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Print on Demand publishing (POD) provides authors with great speed to market and reduced overhead costs without sacrificing quality. If your book is being published as print on demand, the following guide provides a useful overview of the timeline to publication, execution of distribution and marketing initiatives, and the best ways that you can support your book launch.

PUBLICATION TIMELINE

The most important thing to understand when publishing a print on demand book is the timeline to publication and retail availability. Once the book files are uploaded to your POD partner of choice (Greenleaf uses both CreateSpace and Lightning Source for authors publishing on our River Grove Books imprint) and the retailer pages populate, your book is immediately available for purchase. While Kindle books can be set for preorder in advance of publication, print books have no preorder capabilities.

For River Grove authors, that typically means the Kindle book page will go live on Amazon before the print book page and will be available for preorder until the book’s official publication date. While Kindle will be the first eBook page to go live, other eBook retailers will follow shortly.

Print book pages will go live across retailers a few days after the files are uploaded to the printers. For River Grove authors, print book pages will generally be live one week prior to the book’s official publication date and available for purchase immediately.

BOOKSTORES

Depending on which print on demand partner you choose, your book may be available for purchase by local bookstores through wholesalers. Remember that no one is actively pitching your book to bookstore buyers, so if your book is available for purchase through a wholesaler and you want your local bookstore to consider carrying your book, you will need to contact them directly. You are your book’s best salesperson!

MARKETING

You may begin marketing your book as soon as it is available for purchase, though we recommend choosing a promotional date a week or two after the book becomes available so that you can ensure the accuracy of the book pages, preview features are activated, your author profile is complete, and that Amazon categories are added. This will present your book in the most professional light possible and increase the conversion rate of browsers to buyers.

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL

Once your book page is live on Amazon (both Kindle and print), you may create your Amazon Author Central account. Author Central allows you to populate your author page with your author bio and photo, giving readers additional ways to engage with your book. The process can take up to 14 days to activate, sync with your book, and populate.

You can find more information about profile setup in the Greenleaf Guide for Amazon Author Central Profiles and on the Author Central website.

AMAZON READ SAMPLE

Amazon’s Read Sample feature allows readers to preview a sample excerpt of your book via a button below the book cover image.

Amazon will select the preview excerpt and in general will display the front matter and first chapter or two in the preview.

The Read Sample feature helps create more discoverability for your book and improves customer experience in three primary ways:

● Point-of-Sale Sampling

● One-Click Purchasing

● Improved Search Results

Learn more about Read Sample on Amazon.

AMAZON CATEGORIES

Amazon Browse categories are similar to genre shelving within a brick-and-mortar bookstore, with the added benefit of a broader variety of online categories. This allows authors to select targeted categories and subcategories for their book and ensure that it is discoverable to consumers looking for content in that genre.

In addition to building discoverability, selecting relevant categories also positions your book to potentially reach Amazon Best Seller status, which is based on sales in 24 hours. In general, the more niche a category, the lower the competition, and the broader the category, the higher the competition. Achieving Amazon Best Seller status triggers Amazon’s algorithm to recommend your title on site and via email to consumers with a browsing and purchase history in your genre, thereby increasing both discoverability and sales potential, so you’ll want to be sure your category choices have been processed and are in place before you begin promoting.

PROMOTION

Once your book pages are live, previews activated, and categories processed, you can begin promoting your book. Below are some suggestions on initiatives you may want to consider to help your book reach new readers.

● Author Videos

○ Creating brief author videos to introduce your book and highlight key takeaways is a great way to engage with your readers. Share via social media, your website, and newsletter.

● Giveaways (NetGalley and/or Goodreads)

○ Building word of mouth and consumer reviews are among the best ways to support your book launch. Talk to your marketing strategist about listing the digital files of your book on NetGalley and/or setting up giveaways on Goodreads.

● Paid Publishing Trade Review Submissions

○ Paid trade reviews give POD authors the opportunity to build more clout by securing guaranteed professional reviews. These reviews can be added to your retail book pages, book website, and shared via social media.

● Soliciting Reviews from Your Network

○ Be sure to tap into your existing network to request honest reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and social media. Reviews act as social proof for readers discovering you and your book, so a good review strategy is vital to the success of your launch.

● Amazon Advertising

○ Amazon advertising is a great way to drive traffic, sales, and activity on your Amazon book page. The ads can be targeted based on categories, keywords, and bestselling titles within your genre and can contribute to achieving Amazon Best Seller status.

● Media Coverage

○ Begin pitching to media and podcasts for coverage and interviews. This will expand your reach to new audiences and also develop your digital presence.

The above are just a few of the ways you can support your upcoming POD book launch, differentiate your book from the competition, reach readers, and drive book sales.

Greenleaf’s marketing team is here to help. Email marketing@greenleafbookgroup.com for more information on how our marketing services can bring value to your book launch.