Launches
A launch is a schedule, not a hope.
Six stages, fixed dates and a named owner for each task. This page is the plan we run for the titles we publish, and the one we build with authors who bring their own.
Launch strategy
Four decisions before any date is set.
Most launches fail on definition rather than effort. These four answers make every later choice obvious.
One sentence
Before anything is scheduled, the book needs a single sentence that a stranger can repeat accurately.
One primary market
A launch that tries to open six territories at once opens none of them. We pick the market with the clearest readership first.
One measurable goal
Reviews, pre-orders, interviews or rights interest. The goal decides where the effort goes.
One fixed date
Everything else is scheduled backwards from publication day, with slack built in for the parts that slip.
Pre-launch
The checklist that has to be finished first.
Nothing on the outreach schedule begins until every line here is closed. Outreach against unfinished files wastes the one chance you get.
- Final files approved: interior, cover, ebook, audio if applicable
- Metadata complete: categories, keywords, comparative titles, description
- Retailer and distribution listings live and checked in each territory
- Author assets ready: portrait, biography, sample chapter, quotes
- Pre-order page and reminder signup published
- Launch calendar circulated to everyone with a task on it
ARC stage
Advance readers, on honest terms.
Advance copies build the early conversation. They are never a transaction for a rating.
Advance edition
A clearly marked advance copy with correct metadata, so early readers cite the right edition and date.
Reader waves
Copies go out in waves from roughly ten weeks out, so responses arrive steadily rather than all at once.
Honest terms
Readers are asked for an independent opinion. Nothing is offered in exchange for a positive one, ever.
Reporting
Copies sent, responses received, coverage published. Recorded, not estimated.
We do not pay for reviews, incentivise ratings or coordinate posting. Coverage remains independent and subject to the policies of each platform and publication. Full detail sits on the ARC & Media Visibility page.
Media outreach
Pitches written for one desk at a time.
Editors and hosts recognise a mass mailing instantly. Everything goes out individually.
Targeted pitching
Each outlet gets a pitch written for its readers, with the angle that actually fits its coverage.
Interview readiness
Talking points, a briefing call and a rehearsal for the questions you would rather not be asked.
Announcement news
Rights deals, translations and audiobook editions are genuine news and are announced as such.
Regional angles
Local and specialist desks are often more receptive than national ones, and reach more of the right readers.
Launch week
Seven days, hour by hour.
An interactive timeline of the week itself. Each stage has an owner and a deadline.
Day 1
Publication
Listings verified in every territory, announcement published, interviews released where scheduled.
Days 2 to 3
Coverage window
Media pieces and podcast episodes land; early reader responses are collected in one place.
Days 4 to 5
Second wave
Follow-up outreach to contacts who asked for a later slot, plus newsletter and community activity.
Days 6 to 7
Review and record
What worked is documented while it is still fresh, and used to plan the following month.
Post-launch
What happens after week one.
Launch week opens the door. The three months after it decide whether the book keeps selling.
01
Month one
Sustained outreach, translation and audiobook announcements, and any coverage that missed launch week.
02
Months two and three
Evergreen placement: interviews, guest pieces, reading-group material, event appearances.
03
Ongoing
Royalty reporting, metadata refinement, and rights conversations opened by the coverage the launch produced.
Launch reminders
Join the release list for publication dates, pre-order openings and launch notes from the desk.
Consultation
Bring us a date and a manuscript.
Tell us the publication date, the formats and the market you want to open. We reply with a stage-by-stage plan and what it would take to run it.
Questions
Launch questions, answered.
How long before publication should a launch start?
Twelve weeks is comfortable, sixteen is better if translation or audio editions are involved. Four weeks is possible but limits outreach to a single wave.
Do you guarantee reviews, rankings or sales?
No. We guarantee the work, the schedule and honest reporting. Reader and media responses are independent, and retailer rankings are outside anyone's control.
Can you run a launch for a book you did not publish?
Yes, provided you hold the rights you are asking us to promote and the files and metadata are in a usable state.
What do you need from me during launch week?
Availability. Interviews, replies and approvals are time-sensitive that week, and a slow answer costs coverage.
Next step
Tell us about your book
Send the manuscript details and the markets you have in mind. We reply with an honest assessment, not a sales pitch.