Last reviewed by Robert Prime — March 2026
Most indie book launches fail because the author treats launch day as the finish line. It isn't — it's the start of a 6-week sequence that determines whether the book finds an audience or dies in algorithmic obscurity.
This is the launch checklist used by indie authors at publishing.co.uk who consistently hit Amazon UK top-100 in their category on launch. Adapt to your genre and audience — but use the structure.
At publishing.co.uk we work with UK indie authors across every stage, so this guide reflects what we've actually seen succeed (and fail) rather than recycled advice.
The 5 phases
- Week -1 (pre-launch) — final preparation
- Launch day — coordinated push
- Week 1 — review acceleration
- Week 2 — paid promotion + reviewer follow-up
- Month 1 — ad optimisation + KU monitoring
Week -1: pre-launch checklist
Seven days before launch day.
Day -7: ARC outreach.
- Send a "launching in 7 days" reminder to every ARC reviewer with the Amazon UK and Amazon US links to the book
- Confirm review delivery dates — ask politely for reviews to be posted on launch day or within the first 3 days
- Make sure the book's pre-order page is live (if running pre-order)
Day -5: newsletter prep.
- Write launch-day email (subject line, body, single CTA — buy now)
- Write launch-week follow-up email (review request)
- Schedule both in your email tool (ConvertKit, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign)
- Segment list — exclude existing buyers if you've sold pre-orders directly
Day -3: social content prep.
- Draft launch-day posts for each platform you use
- Create launch graphics (cover mockup on bookshelf, quote graphics, "out today" image)
- Schedule posts via Buffer, Hootsuite, or native scheduling
- Tell your most engaged followers personally — DMs work better than feed posts for the first 24 hours
Day -2: Amazon Ads setup.
- Create Sponsored Products auto campaign (£15-£20/day budget) — set to start on launch day
- Create branded keyword campaign (your name + book title) — also starts launch day
- If brand-registered: prepare Sponsored Brands campaign for launch day +1
Day -1: final checks.
- Verify the book is publishing/live on schedule
- Verify the pre-order has been delivered (KDP processing can lag)
- Pin the launch announcement to top of your social profiles
- Update your Author Central bio with "new release: [Book]"
- Tell your spouse / family it's launch day tomorrow
Launch day checklist
Morning (UK time):
- Confirm the book is live on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com
- Send the launch-day newsletter
- Post the launch announcement to all social platforms
- Activate Amazon Ads campaigns (auto + branded)
- Post in any author/reader Facebook groups where it's permitted
- Update your Author Central pages (UK + US) with the new book
Afternoon:
- Respond to launch-day comments and messages (gratitude is the right tone — not asking for sales)
- Re-share posts from supporters who shared yours
- If a relative posts a review with a typo, leave it (reader-flagged reviews get deleted)
Evening:
- Check first sales (no panic if it's slow — early reviews matter more than launch-day sales)
- Send personal thank-you DMs to anyone who reviewed or shared
Common launch-day mistakes:
- Spamming Facebook groups (it's not allowed)
- Begging for sales on social
- Refreshing the Amazon page every 5 minutes (won't change anything)
- Treating quiet launch sales as failure (most successful indie books are slow burners)
Week 1: review acceleration
Days 2-3:
- Send "thank you" follow-up to every ARC reviewer who's posted
- Politely chase ARC reviewers who haven't posted yet — one nudge, no pressure
- Post a "first 24 hours" update on social (numbers if good, gratitude if not)
- Monitor Amazon Ads — if ACoS is over 100% on auto campaign, lower bids 20%
Days 4-5:
- Send newsletter follow-up: "Thanks to early readers. If you've finished, a quick review on Amazon makes a real difference"
- Post "what readers are saying" with screenshots (with permission) of best reviews
- Engage with any reader content — TikToks, Goodreads reviews, blog posts
Days 6-7:
- Review week 1 metrics: sales, review count, BSR, ad performance
- If review count is below 10, push harder on review outreach
- Plan week 2 paid promotions if ready
Target metrics by end of week 1:
- 15-30 reviews (4.0+ average)
- BSR under 50,000 in main category
- 30+ Amazon Ad impressions per day per campaign
- Some organic discovery (sales not directly from your outreach)
Week 2: paid promotion + reviewer follow-up
Day 8-9:
- Submit BookBub Featured Deal application (only if you have 100+ reviews — most can't yet)
- Submit to Freebooksy / Bargain Booksy for week 3 promotion
- If KDP Select, schedule free promo days OR Kindle Countdown for weeks 4-6
Day 10-11:
- Reach out to book bloggers in your genre — offer review copy + interview opportunity
- Post to /r/booksuggestions or genre-specific subreddits (read rules first — most ban self-promo)
Day 12-14:
- Reach out to any reviewer who left a thoughtful 4-5 star review — ask if they'd consider posting it on Goodreads too
- Add book to BookFunnel or StoryOrigin if running ARC promotion for book 2
- Review Amazon Ads — pause any campaign with ACoS over 80% for 2+ weeks
Target by end of week 2:
- 25-40 reviews
- Steady organic sales without ad spend
- ACoS trending down (under 50%)
Month 1: ad optimisation + KU monitoring
Days 15-21:
- Run first paid promotion (Freebooksy / Bargain Booksy)
- Free promo days (KDP Select 5-day window) if discount-promo strategy
- Monitor Kindle Unlimited page reads — they take 7-14 days to appear in reports
- Begin Sponsored Brands campaigns (if brand-registered)
Days 22-28:
- Mine Amazon Ads search-term report — promote top-converting keywords to manual exact-match campaigns
- Update KDP backend keywords based on Amazon Ads data
- Pause underperforming keywords (ACoS over 80%)
- Plan book 2 launch timing — ideally 60-90 days after book 1 for a series
Days 29-30:
- Full month-1 review: sales, KU pages, total royalties, ad spend, net profit
- If profitable: scale ad spend 50%
- If not: diagnose — cover (test thumbnail), blurb (test rewrite), keywords (refresh), reviews (push more)
- Plan month 2 activities
Target by end of month 1:
- 50-80 reviews (4.0+ average)
- BSR steady under 20,000 in category
- Profitable Amazon Ads (ACoS under 40%)
- 100+ Amazon Author Central followers
- Sustainable organic + paid + KU income
What "successful launch" actually looks like (UK indie)
For a debut indie genre novel:
| Metric | Modest | Strong | Exceptional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch-week sales | 50-150 | 200-500 | 1,000+ |
| Month 1 sales | 200-500 | 600-1,500 | 3,000+ |
| Reviews by end of month 1 | 15-30 | 40-80 | 150+ |
| BSR in category | top 5,000 | top 1,000 | top 100 |
A "strong" launch for an indie debut is 200-500 sales in launch week — not the breakout numbers reported in publishing-industry press. Set expectations accordingly.
UK considerations
- UK + US launches benefit from being treated as one — Amazon's algorithms cross-pollinate. Run ads in both marketplaces; track separately.
- British media + book bloggers are slower than US — pitch them in week 2, not launch week.
- UK-set fiction sells well in both UK and US — leverage in both markets.
- VAT zero-rated on ebooks and print since 2020 — no pricing distortion.
- HMRC — track all launch expenses (cover, editor, ads, promo sites) for self-employed deductions.
The single biggest launch mistake
Launching without ARC reviews already in the bank.
A book launching with 0-3 reviews looks abandoned. A book launching with 15-30 reviews looks established. The work to get those 15-30 reviews happens in the 4-6 weeks BEFORE launch — not after.
Build the ARC team. Send the book early. Follow up. Then launch.
Common mistakes
- Launch day = the whole strategy. No — launch day is the start.
- No newsletter list. Launches without a list rely entirely on Amazon's algorithm, which means slow.
- No Amazon Ads from day 1. Organic discovery is too slow for an unknown author. Ads are the throttle.
- Begging for reviews. "Please review my book" doesn't work. "If you enjoyed, a quick review helps indie authors enormously" works.
- Treating BSR like a high-stakes scoreboard. BSR is one signal of many. Reviews + KU pages + ad data matter more.
The bottom line
A book launch is six weeks, not one day. Pre-launch ARC work is non-negotiable. Newsletter + ads + reviews compound. Track the metrics, adjust the strategy, and don't catastrophise quiet days in week 1.
Most indie books that succeed don't launch big — they launch competently, gather reviews, and grow over months.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How much should I budget for my first book launch?
£300-£800 for ads in the first 30 days is realistic for a debut. Less than £100 and you won't have enough data to optimise; over £1,500 risks burning through cash before product-market fit is proven.
When should I start marketing?
The day you have a cover. Build a small newsletter, post the cover reveal, talk about the writing process. Pre-orders are most valuable when announced 30-60 days before launch.
Amazon Ads or Facebook Ads first?
Amazon Ads if your book is already in KU or you have reviews. Facebook Ads work better for off-Amazon traffic, newsletter growth, and books with strong visual covers. Start with Amazon Ads at £10/day if you're brand new.
Do free book promotions still work in 2026?
Yes — for fiction in series. Permafree book 1 + paid books 2-N is still the most reliable indie model. For non-fiction and standalones, free promos return less.
About this guide
Written by Robert Prime for publishing.co.uk. Last reviewed May 2026. Specs and pricing change — verify current figures with the linked sources before relying on them.
External references
- UK GDPR registration is at the ICO.
