Do you find yourself wondering:
- How do I make sure my book is available to bookstores?
- How do I price my book? Can I change the price—or is there a strategy?
- Should I use Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, or both?
- How do I use Amazon as a publisher?
- How do I solicit book reviews, and what do I do with them?
- How do I plan for the best possible book launch?
Below: a 20-page sample. Also enlarge to full screen.
Summary of key details
- Workbook: 204 pages, 8” x 10”, full color, spiral binding for lay-flat reading.
- Fifty-eight topics divided into five color-tabbed sections with more than 230 color-coded cross-references.
- Also available in eBook edition.
How to buy Before the Launch
Option 1: Order the print book direct from us
After clicking the Add to Cart button, you'll get a pop-up to confirm quantity. There is no sales tax because your order will be fulfilled by Pathway Book Service from their warehouse in New Hampshire.
Option 2: Order the print or Kindle eBook from Amazon
The Kindle eBook is $8.99.
The print book is also available from Amazon for the same price ($49 USD), but there is no discount and it is not eligible for Prime shipping.
Option 3: Order the eBook from other stores
Who this is for
This workbook is for you if you are self-managing the publishing process, with or without outside assistance. Those who are:
- Using contractors
- Using a self-publishing services firm
- Working with a hybrid publisher
- Creating their own files and managing distribution on their own
You won’t find detailed instructions about how to create a book cover, format a book, program an eBook, or upload files for distribution—that information is readily available from numerous other sources. Before the Launch helps with the hard part: what to do with your files, and when.
It's written to educate new author-publishers about important decisions they need to make, and steps they need to take, during the book production process that impact post-publication success.
These decisions and steps are rarely considered “book marketing,” yet marketing can and does suffer if they are not done correctly or not done at all.
“Before the Launch contains everything a self-publisher should know so they make the right decisions for the most successful book launch possible.”
— Karla Olson, former board chair of the Independent Book Publishers Association
What first-time authors are saying about Before the Launch
“For a visual learner like me, your use of graphics is welcomed. I appreciate the check-marked boxes and notes to authors, isolated as they are with important points to remember.” —Lisa B.
“I have a large number of these books, and each is focused only on one part of the process; it is nice to have it all in one place. I also like how you back up your recommendations with actual anecdotes. And, although it is subtle, I appreciate that you repeat important points, from topic to topic.” —Bob D.
“Information is practical, with clear examples, including gotchas not widely known or discussed—the author’s experience in self-publishing is obvious and reassuring.” —Angela H.
About the authors
DAVID WOGAHN is the author of six self-published books. In 2012, he became the author of the first LinkedIn Learning course on the topic of self-publishing (Lynda.com at the time).
He is a frequent speaker and trainer, and has given presentations and taught classes for Writer’s Digest University, Jane Friedman, the Independent Book Publishers Association, IBPA Publishing University, the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, among other publishing professional organizations.
David is also the president of AuthorImprints, an award-winning professional publishing services company, which he founded 2011.
MANON WOGAHN is the publishing operations manager at AuthorImprints and a contributor of several topics to Before the Launch. She also creates and manages promotional campaigns for client books.
In addition to her duties at AuthorImprints, Manon is the founding editor of the Cluesletter, a biweekly email newsletter dedicated to the mystery genre, and discusses mystery books on Tik-Tok and Instagram as @mysterymanon. She has presented on book influencer marketing at the Women in Publishing Summit and Alliance of Independent Authors’ SelfPubCon, among others.
She is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, San Diego Professional Editors Network, and Sisters in Crime, and serves as an officer for her Toastmasters International club.