Checklist to Release – more info #1

Happy Thursday, lovelies! I’ve been under the weather the past week. Luckily for me, there was no school Monday, school was cancelled on Tuesday, and then we had a 3 hour late start on Wednesday. Today was the first day I actually had to drag myself out of bed at the butt crack of dawn and do something. I could’ve used one more day of nothing. lol We’ll see what tomorrow brings because there is more snow in the forecast, which would mean potentially no school again. Which brings me to this post. I figured I should do this today on the off-chance my kids are home with me. It’s much harder to get things done when my son is around.

The next three items on the list…

✔️ Upload preorder files.

Now this is only going to apply to you if you do preorders. If you release live, then you can skip this part. I always do preorders so it’s a good one for me to list. This is generally how I have it displayed:

• Amazon _____        Final File _____
• Apple _____            Final File _____
• Google Play _____  Final File _____
• Kobo _____             Final File _____
• Nook _____             Final File _____
• D2D _____              Final File _____
• Shop  _____             Final File _____

As you can see I upload the preorder file first, which is the first column. Amazon, Apple, and Nook do not require a file when you create a preorder. Which is handy if you haven’t even finished writing the book. If you’re good with deadlines and pressure, don’t sweat it. Create that preorder and know you’ll be able to upload a file in time. Each retailer is different on the timeline when you need to have the final file ready. Make sure you check the specific retailer for that. I’m not going to jot down what it might be because that is something that could always change and I don’t want to mess you up with wrong information. Google play and Kobo require a file when creating a preorder. If I don’t have my final file ready, I upload a dummy file. It is usually the previous book in the series (as long as it’s not the first book in a series this is a good go-to method!) with a message in the very beginning of the file that goes something like this: This is a placeholder file for (insert book title). The final file will be uploaded before the release date of (tell the date). If you’re reading this message, something went awry! Oops! Please contact the retailer for further help, and also send me a message at (insert your email). Thank you for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you will need the final file before setting a preorder. Once my file is all ready to go for sale, I upload it! Do not wait until the very end. Upload it as soon as you can. Then I mark it off with a ✔️ in the second column above.

You’ll see I also have D2D (Draft 2 Digital) listed above as well. I sell directly with each retailer. Some people like using aggregator instead. D2D can help you with this. They’ll upload to all the major retailers for you. They also upload to more obscure retailers you probably have never heard of. I use them for these places. It never hurts to make money wherever you can. When I upload to D2D, it’s the one place I make sure I use a final file. I’m not sure how all their uploading works, so it’s always better to err on the side of caution sometimes. The last one listed is my own shop. I just added that recently and have never attempted a preorder on my shop, so that’ll be something new for myself to learn. lol

✔️ Upload paperback files.

Next up is uploading paperback files. This will be when you have your final file ready (and a paperback cover as well!). Amazon does not allow preorders on paperbacks. I’m not even sure how D2D manages this either, considering they send the files to Amazon, who do not do preorders. lol So I don’t mess with preorders when it comes to the paperbacks. I release it when the book is live. This is just a handy reminder to not forget to do this! Also, sometimes I do release the paperback 2-4 weeks in advance of when the ebook would go live. Why do I do this? There’s really only one reason and that’s so anyone who has an advanced review copy (ARC) can leave a review on Amazon. They can use the paperback version to do so. Otherwise there is no way to leave an early review on Amazon. You can also use IngramSpark to distribute paperbacks. I don’t utilize them, but only because I don’t want to pay to upload each time I have a new book.

✔️ Upload to Goodreads

Last item we will chat about today is uploading your book to Goodreads. Or at least, making sure one of the retailers (usually Amazon) added it to their database. Then you claim it as yours. There is a way to add your own books to Goodreads. They caution against it as they don’t want anyone messing things up. (I feel like they can do that on their own just fine. lol) But when I don’t see my book has been added by a retailer, I’ll add it. I will admit I don’t utilize Goodreads as often as I used to. It was my go-to place in the very start of my career. I find it’s just too toxic of a place now that I don’t like venturing much there. If you’ve ever taken any of Alessandra Torre’s classes (usually free webinars) she is a huge supporter of Goodreads (last time I checked anyway) and suggests doing quite a bit on there to get your book seen. These are the only things I do (haven’t lately lol), but you could potentially add more to your checklist!

• Possible Goodreads Giveaway _____
• Add to Currently Reading _____
• Post Countdown on Blog Posts _____

Goodreads does offer giveaways. You do have to pay for them, which is why I don’t typically do it. I had tried them (at least one of them) when it was free way back when and I didn’t find it helpful at all. But it’s an option if you’re looking to try something new. Adding your own book to your Currently Reading is a way to get your book into your followers feed. Though getting followers is another whole process as well. You can also use Goodreads blog area to post a countdown to your release. These little things are just a way to get into your followers feed. Get your book seen in as many places as you can get it. Again, I haven’t visited Goodreads in a long while. I don’t even look at reviews there much anymore either. And remember, reviews are for readers, not authors!

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There you have it. The next three items on my checklist. You can find the full list HERE. Keep in mind, this list isn’t in order to do things, it’s just a handy reminder to not forget anything when getting a book ready to publish. You can change the order to suit your needs. I also added some links to the various retailers and to Goodreads above, in case you’re just starting out and don’t know how to find them, here’s an easy reference. Any questions, just add them in the comments! If you missed my first post on Checklist to Release, check it out HERE. Have a great weekend.

Much ℒℴѵℯ ♡ Amanda Siegrist