Preparing an ebook for launch is an exciting moment in a writer’s career. In this blog, we look at some strategies you can employ to make the most of pre-orders for your ebook!

Leveraging Pre-Orders: Building Anticipation for Your Ebook Launch

Your book is finished. It’s been edited by a professional editor and beta-read by trusted beta-readers. All you need to do now is publish it.

Right?

It’s easy to think that way. Unfortunately, a lot of work goes into being a career author, including marketing.

In this day and age, there’s more to self-publishing than simply clicking “publish” on Amazon. Making a career as an author involves significantly more pizzazz and prestige, which is where

What Are Pre-orders?

Your favorite authors do pre-orders all the time. Rather, the publishing companies that publish your favorite authors do pre-orders.

Pre-ordering has been around for a very long time. When you pre-order a book, you are paying in advance so that you have a copy before everyone else. There’s a feeling of exclusivity that comes with pre-ordering a book.

In some cases, the book arrives ahead of time, so you can read it before anybody else can get their hands on it. Readers love feeling special, and this is a feeling you can cultivate when you put your ebook up for pre-order!

Pre-ordering an ebook means that your ebook is installed on your e-reader, ready for you to read at your convenience. It may take a minute or two to download, but it’s there; you have your copy.

The Benefits of Pre-Orders

There are many benefits to ebook pre-orders. For one, they generate hype for your ebook. They get the reader excited for what’s to come.

Building anticipation for your book launch can be quite simple if you use the right strategies. Pre-order strategies for authors generally fall into two categories: social media and audience retention.

Another benefit of pre-orders is that, from the perspective of the reader, they tend to be cheaper. Publishing companies and indie authors run deals where you can get an ebook for 0.99 cents if you pre-order or $8.99 on the day of release.

Social media strategies include your pre-launch marketing. Audience retention means that those who are captured by your social media marketing have stuck around to see what your book is all about.

On a more practical note, a pre-order means a secured sale. In the world of publishing, this means that your book is worth investing in, worth hosting, and worth paying attention to. This can be a good early indicator of how well a book is expected to sell in the future.

However, it should be noted that a lot of pre-orders do not necessarily mean your book will be well-received. High-quality writing that captivates an audience tends to be well-received. That is a completely different matter.

Strategies

Now that we know the benefits, how do we go about building the hype? What things do we need to have in place? What do we need to do in order to secure some pre-orders?

Below are some tried-and-tested strategies that will help you generate some buzz for your ebook!

Pre-Launch Marketing

Pre-launch ebook marketing is a helpful way to build the hype for your work. Your marketing plan should include what you do ahead of your launch. This could be interviews, a virtual blog tour, or revealing parts of your book.

By putting your ebook up for pre-order, you are one step ahead in your marketing. Announcing when your book will be released is one step.

You can also commission SEO web copy to boost engagement. Using targeted keywords will direct any social media posts you make as part of your marketing strategy and target potential readers.

Catchy Cover Art

You might be familiar with the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In the age of ebooks, that’s exactly what readers do. They look at a cover and judge whether it’s going to be worth spending $4.99 on your ebook.

An eye-catching cover is a great way to create pre-launch buzz for ebooks. Build up the hype for your cover with the following:

Reveals

One way of building anticipation for your ebook is through reveals. Revealing the cover, your favorite quotes, and commissioned art will give your ebook a sense of mystery. One way of doing this is through a book trailer.

You don’t need to hire actors. Social media apps like TikTok have all the tools you need to quickly create a short video that will get across the book’s aesthetic and message. A book trailer can be treated as a teaser.

Speaking of teasers, you can commission character art or illustrations to promote your ebook. You can reveal what your characters and locations look like or make these part of an exclusive pre-order package.

Premium Experience

One of the reasons readers are drawn to ebook pre-orders is that they tend to be cheaper. Why buy a copy for full price on launch day when you can get it for 0.99 cents a week in advance?

Another benefit of pre-orders that you don’t see too often is reviews. If you offer your ebook as a pre-order, these readers are more likely to leave a review of your book. Owing to the fact that they had it first, they will have read it sooner and will be more inclined to leave a review.

This builds a premium experience for your readers. As a result, it can cultivate a healthy writer-reader relationship, which will keep them coming back to your writing.

Generate Some Buzz

Creating a pre-launch buzz for your ebook can make or break your success. You might want to implement some of the ideas we have already discussed, such as revealing the cover art ahead of publication or going on a virtual book tour.

Another pre-launch strategy is to incentivize your readers. Perhaps a pre-order copy will come with a special digital artwork or some exclusive content, such as an additional scene. When you’re self-publishing, you are the one in charge.

In Summary

Pre-orders have many benefits for authors. They are a means of securing sales ahead of the book’s launch. This can lead to an increase in reviews. Pre-orders can generate hype for your ebook in multiple ways.

Start by announcing the launch of your ebook. This is the beginning of your marketing strategy. Using tools such as book trailers, a virtual book tour, and engaging with potential readers, you can make the most of your pre-order.

There are plenty of ways you can leverage pre-orders, such as through an incentive, such as exclusive artwork, an exclusive discount for the pre-order, or other exclusive content.

With all of that in mind, why not plan your ebook launch now?