Publishing Timeline
The Publishing Timeline is an ongoing series in which I share marketing and publicity recommendations within the framework of a timetable to help authors plan their book campaigns.
One of the most frequent and consistent inquiries I get from authors is, “What should I be doing right now?” This series sets out to answer that question, breaking things done month by month, leading right up to pub day.
This page will serve as a hub for the series, which is still in-progress. I will be making adjustments and adding elements as I go along — the feedback and comments I get from readers, not to mention the process of simply putting these guidelines down on paper, have led to additional insights and ideas, improving the overall month-by-month recommendations.
Please note that there are lots of caveats and nuance to this information — every publisher has different deadlines and schedules, and a book campaign is very fluid due to the many issues (problems big and small) and opportunities (again, big and small) that arise — all of this will impact “what you should be doing and when.”
What will always remain consistent is the importance of establishing a strong plan and getting an early start on everything that you can. The more developed your plan, and the sooner you get started on things, the more agile, dynamic, creative, and impactful your book campaign will be. And bonus — you will have more fun and connect with more people along the way.
GUIDEPOST DATES
Key Dates to Know that Are Specific to Your Book as You Develop Your Campaign
1 YEAR+ BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
Setting the Stage for Your Book Campaign
Fill Out Your Author Questionnaire
— The Importance of the Author Questionnaire
— The Inquiries of the Author Questionnaire
Trade Show / Conference / Festival Calendaring with Your Pub Date as the Anchor
12 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
Embracing the Wide-Openness of the Early Days of Your Book Campaign
11 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
10 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
When the Book Becomes “Real” — Gearing Up for Your Cover Reveal and Live Product Pages
9 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
Kicking the Tires of Your Campaign Momentum Machine
Get the All-Important Buy Links on Your Author Website
Commence with Your Pre-Order Campaign
— The Never-Ending Pre-Order Asks
— How Publishers Incentivize Pre-Orders
— The Pre-Order Ask Dilemma
— Pre-Order Campaigns Are a Tell on How a Book Is Going to Perform
The Blurb Ask Effort Begins
— Practical Information on the Blurb-Ask Effort
— Blurb Role Model
8 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
7 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
6 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
Commence with the Indie Next Campaign:
— How the Indie Next List Works
— How Publishers Build Indie Next Campaigns
— How Authors Can Get Indie Booksellers to Support Their Books
— The Hunt for the Quality in the Quantity
5 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
4 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
Fire up a Goodreads and/or Storygraph Giveaway
3 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
Creating and Ordering Promo Materials
— The Art of the Bookplate
— The Practical Tote
2 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
1 MONTH BEFORE YOUR BOOK PUBLISHES
Your Final Pre-Pub Author Platform Tune-Up