would depend upon whether you already have some presence on the web around your niche.

While I'll agree on the part about cheesy long-page-sales letters that most of them have with all sort of false scarcity, 10s of upsells and "ending tonight" urgency, but there are some nice folks too from whom you can get ideas and adjust to your requirement. For me what has worked the most is "money-is-in-the-list" idiom of IM gurus (- in simple terms email marketing.)

Here are some points I would suggest you to consider

• Try to start with a blog around your topic.
• Create a series of email autoresponders and offer some of the best tips for free in return for a double-opted in email address. (You can check my profile page for the autoresponder that I prefer.) Getting traffic will be one of the hard tasks, if you don't already have a presence around your niche. If you're in the same boat, read on...
• Try to find out website/blog owners who already have presence in a similar niche as yours. Try to leverage their subscriber base and get their members opted in to your list created above. You may ask, why these site owners will open their subscriber base for me? Well, if you have a really solid product and you can offer them some high share for every copy sold through their link, they may consider your offer.
• Make a relationship with your list. This is BIG. The more genuine, personal touch you can give to a list more likely they will purchase products from you.
• Think about your launch as a long term strategy. Today's ebook launch may help you with tomorrow's online training launch. Treat your prospects and customers well and they will take care of you.

I can go on... my clock is showing 3:00 AM. I would be interested in what others have to think.

All the best!