What should be on my book launch checklist?
A launch is three seasons, not one day: ninety days of preparation, one week of noise, and ninety days of steady carrying. The books that appear to launch effortlessly simply finished their assets before launch week began.
Work it out yourself, free
The Herald's Calendar →Free: lay the whole launch out across the weeks and see what is missing while there is still time.
Ninety days before
Final manuscript locked. Cover finished and tested at thumbnail size. Metadata, categories and keywords chosen. Advance reader team assembled. Pre-order page live.
Commission the audio and film editions here, because their price is set by the locked word count and their build wants weeks, not days.
Launch week
Vertical cuts posted daily. Newsletter sent twice — announcement and reminder. Reviewer copies followed up once. Your own social accounts carrying the book's mood, not its blurb.
Ninety days after
This is where most launches are lost. Keep posting cuts, keep the newsletter honest, keep the audio and film editions circulating to podcasts, bloggers and communities. A book with moving assets can be relaunched a dozen times without repeating itself.
Asked and answered
- Should the audiobook launch with the book?
- Yes where possible — a simultaneous release doubles the surfaces a new reader can find you on.
- How long should a launch run?
- Plan six months of attention. Launch day is only the loudest hour of it.
Also asked
Every answer in the hall
- How much does it cost to make an audiobook?
- What is a film book?
- How long is an audiobook by word count?
- Book trailers: how do you make one, what does it cost, and how is it different from a film book?
- How many voices does an audiobook need?
- How do you turn a book into a video?
- Can I narrate my own audiobook?
- How long does it take to make an audiobook?
- How do you make an audiobook?
- Should I use ACX or a professional audiobook producer?
- How much does a film book cost?
- How do I get my audiobook on Audible and Spotify?
- What does audiobook production for indie authors involve?
- How much does an audiobook narrator cost?
- How do I record an audiobook?
- How do I publish an audiobook?
- What do book marketing services actually do?
- How do I self-publish a book?
- How many words are in a novel?
- How do I copyright a book?
- What is BookTok?
- How much do authors make per book?
- How long does it take to write a book?
- How do I find the best narrator for my audiobook?
- How do I get reviews for my book?
- How do I write a book blurb?
Strength and Solidarity LLC — 27 answers kept in this hall