Ready to Publish? Then Start Your Pre-Orders Now

The book is near ready – you are in the final editing and revising stage. The cover is chosen, designed and finished. Everything is to your liking. Then comes the hardest part. Promoting and Selling.

Many self-publishing authors that have built a list of loyal fans would at this stage be preparing their website, social media, newsletters and promotions –  gearing up for their book launch campaign that would definitely include pre-orders.    

Traditional publishers and retailers start selling books well before they are published, allowing the fan base to pre-order the book. In fact, pre-orders kick start the launch campaign, leading to a strong book launch.  This is because they know the value of pre-orders, which are pivotal for the book’s sales. They create demand, generate word-of-mouth publicity, gather book reviews, and also grab the attention of the industry players (the agents, editors, clients, media, sponsors, etc.)

The same strategy applies to self-publishing authors. The best time to promote your book is precisely at this stage, before it is available to be sold. This can be from as soon as two to three weeks before publishing, to months’ long campaigns with competitions and campaigns to keep the interest level high.  

 The concept behind pre-orders is simple. You can start selling before the book is actual published to capture as many sales as possible. As an added bonus, this typically also creates a demand for your back list titles. From a PR perspective, it is a great way to excite and engage with your readers.

As a sales strategy, this is one of the most advantageous for the self-publishing author, as it is a strong indicator of the success of the book. You are creating a buzz among your fans, as well as attracting new readers who happen to see it advertised because of their interests.

Let’s consider a few strategies to ensure your pre-orders are successful: Pre-Sales Promotions and Giveaways, Back Lists, and Social Media

Promotions and Give-aways for email addresses – Everyone loves free stuff, and if you have the budget, it is worth considering offering give-aways in your pre-order campaigns. You don’t need to break the bank – and it could even be e-swag – from art downloads, excerpts, competitions, chapters that did not make the final cut, inside stories and obscure detail behind the characters… or a sample chapter to act as a lead magnet to provide you with “hot” qualified email addresses. 

Current Titles – Pre-order selling will prompt your readers and new fans to go back and look at your previous titles, especially if they are just discovering you as an author. As you market your current titles, it would be very easy to direct your readers to the pre-order page via an online link.

Social Media – It goes without saying – update your website and social media headers to represent the new book. Use them to launch your pre-order selling campaign – promote pre-orders, do a cover reveal, advertise the giveaways, and publicise the book, the story and its characters!  Later when the book is released, use it to engage with readers, stream live Q&As or promote using reels and short videos.

As you can see, pre-orders are a great way to get your most loyal fans engaged. At Bookvault, pre-order is just another process you can handle yourself, easily and in your own time. The Great British Book Shop is our own exclusive retail store, and this is where your pre-orders would be listed. It is also the most profitable place for you to list your book because you make more profit per sale.  By using the pre-order selling, and then selling directly through our retailer, you are effectively cutting out the selling fees from the mainstream sellers and retaining your well-deserved profit!

The Great British Book Shop allows you to generate income from all corners of the world. It also has global distribution network which means that you can reach new global markets as a self-publishing author, reaping the benefits of print on demand with a global-retailer service. 

How does it work? Based on a book with an RRP of £20.00 and an available retailer discount of 35%, you have the potential of earning up to 69% more selling using Bookvault than with other online retailers – see our comparison chart below:

The process itself is also simple. Pre-orders work on your publication date, which you can set as far in advance as you like. Bookvault then makes it available as a “Pre-Order” title on The Great British Book Shop.

When a customer pre-orders a title,, the request enters our Bookvault system and the customer will receive the printed book on the publication date. If you are not ready to publish and need to change the publication date with Nielsen and on Bookvault, then Bookvault would simply prolong the pre-order period until your new revised publication date.

Pre-orders can change the success of your book. With Bookvault you have complete peace of mind as you set the pre-order dates, adjust and control – ready to cut the costs and reap the profits. Then when you are ready to release, you can sit back, receive the orders and let us print and distribute your books directly.

So start thinking of pre-order selling as soon as your book is near ready.  It is quick and easy to set up pre-orders through Bookvault. Don’t forget, it’s free to sign up for a Bookvault account, which means you can get started as soon as you are ready to write! 

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