Preorders are a staple in the publishing industry to build buzz for new books, giving authors and publishers extra time to drum up excitement, attention, and book sales in the lead-up to release day. To discover what’s working in preorder marketing today, we surveyed over 300 of our author partners. We asked them when and how they use preorders, whether it matters to try to incentivize readers to preorder, what tools to invest in, and more — and what we found might surprise you.
85% of authors use preorders.
85% of all participants responded that they always or sometimes make their books available for preorder. This includes both independently and traditionally published authors — 72% of respondents are self-published, 22% are “hybrid,” with some books self-published and others traditionally published, and 6% are traditionally published only. These authors write in a variety of genres, but 43% of all respondents to the survey write romance or rom-com.
The authors who do set up preorders tend to have more books published than those who don’t use preorders, the majority of whom have published fewer than 10 books.
Of the authors who sometimes make their books available for preorder, many specified that it depends on the book or release schedule:
If I have a definite deadline I’ll do a preorder. If not, I won’t.
I mainly use preorders as pre-emptive self-defense against the unpredictability of Amazon’s approval cycles.
If a month has passed between books, I’ll put up a preorder. Otherwise, I try to publish the next book within 30 days or close to it.
My romance titles (written under a pen name) were rapid release, so no preorders. My self-published titles also went out without a preorder. My title published with a traditional publisher is currently in preorder now.
Of those who indicated they do not use preorders, many explained they feel they are too early in their career, or have yet to build a large enough audience, to generate buzz. Others cited reasons such as wanting to have more flexible launch timelines.
If I do a preorder, it establishes a date certain that my book(s) will be published, but it’s always a longer wait than if I don’t do a preorder. My readers have stated that they’d rather have my books earlier (with no preorder) than have a preorder that delays publication — even if said delay is only a few days.
I don’t need the added stress of a preorder date that might not happen if I have production issues due to ‘life getting in the way’.
I write picture books, so I like to have my book free for the first couple of days to get reviews. I don’t think it’s fair to do a preorder if I’m going to have it free. I’m also a new author with a very small following. Once I get more established, I think I will use preorders.
For my first or second book, preorder didn’t make sense. As an unknown, self-published author, I didn’t have the marketing strength of a traditional publisher. Thanks in part to BookBub, I have a readership waiting for my fourth book. I plan to leverage ARCs, pre-release reviews, and a preorder process.
The most common preorder period is 1-3 months.
The majority (52%) of all authors who use preorders typically start promoting their preorders one to three months out. This trend generally holds true no matter how frequently authors are releasing new books, but differs slightly for different types of authors: Among traditionally published authors, just 32% prefer to promote preorders one to three months out, with 37% waiting until less than one month out to start promoting a preorder.
If I do a preorder, I usually send a BookBub Preorder Alert when I do my cover reveal about a month before the release. I promote the preorder in my Facebook group and newsletter. I then do another Preorder Alert a few days before my release.
I used to suggest that authors do a 3-month preorder, but Amazon does not save the sales for launch day. They count as they are made. So the whole idea of preorders goes out the window. Now, I “preorder” for about two weeks or so, so I can set up promos with links to the book. Then I schedule promos for the month after launch, giving the book as much exposure as possible.
The most popular channels for preorder promotion are newsletters, Facebook, and Instagram.
It may come as no surprise that the goal of preorders for most authors is to reach both new and existing readers. The most popular channels for driving preorders are personal email newsletters, Facebook, and Instagram — 93% of authors use their newsletter, 91% use Facebook, and 76% use Instagram. The two most popular channels for promoting preorders to existing fans in particular are personal email newsletters and BookBub Preorder Alerts.
In terms of preorder marketing budgets, 83% of authors spend $500 or less on a typical preorder campaign. 19% rely on unpaid channels and spend no money at all, but the highest proportion of authors (44%) spend anywhere between $1 to $250 across all channels.
Repetition and creating urgency are key strategies for effective preorder marketing.
We asked authors which preorder marketing strategies and channels have been the most effective for them. As you’d expect, there’s no silver bullet strategy for preorder marketing, but a common theme was a focus on the timing and frequency of preorder promotions. Authors have found success promoting preorders often and ramping up this repetition in the final weeks and days before release.
Camilla Isley advised authors to “constantly share on social media and in your newsletter to build up the anticipation.”
Kathleen Baldwin said: “Doing a days-to-release countdown on social media helped me get an Amazon category bestselling ribbon.”
Nikita Slater finds that “the best strategy is to continually remind readers of the preorder through social media, newsletters, swaps, and Bookbub Preorder Alerts. In my copy, I use positive language with a sense of urgency. ‘Grab this book today and start reading on September 19th!’”
Heather Renee said: “When there are only 2-4 weeks left until release, I make an effort to schedule posts in my Facebook reader group, author page, and Instagram, sharing teasers and any art I might have commissioned. I tend to hype up the book at least four days a week in those final weeks, pushing the excitement in hopes that readers will be salivating to get their hands on it by the time it’s release day.”
Nearly half of authors work together to promote their preorders.
Another way many authors are driving preorders is through cross-promotion. 49% of authors who use preorders indicated that they partner with other authors (more common) or influencers (less common) on their campaigns.
We asked those authors how they find people to collaborate with. While some attributed their success to luck or years of networking, others shared strategic approaches to sourcing and pitching potential collaborators. Whether that involves leaning on outreach via DMs or established relationships, most authors strive to connect as organically as possible.
I have assisted with a couple of bestselling authors’ launches as part of their street team, and they are reciprocating.
I spend a lot of time on TikTok chatting with other indies in my genre and cross-promoting with them.
I reach out to friends, authors I enjoy reading in the subgenre, and authors suggested to me by my other writing friends. Also, promo sites like Story Origin and BookFunnel make it possible to sign up for newsletter swaps with authors in the same genre.
I belong to two romance author masterminds and find 80% of my newsletter swap partners that way. I cold DM influencers on Instagram to offer the ARC.
I use a marketing firm to engage with Bookstagrammers, who share the book cover.
I’ll ask other authors on Facebook if I can post about my new release in their reader groups and/or sign up for giveaway opportunities or takeover events.
I meet authors by following Facebook groups like Wide for the Win or 20Booksto50K and then reaching out to authors with similar material. Sometimes, if the new release is the first book in a new series, I will contact an influencer or a book tour company to promote the book. I find them by contacting other authors to find out who is reputable and who would fit my brand best.
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Among those who don’t use this strategy for preorders, some authors cited a lack of time or resources to find and reach out to collaborators. Others aren’t interested in using influencer marketing for preorders, finding other strategies sufficient to meet their goals.
I have worked with influencers in the past, and it involved a lot of research about which ones might want a copy of the book in advance. If I did it again I’d outsource it.
I’m starting to connect with other authors but haven’t talked with influencers. I’m doing a lot of searching on Instagram at the moment, as well as writers’ organizations like the International Thriller Writers group.
I promote preorders very gently instead of going full-force since I don’t want to take away all the momentum for the actual launch.
I don’t specifically reach out. I’m part of a genre-specific blog for readers, and my monthly posts there are a significant way to reach new and existing readers through a collaborative effort.
Discounts and other incentives may not increase preorder sales.
In the past, we’ve found that a popular strategy for driving preorders is to offer incentives such as free bonus content or discounts. But only 34% of respondents who use preorders indicated that they offer incentives or bonuses.
25% of authors offer a discount on the preorder as an incentive. $0.99 and $2.99 were the most common price points among those who discount their preorder.
Luana Ehrlich said: “Most of my eBooks are priced at $4.99, so I price my preorders at $2.99 and emphasize 4-6 weeks in advance of release that readers will save $2.00 off the release price by doing a preorder. I start teasing the book’s cover in my newsletter about one month before having a preorder link. One week before release, I use Facebook and BookBub Ads to get readers to preorder, along with Preorder Alerts from BookBub.”
Nancy J. Cohen discounts older titles and cross-promotes the preorder. “If you don’t discount your new release, it can help to discount one of the earlier books in your series.” Here’s an example preorder promotion on her blog (you can read the full announcement here).
Among those who don’t use incentives or bonuses, many had tried it in the past but found it didn’t significantly impact preorder numbers.
I tried offering the preorder at a lower price but I found that offering at the regular launch price did not reduce my number of preorders.
I keep my preorders at full price as my superfans are the most likely to preorder, and they don’t need an incentive to purchase. I don’t reduce the cost of a new release for at least three months.
I used to offer things like art prints or bonus chapters, but I don’t anymore, as I find my preorder numbers have been high without any incentives at all.
I did add a bonus scene for one preorder, but it didn’t seem to change the number of preorders, so I haven’t tried it again.
When I was a newer author, I would release my books at $0.99 for the first week. This strategy would help me pick up new readers who were more willing to take a risk on a cheaper new release. Now, I don’t tend to use incentives to sell preorders as I have a good-sized audience. I do monthly giveaways of signed books, gift cards, ereaders, etc. as an incentive to keep opening and reading my newsletters, which usually have a preorder or two in them.
Do you use preorders to boost sales or visibility for new books? What are some marketing strategies you’ve found effective? Share your ideas or advice in the comments!
Want to share this research? Here are ready-made tweets:
Click to tweet: This @BookBubPartners survey found that nearly half of authors collaborate with each other to promote preorders! 🤝 https://bit.ly/3serRDx #writingcommunity #authorlife
Click to tweet: 💡Interesting — only 34% of authors doing preorder marketing offer discounts and other preorder incentives. Others have found it doesn’t affect preorder numbers. More insights: https://bit.ly/3serRDx #bookmarketing
