Date Change & Why Use Pre-orders

I goofed!

When I set the release date for Touching Charlotte as Tuesday, May 24th, I forgot that big publishing houses often release new books on Tuesdays. It’s not a good idea for indie authors to put a new book up against the big boys, so I pushed back the release date to Thursday, May 26. I hope there will be enough pre-orders by then to boost my book up the ranks on Amazon.

The importance of pre-orders:

1. Pre-orders boost a book’s ranking on Amazon, B&N, Apple, Kobo, etc. on release day. The higher it ranks in its categories and in the site’s overall sales, the greater the chances your baby will be noticed by readers, which in turn may lead to more sales and an even higher ranking.

2. Pre-orders contribute to first week sales. Enough of them and your  book might make it onto a bestsellers list. We all dream of that, right?

3. If your book is traditionally published, a large volume of pre-orders may cause the vendor to place an order for more copies from your publisher — before your book even hits the shelves.

With these factors in mind, I plan to always offer my future books for pre-order.

If you are interested in reading Touching Charlotte, please, please Pre-order it now. You will make a real difference in the book ranking on release day.

Amazon US      Amazon UK     Amazon CA

How and when to put your book on pre-order:

I’ve learned it’s best to start your pre-order campaign at least 30 days prior to the release date of your book. This allows more time to spread the word to your followers and on social media, and for pre-order sales to grow.

You can upload your book as a rough draft when placing it on pre-order. However, in the case of Amazon, you must upload the final copy no later than 10 days before the scheduled release date. Why? Because Amazon doesn’t like authors to miss their release date and upset customers. If an author does not upload their final copy by that 10-day cutoff, they lose pre-order privileges for one year.

On Amazon, placing a book on pre-order is much the same as uploading and releasing it immediately. You fill in the same details, upload the book cover if ready, upload the book, set the price, etc. The difference is you indicate on the form that this is a pre-order submission. (There’s a spot for that.) And, if you wish to upload a rough draft, you also indicate that.

That’s pretty much it. Just make sure you follow that 10-day rule!

Questions? email me: lynhorner@outlook.com

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