So I got an email recently from Amazon Publishing, about how they now allow indie writers to do pre-orders! That means that I can upload a book on Amazon 90 days before its publication date, and it will have its own page and everything.
Honestly, I’m not sure how I’ll use this new tool, because I tend to publish things as soon as they’re finished. I don’t want to upload anything except a finished product for pre-order, on the off-chance that something comes up and I can’t have it ready in time. However, since I already have ongoing series (such as Sons of the Starfarers) where people are waiting for the next book, I want to put those books up as soon as they’re finished.
It’s a marketing tool that I’ll have to learn and experiment with. Right now, the biggest value I see is in launching new series, so that people who buy book 1 can immediately pre-order the next couple of books right after finishing the first one. Of course, that means I actually need to write the first few books before publishing the first one, but that’s probably a good idea anyway.
What I’ll probably do is arrange my publishing schedule so that I’m publishing books not as soon as they’re finished, but between 30-60 days after. The pre-orders will give me a buffer and allow me to release the books on the same day across every retail channel. It will help to keep things organized and create more consistency, so that you all know what to expect.
In the short term, though, that means I need to write a lot more in order to create this buffer and have books lined up for regular releases. In other words, I need to get to work!
