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Self-publishing · Launch

How to launch a book you self-publish

A self-published launch is a release date plus the listing that can exist before it. On KDP, an ebook pre-order created on or after 2 September 2026 can be set up to 18 months ahead, and the final manuscript is due at least 72 hours before release. Print on KDP is not a pre-order. Draft2Digital, Kobo Writing Life, and Apple Books each publish a file deadline, and the numbers are not the same. Amazon does not state how many days before launch an advance copy should go out.

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The short answer

  1. Order the work as listing, file deadline, then the tools that only run once the book is live. The process page is the longer map of stages.[261]
  2. KDP ebook pre-orders are new titles only, up to 10 at a time, in every marketplace. A second missed deadline or cancellation removes pre-order privileges for 6 months.[261][262]
  3. KDP print can be scheduled 5 to 90 days ahead. The detail page stays down until release, and there is no penalty for that schedule.[263]
  4. Draft2Digital's FAQ says ten days for the ebook file. Its pre-order overview says 10 business days. Kobo says 3 business days. Apple requires the file before release and recommends 10 business days.[264][265][266][267]
  5. A free advance copy still cannot require an Amazon review. KDP does not publish a day on which those copies should be sent.[80]

01

What are the steps of a self-published book launch, in order?

Finish a file a store may sample. Apple and Draft2Digital both say not to upload a placeholder manuscript, because Apple and Kobo can show a sample of it. Set the release date inside that store's window. Finish the description, categories, keywords, and cover while edits are allowed. Send advance copies under the review rule, then upload the final file before the deadline. After release, the Author Page is available. A KDP Select free day or Countdown Deal waits until release, because the Select term starts then. A+ Content can go on a Live book or a pre-order. The process page maps the surrounding stages.[251][261][265][267][270]

  • File you can stand behind, then the release date, then the listing.
  • Advance copies have a review rule and no official send date.
  • Select price promotions wait until the KDP ebook is released.

02

How do pre-orders work on KDP?

KDP pre-orders are new Kindle ebooks only: not print, and not public domain. Up to 10 can be active. The detail page, with a Pre-order button, goes live in all Amazon marketplaces. Submit the final manuscript at least 72 hours before release. Until then you can change the title, description, categories, keywords, manuscript, and cover. After submission, edits wait up to 72 hours for review. List price can still change. A lower price is what existing pre-orders pay. The page does not say what a higher price does. From 2 September 2026, a new pre-order can be set up to 18 months ahead. Earlier ones, up to 12 months. A missed file cancels the pre-order and the customers' orders. The first miss or cancellation is a one-time account courtesy and does not remove privileges. The second removes them for 6 months: no new pre-orders and no postponements. They return on their own. A removal from before 2 September 2026 still runs for one year. That ASIN cannot be reused. Postpone a post-2 September 2026 pre-order up to 2 times, not more than 6 months past the original date. An older pre-order can move once, by up to 30 days. Do it before the 72-hour deadline. Past the limit, it cancels and counts. You can move the date earlier only after the final file is submitted and reviewed. The Release Date Options page still says one year ahead, and a one-year block after a missed file, a cancellation, or more than one delay. On 7 October 2026 that summary does not match the pre-order or postpone pages. Print is not a pre-order. Schedule it 5 to 90 days ahead. The detail page stays down until release. Five days out, the manuscript, book details, date, and author-copy orders lock. No penalty is stated. It must be a new publication. Low-content and public-domain books are out, and ebooks cannot use this schedule.[261][262][263]

  • Ebook: 72 hours, then a 6-month block only after a second miss.
  • The older Release Date Options table still says one year. The pre-order page does not.
  • Print: 5 to 90 days, no detail page until release, no penalty.

03

How do pre-orders work on other retailers?

Draft2Digital's FAQ allows an ebook or print pre-order up to a year ahead. Some stores hide an ebook listing until a year or less out. Print stops at 1 year and needs final files. There is no Amazon ebook pre-order through Draft2Digital, and no print pre-order without files. The FAQ wants the cover and final story no less than ten days before the ebook release, and no placeholder files. The pre-order overview, modified 3 February 2025, wants the final manuscript no later than 10 business days before release, with no exceptions. Miss it and pre-orders cancel, and later ones need files at setup. Changes inside 5 business days may not apply. The two pages do not share a day count. Its vendors: Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Tolino up to 1 year; Bibliotheca, OverDrive, and Baker & Taylor up to 6 months, only after a file is in. Amazon, Vivlio, Hoopla, and Scribd have no pre-order, so the book goes on sale on release day. Kobo Writing Life, updated 18 September 2026, uses a future date plus Allow pre-orders. It states no maximum lead time. The final file is due at least 3 business days ahead. Reminders come 7 days before and, if needed, 7 days after. Missing content 14 days after release gets the book delisted. Pre-orders cannot be free. A 5 percent preview is on unless you ask to turn it off. Apple Books pre-orders from a future release date, or a custom date up to 365 days before release, starting at least two days before release. Metadata and price are enough until the file, which is required before release. Apple recommends 10 business days and rejects placeholders. A free book cannot be a pre-order. Miss the date and change it. No penalty is stated. IngramSpark's pages used here state no consumer pre-order rule.[264][265][266][267]

  • Draft2Digital: ten days on the FAQ, 10 business days on the overview.
  • Kobo direct: 3 business days, and no maximum lead time is stated.
  • Apple: up to 365 days, file required before release, free books excluded.

04

When should advance reader copies go out?

Amazon does not state how many days before publication, or how many copies, make an advance copy valid. The review rule has no exception for the word advance. You may send a free or discounted copy if you do not require a review and do not try to influence it. Anything other than the book, including a gift card, invalidates the review. The endorsement guides require disclosure of a material connection the audience would not expect, including a free product. KDP Select exclusivity is a separate ebook rule and is not restated here. BookBub says new releases are rarely selected for a Featured Deal. The advance-reader directory lists copy services. A listing is not permission to buy a review.[80][246][269]

  • No official send date. The no-required-review rule still applies.
  • A free copy can be a material connection that needs a disclosure.
  • BookBub says it rarely features new releases.

05

What should be done before launch day, and what after?

Before the lock, set the date, finish the listing, and upload the final file. KDP locks an ebook pre-order 72 hours out and a print release five days out. The Author Page waits until publication. A+ Content is for Live titles and pre-orders. Select price deals wait until release. The ads page does not say if a pre-order can be advertised. After release, use the Promotions, sales, and ads reports. No source here states a launch-day or first-two-weeks sales total.[251][259][261][263][270]

  • Before: date, listing, final file, advance copies under the review rule.
  • On a pre-order detail page: A+ Content is allowed. Select price deals are not.
  • After: Author Page, then the reports. No official first-week sales target is stated.

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