What goes into a book launch?

Mortimer the Terrier’s Second Chance goes on sale on Tuesday, Nov. 18. That’s four weeks from today. And PHEW, there’s a lot to do between now and then.

“But Kristin,” you may be asking. “The book is in print! What’s left for you to do?”

A boatload, in fact.

My pre-launch to-do list

Get my website ready to sell books.

There are a lot of options for e-commerce. They’ve all got different capabilities and, of course, different fees. I’m trying to figure out which one gives me the most bang for my buck, then I gotta connect it to my site.

Ensure my Amazon listing is up and running.

Thankfully, my publishing team is doing the heavy lifting on this. But I still need to double-check and make sure it all works.

Coordinate my book shipment.

My copies are coming to a logistics center, not my house. This is saving me hundreds of dollars, but I have to work with the center and the printer to make sure I show up on the right day and time to collect my cartons.

Prepare orders for Kickstarter backers.

Y’all are my #1 priority! In addition to collecting your shipping information via the survey, I’m ordering packing supplies and organizing your rewards so things are ready to go once the books are in my hands.

Coordinate advance reviewers.

A few weeks ago, I sent out digital previews of the book to some folks with an ask for endorsements. Now, I need to pleasantly and persistently remind them of their deadline.

Prep my Street Team for action.

I’m finalizing their toolkit, which includes a timeline, messaging guidance, and graphics they can use to help me promote the book before, during, and after launch week.

Put final touches on my personal publicity plan.

If you follow me on social, be prepared to hear a LOT more about Morty soon! And if you’re not already following me on Instagram (@kristinhansonwrites), now’s the time! It’ll be super easy to share my posts from there.

The launch of this book isn’t a bookend but a beginning of a big new chapter of this journey. I hope you’ll continue to join me on this road—you make it a lot more fun.