when to officially publish

[Ben]

I'm a brand new member of Goodreads and so happy to have joined! I am self-publishing my first children's book in the coming days/weeks/months, but would love some insight into strategy behind the date of publishing. I'd like to get the book out early December to take advantage of the holiday season. But having an official publication date of January 2016 is appealing, as well. Is there an acceptable way to do both, so that the "first publication" date in my book reads as January 2016, though I can still have it for sale in December 2015? Thanks for any advice!
Ben Wilder

[Elspeth]

I don't know how you go about it but I know some authors have pre release sales. I'm not self published but my publisher (based in Canada) uses Amazon as her European print house, I have noticed that publishing date Amazon puts on the web page is not the date we officially go on sale but is up to a month before depending on how far in advance I get my first proof copy......
also POD runs do not print the publishing date in the book what you get is
"this first edition published worldwide in 2015"

hope this helps.
Elspeth

[Ben]

Thank you!
Elspeth wrote: "I don't know how you go about it but I know some authors have pre release sales. I'm not self published but my publisher (based in Canada) uses Amazon as her European print house, I have noticed th..."