/publishing

Distribution, Pricing, And Launch Plan

Save the plan to publishing/launch-plan.md. Every choice here belongs to the author; lay out the trade-offs and record the decision. Royalty rates, fees, and program terms change: treat every figure as a starting point and have the author check the retailer's current terms.

Plan File

---
type: launch-plan
story: {story-id}
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# Launch Plan: {Title}

## Decisions

- Formats: {ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio}
- Distribution: {routes}; exclusivity: {KDP Select or wide}
- Launch date: {publication-date}; preorder: {yes/no, from date}
- Prices: {format and territory: price}

## Timeline

| Date | Task | Owner | Status |
|------|------|-------|--------|

## Ad Tests

| Start | Platform | Variable tested | Budget | Stop rule | Result |
|-------|----------|-----------------|--------|-----------|--------|

## Lessons

Status values: todo, doing, done, dropped. Fill Result and Lessons only from what the author reports.

Distribution

A common print setup uses KDP for Amazon and IngramSpark for everywhere else, with separate ISBNs or the same author-owned ISBN; check each platform's current rules for sharing an ISBN.

Exclusivity

• KDP Select / Kindle Unlimited: the ebook must be exclusive to Amazon for each enrollment term (90 days, auto-renewing unless turned off). Print and audio are not covered. Pays per page read from a shared fund, plus promotion tools.
• Wide: the ebook sells everywhere, including libraries. Slower to build, less dependent on one company's program changes.
• Genres with heavy subscription readership (romance, some fantasy and thriller sub-genres) often do well in KU; others often do better wide. Look at what successful comparable authors do, and note that switching later is possible between terms.
• Exclusivity breaches (the ebook still live elsewhere, even a free sample chapter longer than allowed) can cost the account. Check the current terms before enrolling.

Pricing Considerations

There is no formula. Weigh:

• Comparable books: what successful books in the same sub-genre and length charge, in the same format.
• Royalty bands: some retailers pay a higher rate only within a price band (KDP has long paid its higher ebook rate only between about $2.99 and $9.99). Check the current band before pricing outside it.
• Print cost floor: the printer's print cost plus its share sets the minimum list price. Page count and trim drive the cost; get it from the printer's calculator after the PDF is final.
• Series strategy: a lower-priced or free first book can feed later books; it only pays if read-through is real. Track it.
• Territories: set local prices rather than accepting automatic conversion (a converted price like 4.37 looks odd).
• Launch pricing: a discounted launch or preorder price can help rank; plan when it ends.
• Taxes (VAT, sales tax, withholding) affect list prices and income. That is for the author's accountant, not this skill.

Timeline

Adjust to the author's date. Record each task with an owner and a date.

T-90 to T-60

• Final manuscript locked; copyedit and proofread scheduled.
• Cover commissioned or final; cover-alt written.
• Metadata filled and the metadata sheet clean; ISBNs assigned.
• Decide distribution and exclusivity. Set up preorders if using them (check each retailer's preorder deadlines and penalties).
• Reader magnet chosen: a short story, novella, or bonus scene offered for newsletter sign-up. It should be in the same genre and voice as the book.
• Newsletter service chosen; welcome sequence drafted. Only email people who opted in, and follow the email and privacy law that applies to the author's readers.

T-60 to T-30

• ARC team recruited. Options: BookFunnel (delivery and sign-up pages), BookSprout (review team management), NetGalley (librarians, booksellers, reviewers; costlier, sometimes shared through co-ops). Recruit from the newsletter first.
• ARC copies built with story build . --format epub from the final text; note that an ARC may still carry typos.
• ARC reader instructions: when to review, where, and the retailer's rule on disclosing a free copy. Never ask for positive reviews, pay for reviews, or trade reviews; retailers remove them and can penalize the account.
• Street team (the most engaged readers) given shareable graphics, quotes, and dates.
• Retailer copy final; A+ or enhanced content prepared.
• Print proof ordered and read.

T-30 to T-1

• Final files uploaded before the retailer's deadline; previews checked on the live page.
• Newsletter: cover reveal, excerpt, preorder link.
• Ads prepared (see Ads); nothing spends until launch unless preorders are a deliberate target.
• Launch-day email and social posts drafted.

Launch Week (T0 to T+7)

• Launch email; street team posts; ARC readers reminded to post.
• Check every retailer page: price, description, series link, look inside.
• Start ad tests.
• Record daily sales and rank only if the author finds it useful; the numbers that matter come later.

T+7 to T+30

• Ads: cut losers, scale winners slowly (see Ads).
• Back-matter call to action checked: every book ends with a newsletter link and a link to the next book.
• Consider a price promotion or a promo newsletter feature once reviews have accumulated.
• Write down what worked for the next launch.

Ads

• Amazon Ads: sponsored products on Amazon search and product pages. Start with automatic targeting to discover search terms, then move proven terms and competing books into manual campaigns.
• Meta (Facebook and Instagram): audience targeting and creative-led; works best when the ad image and first line sell the trope or hook.
• BookBub Featured Deals are editorially selected promotions of a discounted or free book to BookBub's lists; the author applies and pays only if accepted. BookBub Ads are self-serve ads to the same readers, bought by bid, with no editorial gate. They are different products.
• Other promo newsletters sell discount features; results vary widely.

Testing Discipline

• Set a total test budget the author can lose without harm, and a daily cap.
• Change one thing at a time: image, headline, targeting, or price.
• Decide the stop rule before starting: for example, stop an ad after a set spend with no sale, or when its cost per sale exceeds the book's royalty plus expected read-through.
• Judge on read-through for series: a first book can lose money on ads and the series still profit, only if later books sell.
• Give each test enough spend and time to mean something, then record the result in publishing/launch-plan.md.
• Ads do not fix a weak cover, blurb, or first chapter. If clicks do not turn into sales, fix the page before spending more.