Before the Launch

Prepare for the self-publishing process so your book stays relevant, and marketable, for longer.

Before the Launch isn't a book. It's a manual.

If you are looking for a book to curl up with, be entertained by, and read cover-to-cover in a couple of sittings, Before the Launch isn't for you.

This manual has been compiled over the course of 14 years, during which we've managed the publication of more than 400 books for our self-publishing clients. It contains detailed advice based on our experience in using KDP, IngramSpark, Bowker, and numerous other self-publishing tools and services—and now we're sharing it with you.

Before the Launch is your guide to understanding the important decisions you need to make and things you need to do during the book preparation process that have an impact on marketing success once your book is released.

These decisions and steps are rarely considered "book marketing," yet marketing can and does suffer if these tasks are not done correctly, or not done at all.

Why do we call Before the Launch a manual?

• Self-publishing is a multi-step process, executed over the course of weeks and months. Before the Launch is designed for "just-in-time" learning.
• Publishing a book is a multidisciplinary project, requiring business, legal, marketing, and research know-how. Each of the 58 topics has color-coded cross references to related topics.
• The publishing tasks that lead up to the release of a book overlap with each other. Before the Launch includes our trademarked 14-track Countdown to Book Launch© timeline that illustrates these overlaps so you can stay on track during the lead-up to your book's release.

Like any good manual, our guidance is findable when you need it—and we've built in learning extensions

We've put as much care and thought into how the manual is organized as we have put into writing it. Our goal is to teach you what you need to know, when you need to know it.

• The manual is organized into 5 sections: PREPARE, REGISTER, AMAZON, REVIEW, and RELEASE.
• We've included 140 links to additional authoritative information for deeper learning or additional resources.
• Your purchase includes access to 3 orientation videos: a tour of KDP, a tour of IngramSpark, and how to view an Amazon book product detail page like a publisher.
• Because publishing timelines overlap, the 58 topics contain 283 color-coded cross-references to help you quickly locate related topics.
• We've even included downloadable Word, Excel, and PDF files to make it easier to perform the exercises recommended in the topics: comp research, metadata collection, running a price-drop sale, and coordinating ARC printing with POD distribution via KDP and IngramSpark.

Before the Launch is your self-publishing manual for the best launch possible

Comprehensive, accessible, and based on real-world experience, Before the Launch is a manual for self-publishers of fiction and nonfiction alike. It's so handy, you'll want the eBook as well as the original 204-page spiral print edition. Get your copies today.

David is the author of the Countdown to Book Launch® series of publishing guides and workbook, and the author of the first LinkedIn Learning course on the topic of self-publishing.

He is a frequent speaker and trainer, including presentations for the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), the Independent Writers of Southern California, and the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

Before founding AuthorImprints.com in 2011, David worked for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, the Los Angeles Times, and was co-founder and COO of the first online publisher of sports team branded websites known today as the CBS College Sports Network.

A native of Los Angeles, David and his family live in Carlsbad, California.

Manon Wogahn is the publishing operations manager at AuthorImprints and a contributor of several topics to Before the Launch. She also creates and manages promotional campaigns for client books.

In addition to her duties at AuthorImprints, Manon is the founding editor of the Cluesletter, a biweekly email newsletter dedicated to the mystery genre, and discusses mystery books on Tik-Tok and Instagram as @mysterymanon. She has presented on book influencer marketing at the Women in Publishing Summit and Alliance of Independent Authors’ SelfPubCon, among others.

She is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, San Diego Professional Editors Network, and Sisters in Crime, and serves as an officer for her Toastmasters International club.