Hello again, my pretties!
A month has passed since my Romance debut went live. The initial frenzy has settled. The emotions have stabilized. And now comes the postmortem.
In medicine, a postmortem tries to establish what happened and why. In publishing, it serves the same purpose, though hopefully no corpses are involved—unless you write murder mysteries, of course. You look back at your launch with clear eyes, gather the data, and ask: What worked? What didn't? What will I do differently next time?
This isn't about self-criticism. It's about self-education.
Gathering the Data
Before you can learn from your launch, you need to know what actually happened. This means collecting numbers.
Start with the quantifiable: How many books sold in the first week? The first month? How many newsletter subscribers did you gain? How many reviews? What was your ad spend, if any, and what did it produce?
Then move to the qualitative: Which social media posts got engagement? Which fell flat? What did readers mention in reviews or messages? Where did your traffic come from?
I created a simple spreadsheet to track the data from my launch. It’s nothing fancy, just a place to record the facts as they happened. Your memory is an unreliable narrator, and asking it to tell you how your launch went will turn a disappointing launch into a disaster, or a modest success into "that time everything went wrong." The numbers keep you honest. And even a “disaster” can teach you a valuable lesson.
Ideally, you should do this before you publish, so you can include information about preorders and other early stages of the process. But if you’re just starting now, gather the information you can find, and try to build the habit as you begin the next book. Any data you can find is better than nothing at all.
What Worked
Looking back at my launch, a few things clearly helped.
My cover worked. Readers commented on it. It signaled the right genre and tone. The investment in a professional designer paid off, and I'll use her again for book 2.
My newsletter, small as it was, delivered. Those forty subscribers were engaged. They bought my book on launch day. They left early reviews. Building that list before launch, even modestly, made a real difference.
The preorder strategy helped too. Having the book available for a few weeks before launch meant I could promote a live link rather than asking people to remember to buy later. Some readers prefer to click once and forget.
What Didn't
Not everything went smoothly.
My social media promotion felt scattered. I posted, but I did so without a real plan. Some days I shared three times. Some days I forgot entirely. The engagement was inconsistent, and I suspect I annoyed followers on the heavy days while annoying the algorithm on the quiet ones. Next time, I'll schedule posts in advance to come out consistently ahead of launch.
I also underestimated how long blurb revisions would take. I thought I'd finalize it in a day. It took a week of agonizing. For book 2, I'm starting the blurb earlier and getting more feedback before I'm under deadline pressure.
And I wish I'd lined up more early reviewers. Three reviews in the first month is fine, but more would have helped with visibility and credibility. I left finding ARCs too late in the process and paid the price. On the bright side, those who did review are keen to receive book 2. I just need to find more like them.
Reader Feedback Is Gold
Beyond the numbers, pay attention to what readers say in their reviews, comments, and feedback. Their words tell you what's landing and what isn't.
One reader mentioned loving the banter between my protagonists. That tells me to lean into that strength in book 2. Another said the pacing slowed in the middle. That’s also useful, even if it stings. I can watch for that tendency in my next draft.
Remember from our conversation about beta readers that not every piece of feedback requires action. Some readers want things that other readers would hate. But patterns matter, and if three people mention the same issue, it's probably real.
Susan Odev
For each book I publish, I keep a document called "Reader Notes." Every comment, review excerpt, or message that reveals something about how readers are receiving my book goes in there. It's becoming a guide for what to protect and what to improve, and I’ll use it as I draft the next book.
Building Your Launch Playbook
Here's the real value of a postmortem: It becomes your playbook for next time.
I'm already making notes for book 2’s launch. Start the blurb eight weeks out, not four. Schedule social media in batches. Send ARC requests six weeks before release, not three. These aren't revolutionary insights. They're just lessons I learned the hard way.
Your playbook will be different from mine. Maybe your strength is social media and your weakness is email. Maybe you thrive on ads but hate asking for reviews. The point is to know yourself, document what works, and build systems you can repeat.
Launching a book will never be easy. But it can get easier if you're willing to learn from each one.
Reflection Exercise
If you’ve never conducted a postmortem before, start by gathering data and reader feedback from your launch. Then, consider them as you answer the following questions.
- What three things worked best about my last launch?
- What one thing would I do completely differently?
- What feedback have readers given me, and what patterns do I notice?
- What will I start doing earlier next time?
The answers can help you plan your publishing strategy for the next book.
Reality Check-In
One month post-launch, I've sold just over two hundred copies and have six reviews, averaging 4.5 stars. It’s not a bestseller, but it’s a solid start—especially for a debut. More importantly, I've learned things I couldn't have learned any other way. My launch playbook is three pages long and growing. Book 2 is outlined, and I've started drafting. The plan is to release it in spring, giving myself a sustainable timeline rather than a panicked one. I'm building a career, not chasing a single hit.
Happy writing,
Susan
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