When To Self Publish?

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The best time to self-publish is now, and then keep going. I do not mean a date or season. I mean making a little progress every day until the first book is out, and then always publishing the next one. Below: what I learned starting in 2015, how the market has changed, and what the timing advice says. If you are still asking whether to do it at all, read why self-publish a book.

When is the best time to self-publish?

Now. When I started in 2015 and put out my first book, I quickly saw that the key was progress every day, not a deadline. Setting a date like “I must publish on this exact day” can demotivate you. Sitting down for 30 minutes and writing a thousand words a day works better, and you keep going until the first book is complete. For what length to aim for, see What Is A Good Word Count?

You may wonder about a particular season, such as Christmas, or whether to wait a year or two. Advice on timing is mixed. The Alliance of Independent Authors’ article on launch timing (by Mick Rooney, 2014) says there are “no hard and fast rules” and that timing should fit the genre and the calendar, and it suggests avoiding a release after the first week in December unless the book is Christmas-related (ALLi, 22-Nov-14). That article is old, so treat the specifics as one view. I have never found a date that mattered more than finishing and publishing.

When should I release a Christmas book?

A Kindle ebook can have a pre-order, and the final file is due at least 72 hours before release (KDP, Kindle eBook Pre-Order). KDP has no pre-orders for print, but you can schedule a paperback release up to 90 days ahead. It stays hidden until then, and in the last five days nothing can be changed (KDP, Schedule a Release). A live paperback can take up to 72 hours on Amazon.com, and up to 5 days elsewhere, to show as in stock, and the paperback and ebook link 48 hours to a week after each is live (KDP, publishing timelines).

My advice: work back from the date readers start buying for the holiday. No page says any month or format sells better. Have the book live in both formats, with time for linking and reviews, before that date. Use an ebook pre-order to give readers a date, and schedule the paperback. If it is likely to be a gift, put it out in print too. The exact deadlines are in “Can I set a release date in advance?” and “How long before my launch date should I submit?” below.

Is it still a good time to self-publish?

Yes. There are many books coming out, but if your books are optimised, they can still sell. My view is that today is as good as we have had, and it may be harder tomorrow.

The years 2010 to 2015 were an extreme time to self-publish. A lot of the rules were not in place, there was less competition, and fewer people understood the game. Amazon also made it easier to run ads without competing against so many products. You could almost put anything out and sell thousands of copies. Today you need better quality and every element optimised to win.

What does “always be publishing” mean?

It is the answer I like most: ABP, always be publishing. You will not win with just one book unless you hit a miracle lottery winner, and that is unlikely. With each book you get better. You can optimise earlier books, learn new tricks and put your earnings into better tools, such as Atticus for formatting.

After my first book I did my next, and then another, through a series. Then I found it went faster if I hired other people to write, under pen names, with ghostwriters, after looking for markets that were already selling. I put new income back into more books.

One practical limit: KDP lets you create and submit up to 2 new titles per book format each week, resetting every Sunday at 12:00 AM UTC (KDP title limits), so plan a big batch of releases around that.

Can I set a release date in advance?

Yes. KDP lets you set up a Kindle ebook pre-order, and for pre-orders created on or after 2-Sep-26 you can schedule the release up to 18 months ahead (it was 12 months before). You do not need the final file at setup, but it must be submitted at least 72 hours before the release date. If you miss that, the pre-order is cancelled and the customers who ordered are notified. The first miss is a one-time courtesy, and a second one removes your pre-order privileges for 6 months (KDP, Kindle eBook Pre-Order).

How long before my launch date should I submit?

KDP says “it takes 3 business days for your book (or update) to be live on Amazon,” and that a new ebook’s detail page can take up to 72 hours to appear. Low-content books such as journals can take 3 to 4 weeks. Books are processed in the order received, and contacting support will not speed up the review (KDP: publishing timelines). KDP calls these estimates. So if a date matters to you, submit a week or more ahead, or use a pre-order, and don’t leave it to the last day.

What should I do next?

Keep publishing different formats through different distribution channels, add new books to the mix, and combine books into bundles. You have done the work, so get as much money as you can out of it, and put new books into the funnel using everything you have learned. If you are still stuck on starting, read Should You Quit Self-Publishing? For what is changing now, see the latest self-publishing trends.

The best time to start is today. Grab the free 12-step checklist and take the next step.

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