Book Launch Checklist

Who this is for

A launch, step by step and dated. Each task is marked before release, launch week or after launch, with space for who is doing it and when it is due, so a small team or a lone author can see what is next.

Self-publishing authors running their own launch, and traditionally published authors who want their share of the work written down alongside the publisher's.

What this helps you track

• Files, metadata and pre-orders ready before the release date
• Review copies and launch team organised in time
• Launch week announcements, events and links
• Follow-up promotion and a first look at sales after launch

How to use it

1. Write the title, the launch date, the formats and the platforms at the top.
2. Work backwards from the launch date and give each task a due date that suits your own schedule.
3. Put a name against each task, even if every name is yours, and add any tasks of your own in the blank rows.
4. Tick tasks off as they are done, on paper or in the browser version, which saves in your own browser.
5. Keep the finished sheet and use it to plan the timing of the next launch.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How far ahead should I start?

That depends on your formats, your platforms and how much help you have. Set the due dates from your own timeline and the lead times your printer, distributor and reviewers give you.

Why is there an owner column if I am doing it alone?

Because many launches involve an editor, a cover designer, a publicist or a friend running the launch event. If it really is all you, the column still helps you see which tasks you have handed to nobody.

Does it cover a launch event?

It includes the event as a launch-week task. For the details of an event itself, the author event and signing planner and the book event stock and sales sheet go further.

Can I add my own tasks?

Yes. There are blank rows at the foot of the printed table, and the browser version lets you add as many rows as you need, marked with whichever stage they belong to.