Checklist for a New Release
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Releases are always a lot more work than I think they are. That’s because of all the little things I have to do to prepare. It’s a lot. It would be more if I did a lot of promo work (blog tours, ads, etc.) for the release, but I usually just like to start working on the next book.
I thought I’d share a checklist of the types of tasks I do when a book is ready to release. Some of the things I can do while my editor has the book and I’m waiting to make corrections. Some of the things must be done when the book is ready to publish.
Checklist
Set up my newsletter to announce the new release when it’s time. I use MailChimp.
Write a personal author’s note for the back-matter section of the book and for that section on the Amazon product page that we access through Author Central (From the Author).
Update and review the rest of my book’s back-matter to make sure it’s accurate and complete (list of books by series where to find me online, how and where to sign up for my newsletter, a pitch to ask readers to review my book wherever they purchased it).
Begin loading book information/metadata into the different retail and distributor sites: Amazon, CreateSpace (print), IngramSpark (print), ACX (audiobook), Draft2Digital (distributor), Smashwords (distributor).
Use the same metadata descriptions consistently for my keywords, BISAC, series name, book description, author bio, etc.
Assign an ISBN for each format and note it on the list I keep to track my ISBNs ( Book designer Joel Friedlander has a handy logbook as a free download).
Upload the editorial reviews for the series to those sections on the sites (on Amazon, through Author Central).
Update my website to announce the release and to say what I’m working on now.
Ensure Goodreads has linked the new title to my series and my name.
Acquire affiliate links from Amazon and Apple to use on my website and for other promo.
Check that Amazon has added my book to the series list and that it’s linked to my Author Central page.
Update LinkedIn
Consider running a giveaway on Goodreads.
Set one of the previous books in the same series as free.
Announce the release on Facebook (once).
Send copies to people who have helped me produce the book in some way.
What have I forgotten? Does this look a lot like your own list?
A checklist for tasks surrounding a new release:
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