Pre-Orders

Pre-orders can be helpful for your self-publishing strategy, setting the stage for a strong book launch. They can build early momentum, driving engagement and improving your book's visibility. Here's what I've learned so far.

Pre-orders help us build excitement, drive early sales, and improve visibility on platforms like Amazon. Early sales give you higher book rankings on launch day, increasing the likelihood that your book will appear in recommendations for potential readers and appear on bestseller lists. They also let you gauge reader interest, giving insight into how well your pre-launch marketing efforts are working.

By offering pre-order incentives, you can cultivate a loyal audience, creating anticipation and word-of-mouth buzz before the official release. In short, pre-orders set the stage for a strong, well-prepared book launch.

Drawing on my promotional successes with METAL and pre-order failures with I, NANO, I compiled a step-by-step guide to help you plan, promote, and execute a successful pre-order campaign.

Note: You don't have to spend much money on pre-launch activities to drum up pre-orders. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

EARLY PLANNING

A longer preparation period helps you stay consistent with your promotions without overwhelming your audience. Stretching out your announcements and teasers over a few months helps you build excitement gradually. The earlier you can start, the better position you'll be in on launch day. If you don't have a plan leading up to your launch, think about delaying it (this is easily done on most platforms).

3-6 months out: Announce your book and start teasing. I post snippets and news about my books as I write and edit as early as a year ahead of launch.

2-3 months out: Reveal the cover with a social media push. People love a good cover. Here's my post about book covers.

1 month out: Offer sneak peeks like sample chapters or exclusive character profiles.

1-2 weeks out: Ramp up with daily countdowns and share ARC reviews.

Remember: Every interaction is one touch closer to a sale.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

You may want to consider using a project management software tool. I use a simple Google Doc to keep track of everything. If you're tech-savvy, Trello can help you track deadlines by moving digital post-its across a virtual whiteboard. Similarly, Asana helps manage tasks and workflows, especially if you're working with a team.

Hint: Keep things flexible. If some promotional angles don't resonate with you or your audience, shift your strategy and try something new, like a poll or behind-the-scenes post.

YOUR WEBSITE

A pre-order page simplifies the process for readers by giving them one place to find everything — links to retailers, bonus offers/material, and book details. If you need help getting started on your website, check out my post here.

You can either add a pre-order section to your home page or a separate page that you link to from places like X, Facebook, or newsletters. Here are a few key details to include:

• Description: Add a clear, concise, and enticing book description. If you need help writing a blurb, here's my post on the subject.

• Cover: Include a graphic of the cover to entice readers.

• Timer: Use a countdown timer to create urgency (tools like Countdown Kings make it easy).

• Links: Provide links to multiple platforms like Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books.

There are a variety of website builders you can choose from: Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, and Weebly.

Hint: Pin the link to your pre-order page on your social media profiles and add it to your email signature for easy access.

BLOG POSTS / NEWSLETTERS

Email subscribers are your most dedicated readers. Sharing exclusive content with them keeps them excited and encourages early orders.

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT:

• Send a first-look chapter to your email list before sharing it publicly.

• Offer an exclusive cover reveal or sneak peek at character art.

• Thank readers with automated follow-up emails when they pre-order.

EMAIL TOOLS (THESE CAN COST A LOT, SO BE CAREFUL):

• Mailchimp — great for automation and tracking email engagement.

• ConvertKit — tailored for creators with easy email funnels.

Hint: Make your emails personal and fun — use subject lines that grab attention, like "Pre-Order Now or My Dog Gets the Couch!"

PRE-ORDER INCENTIVES

By providing early rewards to readers, you can encourage them to take action before launch day. Choose incentives that match your book:

• Fantasy books: offer digital maps or character sketches.

• Sci-fi: create a bonus short story set in the same universe.

• Romance: design digital wallpapers with romantic quotes from the book.

For delivering bonuses, use BookFunnel for digital downloads, and collect pre-order receipts and addresses via Google Forms.

Hint: Even small bonuses — like personalized thank-you notes — can go a long way in building goodwill with readers.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Your audience is already hanging out on platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook. Use these platforms to connect with them and keep your book top of mind.

Create engaging content: Post countdowns leading up to launch day to create urgency. Use polls to ask readers which teaser or character they want to see next. Share behind-the-scenes content, like sneak peeks into your writing process.

Helpful tools: Canva to design graphics and teasers quickly, and Hootsuite to schedule posts across multiple platforms.

Hint: Don't be afraid to inject humor — memes related to your book's theme are a great way to increase engagement.

COLLABORATE

Partnering with other authors lets you tap into their readership and vice versa. Working with book bloggers, podcasters, and influencers can expand your audience even further.

Finding partners: Try joining communities like StoryOrigin to find authors open to newsletter swaps. Reach out to Goodreads bloggers to help find ARC readers for early reviews.

Offer mutual promotion: Newsletter swaps help you both entice readers from your separate audiences. Think about a joint giveaway or Instagram Live with another author.

Hint: Collaborations work best when there's natural enthusiasm for each other's work — readers can tell when it's authentic.

GIVEAWAYS

Giveaways build excitement and reward readers for spreading the word. Offering prizes like signed copies or bonus content can boost visibility and drive engagement. Set up giveaways on Rafflecopter or Gleam to manage entries. Offer multiple ways to enter to gain more exposure, and announce winners publicly.

Hint: Offer small consolation prizes (like a digital wallpaper) to all participants — it keeps everyone engaged.

ARC REVEWS

Advanced reader copies (ARCs) can help you get ratings and reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and elsewhere, which helps other readers feel confident about hitting pre-order. This is a whole topic of its own, so I'll refer you to my post about ARCs.

Hint One: Start early. Find early readers ASAP. If you read theirs, they're much more likely to read yours.

Hint Two: Follow up with reviewers and thank them — relationships matter in the indie community.

ADVERTISE

Ads help you reach new readers beyond your current audience. Targeted Facebook and Amazon ads work well for me. However, what works for one author/book often doesn't work for another. Here's what I can say:

• The algorithms change, so you have to stay on top of it.

• Experiment with small amounts of money on different ads and platforms (Amazon, Facebook/Insta) before you up your budget.

• Monitor cost per click, clicks and impressions, and bumps in pre-orders after each experiment.

• Some purchases come long after you advertise because you get on people's to-be-read list.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is all a learning experience, one that I keep trying to figure out. The goal shouldn't be perfection. Remember, there is time to improve if you start early. Each campaign is an opportunity to try something new. Give up on what doesn't work for you. Use what does. Do what you're comfortable with and forget the rest.

You've got this.