The launch week checklist

Launching a self-published novel isn't a single event — it's a choreographed two-week span with a hard date in the middle. Most launches underperform because the author treats launch day as the finish line. It's more like the second mile of a four-mile run. Here's what each day holds if you want to give the book a fair chance.

T-minus 14 to 8 days: locking the files

• Final proof read in the actual output. Order a printed proof copy of the paperback from KDP. Read it. Find the three to five things you missed on screen. Fix them.
• Confirm metadata. Title, subtitle, author name, BISAC codes, keywords, description — all locked in. No last-minute "oh wait I want to rename the book" changes; it cascades into every ad, every email.
• ARC distribution. Send Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) to 10–30 readers who've committed to posting a review on launch day or shortly after. Use a platform like BookSirens, NetGalley (expensive), or a personal mailing list. Give them 7–14 days to read.
• Newsletter teaser. Send an "it's coming" email to your list. Cover reveal, pre-order link if doing pre-order. Not the launch email yet.

T-minus 7 to 3 days: promo stack

• Pre-order button live on Amazon. KDP lets you set pre-orders up to 90 days out. During the pre-order window, sales all count on launch day for Amazon rank, which is a valid rank hack. Don't abuse it though — announce the pre-order honestly.
• Cover image, mockups, ready-to-paste social posts. Five posts minimum — one for launch eve, one for launch morning, one mid-day, one evening, one the next day. Write them now so you're not panicking at 6 a.m. on launch day.
• Book swaps / newsletter builder agreements. If you're in an author group, confirm who's promoting you on launch day. Usually: "I mention yours, you mention mine".
• Advertising account set up. Amazon Ads, Facebook Ads (if you're doing those) — accounts created, card attached, drafts saved. Don't launch the ads yet; the book needs reviews first.

T-minus 2 to 0: final prep

• Confirm the book is live on Amazon, both ebook and paperback. Pre-orders should flip to "in stock" automatically on launch day. If not, check KDP's dashboard for any "Under Review" flags.
• Launch-day email drafted. Subject line ready. Preview looks right on mobile. Links tested.
• Promote-the-promo scheduled. Any BookBub Featured Deal, Freebooksy, BargainBooksy, or similar paid service — scheduled for launch day itself.
• Your pre-launch ARCs should be reading. Gentle nudge 48 hours out: "reviews help us hit launch lists; please post on [date] if you can".

Launch day

• 06:00 your time — verify book is purchasable. Sometimes KDP's global distribution has hiccups; fix or wait them out.
• 07:00–09:00 — send the launch email. "It's live. [Amazon link]. Thank you for being here."
• 09:00 — first social post. Cover, one-line hook, link, clear CTA: "It's live. If this sounds like your thing, grab it — and a review in the first week genuinely changes how many other readers find it."
• 10:00–12:00 — check Amazon reviews as ARC readers post them. Don't thank reviewers publicly (some retailers consider it manipulation). Do screenshot early ones and share in social (with permission).
• 12:00 — second social post. Different angle — a passage, a detail about the writing process, an image of the printed proof.
• 14:00–17:00 — if you have any media appointments, podcasts, guest posts, they run now. Prime afternoon window.
• 18:00 — third social post. End-of-day "how was the launch" update. Include current rank if it's respectable.
• 21:00 — turn on the Amazon ads you prepared. You now have a few reviews, the book has visible sales momentum, and the ads will pick up on that signal.

Launch day + 1 to 3

• Don't check the dashboard every hour. Amazon's rank oscillates; the signal is noisy. Check once a day, morning.
• Thank your ARC readers privately. Direct message, not public.
• Second-wave emails. If your list is segmented, send to segments who didn't open the first one.
• Cross-promote. If you have author friends whose books you love, share in your newsletter or social. Most will reciprocate when it's their turn.
• Monitor the ads. Kill underperforming keywords. Increase bids on winners.

Launch day + 4 to 7

• BookBub Featured Deal (if you got one). This is the single biggest discoverability lever indie authors have. A Featured Deal in your genre can move thousands of copies in a day. Pair with a $0.99 sale price if in Kindle Countdown range.
• Post-launch review request email. To everyone on the list who opened the launch email but hasn't reviewed. "If you've finished, a review genuinely helps the book reach more people."
• Check KDP reports daily. You're looking for whether the initial spike is decaying normally or whether something in your ad copy / cover / description is killing conversion. Fix whatever the data says to fix.

Launch day + 8 to 30

• Sustained ad spend, typically $5–15/day on Amazon Ads if ROAS is positive.
• Weekly newsletter updates to your list.
• Plan book 2. Seriously — the single biggest lever for book 1's long-term success is the existence of book 2 (reader habit, series rank, "also bought" linkages).

The short version

1. Proof copy ordered and read at least 2 weeks before launch.
2. ARCs distributed 10–14 days before launch, with a hard date for reviews.
3. Pre-order button live if using pre-order.
4. Social posts, emails, ad drafts prepared by T-minus-3.
5. Launch day: verify live, send email, three social posts, ads on only after early reviews.
6. Post-launch week: BookBub if available, follow-up emails, review nudges, monitor ads.
7. By day 30, plan book 2.

Anthony's take

TODO — revise with Spellbound specifics. Which parts of this list did Anthony actually do? Which ones didn't get done and didn't matter? Which single task turned out to have outsized return on time spent? That retrospective replaces this paragraph once Spellbound has been live for 30 days.

Related

• Pricing strategy for first-time authors
• KDP Select vs wide distribution
• Writing a book description that sells