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Publishing Map

Self-publishing · Preorders

How to set up a book preorder

A book preorder lets readers order before the release date. On KDP it is a new Kindle ebook, up to 18 months ahead from 2 September 2026, with the manuscript due 72 hours before release, and KDP does not offer print preorders. Draft2Digital, Apple Books, Kobo Writing Life, Barnes and Noble Press, and IngramSpark each state a different window, and several do not say how preorder sales are reported, checked 16 October 2026.

Publishing Map's take

On KDP, set a pre-order only for a new Kindle ebook, up to 18 months ahead from 2 September 2026, and upload the final file at least 72 hours before release. KDP does not offer paperback or hardcover pre-orders, and other retailers state their own windows and file deadlines.

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The short answer

  1. KDP ebook preorders are new titles only, up to 10 at a time. From 2 September 2026 the window is 18 months. The final file is due 72 hours before release.[368]
  2. A first missed KDP deadline or cancellation does not remove preorder privileges. A second one removes them for 6 months. A removal from before 2 September 2026 still runs for one year.[368][369][370]
  3. KDP does not offer paperback or hardcover preorders. A print release can be scheduled 5 to 90 days ahead. The detail page stays hidden, and no penalty is stated.[370][371]
  4. File deadlines differ: Draft2Digital's FAQ says ten days and its overview says 10 business days, Kobo says 3 business days, and Apple requires the file before release.[373][374][376][377]
  5. KDP says preorders contribute toward sales rank before release. Draft2Digital says a preorder can help sales rank on release day. The other pages checked here do not state a ranking result.[368][373]

01

What does KDP publish about ebook preorders?

Checked 16 October 2026, KDP preorders are new Kindle ebooks only, not public domain, with up to 10 active. The detail page shows a Pre-order button in every marketplace. From 2 September 2026 the window is 18 months. Earlier preorders use 12 months. The manuscript is due 72 hours before release. Until then you can change title, description, categories, keywords, manuscript, and cover. A lower price is what existing preorders pay. The pricing page says a higher price still leaves them on the lower price, except on Amazon.de and Amazon.in. On Amazon.de, a price increase cancels prior orders and KDP notifies those customers. After submission, review can take 72 hours. You can move the date earlier only after the file is submitted and reviewed. KDP says preorders contribute to sales rank before release. It publishes no rank position. The preorder report lists units, cancellations, and net units. They enter other reports only after release, under Pre-order in Prior Months' Royalties. A time zone can book the sale a day early: a June 1 GMT release can appear in the May US report. KDP Select starts on the release date. Free promotions and Kindle Countdown Deals wait until after release.[368][372]

  • The sales-rank sentence is KDP's. It is not a measured rank change.
  • Preorder units stay out of the other royalty reports until the release date.

02

What happens if a KDP ebook preorder is late or canceled?

Miss the 72-hour deadline and KDP cancels the preorder, notifies customers, and cancels their orders. The page says privileges may be removed. The stated account rule is narrower. The first miss or cancellation is a one-time courtesy. The second removes privileges for 6 months: no new preorders and no postponements. They return on their own. A removal from before 2 September 2026 still lasts one year. Before that date, you can postpone once, by up to 30 days. On or after that date, you can postpone up to 2 times, not more than 6 months past the original date. Past the limit, the preorder auto-cancels and the cancellation counts. Release Date Options still says one year ahead, and a one-year block after a missed file, a cancellation, or more than one delay. That table does not match the preorder or postpone pages.[368][369][370]

  • The 6-month block applies after the second miss or cancellation, not the first.
  • The one-year line is still on Release Date Options. The preorder page does not say that.

03

Does KDP offer paperback or hardcover preorders?

No. Schedule a Release says KDP does not offer preorders for paperbacks or hardcovers. If another service is taking preorders for the same print book, do not use KDP's Release Date option, or Amazon hides the detail page until release. KDP can schedule a new paperback or hardcover 5 to 90 days ahead. The detail page stays hidden. The manuscript is required. Five days before release you cannot change the manuscript, the details, or the date, and you cannot unpublish or order author copies. Release Date Options says there is no penalty. Public-domain books, low-content books, ebooks, previously published books, and books already scheduled with another publisher are not eligible. Hardcover publishing is not supported on kdp.amazon.co.jp. The preorder sales-report page does not describe a print preorder report.[370][371]

  • No print penalty is stated. The ebook penalty rules do not transfer to this schedule.

04

What do Draft2Digital, Apple Books, and Kobo state about preorders?

Draft2Digital's FAQ, checked 16 October 2026, allows an ebook or print preorder up to a year. Some stores hide an ebook until a year or less out. Print stops at 1 year and needs final files. There is no Amazon ebook preorder, and no print preorder without files. Cover and final story are due at least ten days before the ebook release. Do not upload placeholders. The FAQ claims a sales-rank boost on release day and publishes no rank change. The overview, modified 3 February 2025, requires the manuscript 10 business days before release, with no exceptions. A miss cancels the preorders, and later ones need files at setup. Changes inside 5 business days may not apply. Moving a no-file date earlier must still leave 10 business days after the file is in. Listed at up to 1 year: Apple, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and Tolino. Listed at up to 6 months, only after a file is in: Bibliotheca, OverDrive, and Baker and Taylor. No preorder: Amazon, Vivlio, Hoopla, and Scribd. The totals article from that date says counts before release are estimates. Only month-end vendor numbers are paid. Apple uses a future 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 final file, which is required. Apple recommends 10 business days, rejects placeholders, and can email at 14, 7, and 2 days. Change the date if you are not ready. No penalty is stated. A free book cannot be a preorder, and Apple does not state how sales are reported. Kobo, updated 18 September 2026, uses a future date plus Allow pre-orders and states no maximum lead time. The file is due 3 business days ahead. Reminders come 7 days before and, if needed, 7 days after. Missing content 14 days after release delists the book. Preorders cannot be free. A 5 percent preview stays on unless you turn it off. Kobo does not state how sales are reported.[373][374][375][376][377]

  • Draft2Digital: ten days on the FAQ, 10 business days on the overview.
  • Apple states no penalty. Kobo's stated consequence is delisting 14 days after release.
  • Only Draft2Digital's totals article, among these three, says counts before release are estimates.

05

What do Barnes and Noble Press and IngramSpark state about preorders?

Barnes and Noble Press What's New lists a 12-month ebook preorder in its Winter 2018 notes and a 6-month print preorder in its Fall 2018 notes. Those notes also say no interior file is required for ebook preorders. The page states no day-count deadline, no penalty, and no sales-report method. IngramSpark's on-sale article, posted 24 March 2021, separates the publication date from the on-sale date, before which retailers are not allowed to sell. Preorders generally start printing 30 business days before the on-sale date. International orders or heavy volume can ship sooner, and printing can start once distribution is enabled. The article says the dates should match and can be set up to 365 days ahead. Future dates plus distribution create preorder pages on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and bookshop.org. Approve the eproof before you enable distribution, or a later file may not print. No numbered file deadline, penalty, or sales-report method is stated. User guide 3.3, dated 24 August 2026, does not mention preorder or on-sale date.[378][379][380]

  • IngramSpark's 365-day window is in the 2021 article, not in user guide 3.3.

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