Maria Connor

You read the how-to book. You borrowed the spreadsheet your author pal created. You invested in the trendy project management software. You have a checklist or three.

Yet every time you launch a book, you cringe—because you forgot to order a cover and realized this when you were uploading the book two hours before the KDP deadline (this really happened), or you neglected to change the price on your free first-in-series, or you never sent out review copies, or you overlooked the email with corrections from your proofreader, or … you get the idea.

Part of the challenge in systematizing the book launch process is that not all releases are created equal. The time, money, and energy you’re willing to invest in book 1 of a new series differs from what you’d put behind the re-release of a backlist title or a lead magnet. The strategies employed for Romance differ from those applicable to nonfiction. The production process and marketing opportunities differ for audiobooks, foreign translations, or multi-author collaborations. You also have to factor in qualifiers such as budget, skills, marketing goals, release frequency, and career level.

As such, we want to offer a list of common book release tasks—administrative, production, and marketing—and a basic timeline that you can customize to fit your business’s needs. Use it as a starting point to develop a system that works for you and all your different releases, so you can skip the frantic, pulling-your-hair-out stage of publishing. Keep in mind these tasks and timelines are only suggestions. Your process and calendar will differ, so skip any steps that don’t apply or tweak things as you go.

Tips for Creating a Manageable Book Launch Process and Calendar

One of the biggest challenges in creating a book launch protocol is the array of strategies and techniques available to authors. Realistically evaluate your resources, especially time and money; your assets, such as established readership and number of published titles; and what you want to accomplish with your launch plan, which may include sales, series read-through, distribution to a new market, or establishing a name in a new subgenre or niche.

Tune in to the publishing community to learn what’s working, learn about resources, and add new options. Beware, however, of FOMO, the fear of missing out. You do not—and should not—do what everyone else is doing. Some of the most successful authors focus inward to develop a highly personalized launch plan and tactics geared to their unique assets, readers, and priorities. Start small and build on your success, which means tracking each tactic and correlating results.

Pre-launch considerations

Developing a book launch process and calendar is beneficial in that you don’t need to “reinvent the wheel” every time you release a new book. A master checklist and timeline is a great starting place but may need adjustment. A few considerations:

Lead time: How soon before the release date can you finalize your manuscript? Is there sufficient time to solicit endorsements and professional reviews, which can require up to six months? If you use alpha or beta readers or an ARC team, have you factored this time into your production schedule?

Budget: Prioritizing outcomes is a good way to decide where to invest your marketing money. Researching costs and expenses is helpful for creating a realistic budget.

Soft or hard release: A soft release, where the book goes live before active marketing begins, might be a good option for new authors. It allows you to ensure all elements are accurate and in place. Authors may also choose to do a soft release to build organic momentum. Hard releases kick off with heavy marketing activities from the start.

Pre-Launch Setup

Before releasing a book, especially if you want to use marketing strategies, authors need to ensure the basic business structure is in place. This includes creating accounts at distributors or aggregators, building a website and/or landing page, developing a newsletter sign-up site, creating social media profiles, and setting up author profiles on Goodreads and BookBub.

Pre-Launch Production and Marketing

(2-6 months before launch)

Two to six months before a book’s release, you’re still solidly in the manuscript production stage of the publishing process. You’ve written “The End,” but you’re not done with the story just yet—over these next few weeks, you’ll need to complete any last-minute editing and cleanup to the text and complete the layout for the formats you plan to publish. If you’ve got a planner, now is the time to put it to work; plug in your publish date, then spend some time backtracking to find the dates you’ll need to send materials to your editor, street team, or cover designer.

  • Complete manuscript
    • Gather feedback from alpha and/or beta readers
    • Self-edit manuscript
  • Edit manuscript
    • Complete developmental edits
    • Complete line edits and/or proofread
    • Finalize manuscript
  • Book cover production
    • Brainstorm cover art, fonts, color scheme, samples, and comparable titles
    • Commission book cover with designer
    • Obtain high-resolution covers for all assets (e-book, print, audio, etc.)
  • Asset production
    • Identity formats and specifications for production (e-book, print, audiobook, ARCs, etc.)
    • Assemble materials needed for formatting: style guide, high-resolution cover(s), front and back matter, final edited manuscript, logos, chapter heading images, title page, etc.
    • Format book—outsource this or complete it yourself
    • Conduct quality check on all formatted assets
  • Prepare front and back matter
    • Set up preorder for next book in series if including in back matter
  • Write book description, tagline, short blurb, and full-length blurb
  • Select excerpts, pull quotes, and teaser quotes
  • Assemble assets (formatted files, covers, metadata) for upload to distributors
  • Research and identify categories and keywords
  • Set up preorder
  • Assemble retailer links—created shortened links, if applicable
  • Add book data and retailer links to website
  • Book cover reveal blitz
  • Recruit social media influencers and/or ARC team members

(2 months-2 weeks before launch)

Your story is polished; your cover is perfect. Now is the time to shout about it to your readers. From two months until about two weeks from launch day is the marketing stage, where you share the news about your new release with the world. Set up preorders, promote the book on social media and in your newsletter, and prepare any additional materials you want ready for once your book hits the shelves.

  • Create graphics for social media, newsletter, blog, media kit, etc.
    • Preorder graphics
    • Cover reveal
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
    • Countdown
    • No text/evergreen version
  • Add graphics to social media rotation
  • Assemble media kit and/or sell sheet
  • Preorder
    • Research preorder promotion available through retailers
    • Set up preorder giveaway
    • Announce in newsletter and on social media
  • Cover reveal
    • Set up cover reveal giveaway
    • Announce cover reveal on social media and in newsletter
  • Book paid promotions and advertisements—David Gaughran and Kindlepreneur offer helpful lists
  • Request cross-promotion activities with peer authors
  • Set up Goodreads giveaway
  • Add book to BookBub profile, Amazon Author Page
  • Create, format, and set up distribution for bonus content
  • Prepare marketing and ad copy
  • Distribute ARCs to readers, reviewers, and influencers
  • Schedule release day celebration activities
    • Blog tour
    • New release takeovers
    • Cross-promotion events
  • Design and order marketing collateral (bookmarks, postcards, etc.)
  • Update back matter of previously published books

Launch Day Production and Marketing

(1-2 weeks before launch)

It’s release day! Today is a celebration of all the hard work you’ve put in these past few months—and that’s not including all the time you spent writing the story before that. But your work still isn’t quite done. Make sure you take some extra time around launch day to set your book up for success: post about it to your readers, throw a launch party, set up advertisements, and begin tracking your sales. And take a moment to soak it all in. After all, you did it! Your book is finally out in the world.

  • Upload final files to retailers ten to fourteen days before release
  • Share media kit/graphics with author cross-promotion partners
  • Promote new release
    • Send new release newsletter
    • Add new release teasers to social media rotation
  • Engage and interact with readers and reviewers on social media
  • Schedule or launch Facebook, AMS, and/or BookBub ads
  • Promote backlist or other books in series—consider submitting for a BookBub Featured Deal
  • Host new release celebration
  • Announce new release giveaway

Post-Launch Production and Marketing

(1 week after launch and ongoing)

An author’s work is never done. Your book may be in readers’ hands, but to truly set it up for success, be sure to check in on it monthly or quarterly to update your ads, refine your metadata, and promote the book along with the rest of your backlist. After that, stretch those fingers—it’s on to the next book!

  • Monitor and adjust ads
  • Track sales and correlate to promotional initiatives
  • Continue cross-promotion activities (newsletter swaps, posting in other reader groups)
  • Follow-up with reviewers and cross-promo partners who have not yet engaged
  • Update/refine keywords and categories
  • Add editorial reviews to retailer product page
  • Update media kit
  • Send follow-up newsletter with thank-you message and what’s next
  • Continue to seek marketing opportunities (seasonal, discounts, cross-promo, etc.)

Want to Read More?

There is no shortage of resources to help authors develop a process that can be replicated and customized for each launch. Here are just a few:

  • My Book Launch Planner (2023) by Mandi Lynn and Stone Ridge Books
  • How To Launch A Successful Series: Your Book Launch Survival Guide (2023) by Helen B. Scheuerer
  • Successful Book Launch Secrets (2020) by Donna Partow
  • Plan a Profitable Book Launch (2021) by Mandi Lynn and Bethany Atazadeh
  • Release Strategies: Plan Your Self-Publishing Schedule for Maximum Benefit (2019) by Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle
  • Launch That Book (2023) by Tammy Karasek
  • The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan (2018) by Stephanie Chandler and Karl W. Palachuk
  • How to Revise and Re-Release Your Book (2018) by Penny C. Sansevieri
  • Writing
Share this article