How to Launch Your Book: A Practical 30-Day Plan

Before You Start: What This Plan Assumes

This is a launch plan, not a writing plan.

You should already have:

• Edited and formatted manuscript (or very close).
• Cover design locked in.
• Draft listings created in KDP / IngramSpark / other platforms.

If those aren’t ready yet, pause here and handle them first, then come back.

Days 30–21: Foundation & Assets

Goal: get the “invisible” work done.

• Finalize book description, categories, and keywords.
• Create a simple landing page with an email opt-in and book info.
• Set up or clean your email list (tags, segments, welcome email).
• Invite advance readers and early reviewers.
• Draft 3–5 emails and 5–7 social posts you can reuse during launch.

Days 20–11: Warm Up Your Audience

Goal: make your people aware and curious.

• Announce the book and share the release date.
• Share your why story: why you wrote this and who it helps.
• Release a sample chapter or excerpt.
• Pitch 3–10 podcasts, blogs, or newsletters for features.
• Follow up with early reviewers, making it easy to leave reviews on launch day.

Days 10–4: Countdown Content

Goal: show up consistently without being annoying.

• Send a “10 days to launch” email with the big promise of the book.
• Post short stories, screenshots, or quotes related to the book’s core topic.
• Confirm any interviews or guest content going live around launch.
• Record a quick “here’s what you’ll get from this book” video.

Days 3–1: Final Push

Goal: give people a clear, repeated heads-up.

• Send a “3 days to launch” email with a reminder of bonuses or early-bird pricing.
• Share specific problems or outcomes the book addresses.
• Prep launch-day posts you can schedule or copy/paste quickly.
• Double-check all links, prices, and formats on each retailer page.

Day 0: Launch Day

Goal: make buying the obvious next step.

• Send your main launch email with a big clear “Buy now” button.
• Post to your primary channels with direct purchase links.
• Personally message close contacts, peers, and partners.
• Watch for technical issues on Amazon and other platforms.

Don’t obsess over one-day rank. Focus on building a strong first week.

Days +1 to +7: Post-Launch Momentum

Goal: keep talking about the book without sounding like a broken record.

• Share screenshots or quotes from early reviews.
• Answer common reader questions in short posts or videos.
• Send a “behind the scenes” email about the launch and what’s next.
• Test a small, targeted ad campaign if budget allows.

Turn This into a Repeatable System

Don’t reinvent the wheel every time.

1. Save this 30-day plan as a template in your project tool.
2. After each launch, note what worked and what flopped.
3. Update the template so each new book launches smoother than the last.

Combine this plan with the bigger-picture strategy in The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing in 2025 .