Book Launch Services from preorder to post-launch

Start 12 to 16 weeks before release

Sixteen weeks gives room for advance readers to finish the book, for media outlets with long lead times to consider it, and for a preorder to collect interest. Eight weeks is workable for a straightforward eBook. Anything shorter and you are mostly announcing, not launching.

The first meeting settles the basics: release date, formats, price, which retailers, and what success means to you. For one author that is reviews and speaking invitations. For another it is a series that earns read-through. The goal decides the tactics, so we write it down before anything else.

We also check the production schedule. A launch plan built on a release date the files can't meet is just a list of hopes, so cover, interior and final proof dates go on the calendar first.

Get the book page ready before anyone sees it

Every pitch, email and ad sends people to the same place: your retailer page. If that page is weak, everything upstream leaks. Before outreach starts, we lock the title and subtitle, the categories and keywords, the author bio and the book description.

The description deserves real time. It should open with the hook, not the backstory, and read cleanly on a phone. Our free book description builder is a good place to draft one, and we edit it with you from there.

The cover has to work at thumbnail size, because that is how most shoppers meet it. If yours is not there yet, our cover design team can fix it before launch, when changes are still cheap.

Line up early praise and endorsements

Blurbs from respected names and editorial reviews from trade outlets do a different job than reader reviews. They give a stranger a reason to trust the book before anyone has rated it, and they belong on the cover, the book page and every pitch.

Requests go out early, ideally three to four months before release, because the people you most want to hear from are busy. We help you build a short list of authors, experts and community figures with a genuine connection to the subject, and we write requests that are easy to say yes to.

Some trade review outlets consider indie titles only months ahead of publication, and some charge a fee for review consideration. We'll tell you which ones fit your book and which aren't worth the money.

Decide whether to run a preorder

A preorder lets readers commit early and gives you a live link to share in every pitch. Under KDP's pre-order rules, Kindle eBooks can go on preorder well ahead of release, but KDP does not offer preorders for paperbacks or hardcovers. Print preorders usually come through wide distribution instead.

The rules carry real penalties. KDP requires the final manuscript at least 72 hours before release, and a missed deadline cancels customer orders and can cost you preorder privileges for months. We build a buffer of a week or more into every schedule.

Preorders are not always the right call. Sales recorded during a long preorder are spread out over that window rather than landing on release day, so some authors prefer a short preorder or an instant release. We walk through the trade-offs with your goals in mind.

Run an advance reader program

Advance reader copies, or ARCs, go out four to ten weeks before release to readers, reviewers, bloggers and anyone likely to talk about the book. They should be clean. A typo-filled ARC tends to show up in reviews, so we recommend proofreading before copies go out, not after.

We handle the logistics: recruiting readers who actually read your genre, delivering secure digital files, tracking who received what, and sending polite reminders near release. For some books we also list the title on an established review-copy platform used by librarians, booksellers and reviewers.

ARC readers are different from beta readers. Beta readers see a draft and help you improve it. ARC readers see the finished book and help other readers find it.

Ask for reviews the honest way

Reviews matter, which is exactly why the rules around them are strict. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, in effect since October 2024, bans buying reviews and bans offering any reward that depends on a review being positive. Fines can reach tens of thousands of dollars per violation.

Amazon's community guidelines go further: no paying for reviews in money or goods, and reviews from close friends, family or anyone with a financial stake can be removed. A free advance copy is generally fine, as long as the copy is not conditioned on a review or a rating.

So we never buy reviews, never use review swaps, and never tell readers what to say. Every ARC request asks for an honest opinion, whatever it turns out to be. The FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ also expects reviewers to disclose that they got a free copy, so our reader instructions include a simple disclosure line.

It is slower than shortcuts. It is also the only approach that keeps your book page and your reputation safe.

Build a launch team that actually shows up

A launch team is a small group of genuine fans who agree to help in release week: sharing posts, telling their book club, asking their library to order a copy, and leaving an honest review if they choose. Twenty engaged people beat two hundred who signed up and forgot.

We help you recruit from your existing readers, newsletter, social followers and professional network, then run the group with a short brief, a private space for updates and a simple task list for each week. Clear, small asks get done. Vague ones don't.

Use your email list as the launch engine

Social posts get scrolled past. Email gets opened by people who chose to hear from you, which is why the list is usually the most dependable launch channel an author owns, even when it is small.

If you are starting from zero, we set up a sign-up page on your author website, a reader magnet such as a bonus chapter or a resource guide, and a short welcome sequence. Then we draft the launch emails: the cover reveal, the preorder announcement, release day, and a final reminder. You approve every word.

Pitch media, podcasts and local outlets

Media works best when the pitch is about the reader, not the book. A retired investigator's true-crime book is a story for the local paper and for crime podcasts. A business book is a guest spot on shows its readers already listen to. We find the angle, build the target list and write personal pitches, not mass blasts.

Timing varies by outlet. Print magazines can need months of lead time, podcasts often book weeks out, and local papers and radio may move within days. We stage pitches to match. Supporting assets help: a one-page media kit, high-resolution author photos, sample interview questions and, for some books, a short book trailer.

We can't promise coverage, and anyone who does is guessing. We can promise a well-targeted pitch sent to people who cover your subject.

Add advertising once the page converts

Ads multiply whatever your book page already does. If the page converts browsers into buyers, ads can scale that. If it doesn't, they mostly spend money faster. That is why paid campaigns come after the cover, description and early reviews are in place.

For most launches we start with Amazon Ads, usually Sponsored Products campaigns built around a tested keyword list, with modest daily budgets and weekly reviews. Sponsored Brands become an option once you have several titles. Depending on genre, we may suggest Facebook ads or a promotion with a reader-deal newsletter. You approve the ad budget, and you pay platforms directly.

Launch week, day by day

Launch week follows a written run sheet. Release day brings the announcement email, launch team posts and a check that every format is live and linked correctly. Midweek is for interviews, guest posts and reminders to ARC readers. The weekend is for a launch event, in person or online, if it suits the book.

We watch the details that slip during a busy week: a paperback that isn't linked to its eBook, a wrong price in one country, a broken link in an email. Small fixes made on day one prevent lost sales for months. You get a short daily summary so you know what happened and what's next.

The eight weeks after release

Launch energy fades fast unless you plan for the second wave. In the weeks after release we follow up with ARC readers who haven't posted yet, adjust ads based on real data, pitch slower-moving outlets and line up the next promotion.

Options depend on your setup. Books enrolled in KDP Select can run a Kindle Countdown Deal or a free promotion. Wide books can use price promotions across retailers. A new format, such as an edition made through our audiobook production service, gives you a fresh reason to reach out to readers.

We close with a written debrief: what worked, what didn't, and what we would change for your next book. That debrief often turns out to be the most useful document of the whole launch.