15 Ways to Sell Preorder Books You Need to See

Preorders give your book a serious advantage at launch. Many retailers count all preorders as day-one sales, which can help you hit bestseller lists, and the early buzz can create word-of-mouth momentum for weeks after release. But convincing readers to buy before they can actually read the book is the challenge! You need to give them a compelling reason to buy early — whether that’s special perks or early access — while keeping your release visible and exciting throughout the preorder period.

Below, we’ve organized 15 preorder marketing strategies into categories so you can find the ideas you need:

• Offer book preorder incentives
• Build buzz on social media
• Leverage your own channels
• Run paid promotions
• Give back to the community

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, we hope these ideas from successful authors and publishers spark inspiration for your next campaign.

Offer book preorder incentives

1. Give early access to superfans

Reward your most loyal readers with early access to the preorder — a staggered release creates exclusivity and makes your biggest fans feel valued.

Lisa Lang Blakeney shared her cover reveal in a newsletter (see the full email here), then offered the preorder exclusively through her Patreon and direct store. Only readers with Patreon access or those buying direct could snag the early release.

Angela J. Ford built anticipation by announcing a seven-day countdown to early preorder access, priming her audience to be ready when the link went live.

2. Offer an exclusive preorder magnet

For readers who can’t wait to read, a preorder reader magnet delivers exclusive digital content immediately for instant gratification. Think excerpts, bonus scenes, deleted chapters, prequel novellas, or special videos — get creative with these digital freebies!

Ann Liang created urgency by announcing there was only one day left to get her exclusive novella, available only to readers who preordered.

Dutton Books offered something unique: a video of Riley Sager himself reading an excerpt from his book.

Tom Colicchio invited readers to join him at an exclusive live cooking event, alongside other freebies. Tom’s publisher helped orchestrate this campaign, but self-published authors can create similar experiences on a smaller scale.

3. Give a gift to readers who preorder

Readers love connecting personally and receiving mail from their favorite authors, and offering swag or other gifts in exchange for preordering encourages fans to spread the word on social media as they show off their goodies. In these promotions, readers provide proof of purchase to receive the swag.

Some authors create scarcity by limiting gifts to the first X number of preorders. Kerry Michele Cullen offered the first 50 readers who preordered something unexpected and personal: a tarot card reading!

Axie Oh partnered with her local indie bookstore to send special gift bundles to readers who preordered, including a signed copy, art cards, and pins.

Soman Chainani went big and offered readers an entire additional book as a preorder incentive!

4. Launch a crowdfunding campaign with exclusive editions

Using crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, authors offer their book as a reward for backers, and the campaign deadline creates natural urgency. The real draw, of course, is the special edition, exclusive format, or reward bundle that isn’t available anywhere else.

Alice Hanov shared an unboxing video of her special edition on Instagram, inviting followers to back her Kickstarter campaign to preorder the exclusive version.

Build buzz on social media

5. Start a countdown

Regular reminders of your preorder aren’t spammy — they’re essential for keeping the book top of mind while ramping up anticipation as the release date approaches. A countdown series is a fun way to post daily.

Kennedy Ryan uses TikTok to post frequently about her new releases and get readers excited to buy them even sooner.

6. Share a cover (or other!) reveal

If you can arrange to have a book available for preorder in time for its cover reveal, linking to the preorder can be a great way to jump-start sales from this exciting announcement.

Imani Erriu shared a stunning animated reveal to promote the preorder link, slowly unveiling her cover for dramatic effect.

Jenika Snow gave newsletter subscribers an exclusive first look at her cover reveal (subject line: “You get to see this FIRST!” See the full email here).

Why limit yourself to revealing covers? Greer Rivers revealed the playlist she listened to while writing her book, seamlessly including a preorder reminder in the post.

7. Create Instagram Stories with preorder links

Instagram Stories feel casual and authentic, while driving direct action with great features like countdown stickers and link stickers.

Emily R. Bellas created a simple but effective story featuring a fun trope graphic with a clear call-to-action linking directly to her preorder.

8. Run a contest or giveaway to boost buzz

Contests and giveaways grab attention and amplify reach — especially when entry requirements include liking, following, or sharing, extending your preorder visibility beyond your existing audience.

Christina Ferko collaborated with other debut horror authors to run a joint giveaway of their upcoming books.

Creative prize packages can make giveaways even more enticing! Rebecca Serle posted a reel to give her sweepstakes instructions a personal touch, discussing unique prizes like a Fujifilm camera and a custom-designed book sleeve.

9. Drive early reviews by giving away ARCs

While some retailers like Amazon don’t allow preorder reviews, readers can still leave reviews on Goodreads, BookBub, their blogs, and social media. Distributing advance review copies (ARCs) generates early buzz and social proof while your book is still in preorder.

Becka Mack ran a giveaway on Facebook for limited edition ARCs of Breathe with Me, enticing readers with the promise of an exclusive deleted scene.

Once reviews start coming in, share them! Naima Simone created an eye-catching reel featuring early reviews alongside a clear call to preorder.

Leverage your own channels

10. Blog about your preorder

If you blog or post updates on your website, add preorder announcements to your content calendar. The more touchpoints readers encounter, the more likely they’ll remember to preorder!

Angela Henry published a simple and direct update on her website about her preorders and review copies, including preorder links followed by a brief book description.

11. Link the preorder in other books’ back matter

An ebook’s back matter is a great place to promote a book that’s available for preorder, especially if the preorder is a subsequent series book. This lets readers order it as soon as they finish the previous book without having to remember to buy the new book when it’s available.

Diana Urban linked her preorder in both the front and back matter of her reader magnet The Last Time I Saw Her Alive. In the back matter, after thanking readers for finishing the story, she offered an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming novel, complete with a plot teaser and multiple compelling CTAs: preorder the book, join her mailing list for updates, or sign up to read an early ARC.

Strategic discounting can amplify this tactic. Melissa F. Miller ran a $0.99 BookBub Featured Deal on a box set of the first three books in her series while the sixth book, Irrevocable Trust, was available for preorder. She also discounted the second box set so new readers could catch up on the entire series.

Both box sets included prominent preorder links for Irrevocable Trust in the front and back matter. The BookBub promotion helped send the first box set to the USA Today bestseller list, introducing thousands of new readers to the series — all of whom saw the preorder link for the upcoming book.

12. Build an author street team or fan club

Whether on Facebook, Discord, or Slack, private online communities let your biggest fans connect with you and each other, making them perfect for preorder announcements.

J. Elle built a street team for her debut novel, and it quickly evolved into a genuine community rather than just a marketing tool.

Her advice: “Don’t start too early! You don’t want people to burn out on excitement for the book. I suggest kicking off your team about four months from release. I also suggest engaging in your group personally, being present, and getting to know your team. We had a bunch of activities and banter in our Slack channel, including a #TeamJulius #TeamJhamal debate where fans of each ship created dating profiles for the characters and debated (in a spoiler-free way) which love interest is the best for my protagonist based on the dating profiles. That was a ton of fun!”

Run paid promotions

13. Run a BookBub Ads campaign

BookBub Ads let you promote any book — including preorders and full-price titles — to BookBub’s millions of avid readers. These ads appear in BookBub’s daily emails, driving visibility among an audience actively looking for their next read.

CD Reiss ran BookBub Ads for Separation Games, the sequel to Marriage Games, to let her fans on BookBub know that her new sequel was available for preorder. She ran this campaign during the four days before launch and specifically targeted her own BookBub followers. Read more about her strategy here.

More examples of effective preorder campaigns on BookBub Ads:

14. Run a BookBub Preorder Alert

A Preorder Alert is a dedicated email sent exclusively to your BookBub followers, announcing that your book is available for preorder. At just $0.02 per follower, it’s cost-effective and highly targeted. You can even send two alerts per book to maximize visibility throughout your preorder period.

Carrie Ann Ryan sent a Preorder Alert to her 12,000 followers for Inked Expressions. This $225 campaign generated an estimated 350 book sales, helping drive at least $1,200 in revenue!

Give back to the community

15. Celebrate your preorder by giving back

Show readers how much their support means by tying your preorder to a charitable cause or creative celebration.

Isabel Klee shared she was so excited about her preorder that she’d be making daily donations to NYC animal rescues that inspired her book.

You can also support an indie bookstore by offering incentives exclusively to readers who preorder from that store. Alexandra Villasante partnered with a local bookstore for her preorder campaign for Fireblooms, giving readers who ordered from that store a signed copy and sticker pack.

Not every preorder campaign needs to use all these strategies. The most important thing is giving readers multiple opportunities to discover and preorder your book, whether that’s through targeted ads on BookBub, regular social media posts, or a combination of tactics. Test different approaches to see what works for your unique audience! You can also check out more ideas for promoting your preorder on social media.

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About AJ Yee

AJ is a content marketer on the BookBub Partners marketing team, where she manages the Partners Blog and enjoys researching and sharing how authors and publishers can level up their marketing.