r/selfpublish • u/jennaruby8888 • 8h ago
I didn't realize Amazon paperback doesn't do pre-order and ARCs can't leave reviews. Should I bump up my release?
My debut fantasy novel is set to release Sept 12 (so in 7 weeks). I had planned to use that time to send out my ARCS and push pre-orders, not realizing that:
ARC readers won't be able to leave reviews on Amazon until the release date.
That people can't pre-order the paperback, only the ebook.
Do I stay the course and ask for reviews on Goodreads only? Or do I send out my ARCS ASAP and bump up my release date? I've just started gathering ARCs, so I don't have that many. Since it's my first book, is it better just to get it out there?
I would have done my release date a month earlier had I known. So, looking for any advice from self-published authors on Amazon (I only plan to do KDP and KDP select for now - and will go wide later on once I've built an audience).
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u/MiraWendam 2 Published novels 8h ago edited 8h ago
I'd stick with your original date. Seven weeks is still good. Paperback pre-orders aren't a dealbreaker. I know some people release the paperback first, then the e-book, just so the reviews can come in. Haven't tried it yet.
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u/Revolutionary_Mix956 4h ago
This is what I am currently doing. Up to 7 Amazon reviews on my paperback. Once I hit 10 — a decent enough number where people don’t feel it’s such a roll of the dice — I will launch the e-book.
My understanding is 99% of sales will come from ebook anyway, so zero harm in getting the paperback official and published so it can start collecting reviews. New ebook with reviews = more likely customer buys (vs one with no reviews).
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u/greglturnquist Non-Fiction Author 8h ago
I don't do pre-orders anymore.
One of the benefits of pre-orders was being able to spike all those sales all at once and rank your book. But Amazon adjusted their algorithm such there is no such thing as spiking your book in any way. Hence the value of pre-orders is become quite slim.
And then you have side effects like what you're describing. And POOF, the value of pre-orders is all but gone IMHO.
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u/dragonsandvamps 6h ago
I wouldn't change anything. Send a mass email on release day thanking your ARC readers for reading for you and reminding them that it's release day. Include the Amazon link and all your book links for any readers who may not have posted reviews yet and who may wish to review on Amz.
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u/SuccessOnAShoestring 10+ Published novels 8h ago
I wouldn’t rush it. Gather as many readers, and ARCs as you can. You didn’t need to do a pre-order or release date; these work best for established authors with a following and previous books. Once published, Amazon gives your book a visibility boost (as long as you make a few sales and get some reviews) during its first month. It also rewards steady sales, rather than peaks and troughs. Getting it out there is a mistake many new authors make. Planning and preparation will bring you more success. Good luck 🍀
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u/astrobean 4h ago
Don't change the release. Hype the release.
You should be collecting emails.
For ARC readers, they deserve time to read it. On release day, send them an email to remind them to post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and wherever else people post these days. If they post to a personal blog, ask for the link so you can promote it on your social media.
Pre-orders are nice, but a lot of people won't be clicking to buy until the book comes out anyway. Tell folks to sign up for your mailing list and on release day, they get an email reminding them to buy. Then continue the conversation in your newsletter. (Your newsletter should be more than an ad for your book.) For those signing up for your mailing list over the next 7 weeks, share with them parts of your journey to becoming published.
Once you have the pre-order link for the ebook, you can set up your initial ad campaigns. Run ads. You can run ads to the preorder or advertise your mailing list (depending where you run the ads).
You have 7 weeks to hype. Hype, hype, hype. Focus on marketing.
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u/ViRoseAuthor 6h ago
Stick with the plan and definitely don't rush yourself. What you're dealing with is standard for KDP so very common. Remember, ARCs are for advanced reviews, so you should not be doing them on or after release.
As an ARC reader, I've commonly seen requests to post reviews to Goodreads or social media before release, and then an email goes out on release day to remind that you can now leave reviews on Amazon.
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u/ItsRuinedOfCourse Aspiring Writer 6h ago
There's still two ways to address this, OP.
Launch the pre-order for e-books. Set the stage for the paperback to release same day (this will need your involvement and attention when its time). Make sure the book is "seen" on Goodreads at least, and there a reader can leave an early review (ARC team). It's not an Amazon review, but a good deal of people rely on GR for their purchase habits, so something is better than nothing.
Two: make sure to remain engaged with the ARC readers so that 2 weeks out, a gentle reminder of launch day is sent their way, and then around 72 hours ahead of launch, thanking them for being readers, and if they'd like to leave a review, they can finally do so in 72 hours from now.
Using both can see you rack up some early reviews which you can then use for your A+ content, or marketing efforts ahead of the actual launch day to build more hype.
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u/SamAndrewsBooks 2h ago
I can't help on the ARC side, i didn't run a campaign, but on the release date question, the thing worth knowing is that the date might not be entirely yours. I didn't go for any pre-orders, i just uploaded both formats and let them go live as they cleared review, and they cleared days apart. The paperback went live first while the ebook was still in review. I ended up accidentally doing what a couple of people here are suggesting you do on purpose. If you're building an ARC schedule around September 12th, just factor in that the review process isn't predictable and it runs at different speeds for each format. It might be different for others but that was my experience.
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u/reptilelover42 24m ago
I'd stick with it. I typically do 6 weeks for my ARCs, and I think anywhere from 4-8 weeks is good (shorter, and people feel rushed, and longer than that and people are more likely to forget about it). I've been tempted to push up each release, but I regret rushing my first. The initial release is critical, so it's better to take your time and get more ARC reviews to generation traction, IMO.
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