You Wrote the Book. Now Comes the Hard Part.
How to Launch Your Self-Published Book Like You Mean It.
You wrote the book.
Congratulations. That’s the part most people never get to. You finished what millions only dream about.
But if you’re self-publishing—and especially if you want readers, reviews, revenue, and real momentum—writing is just the beginning.
It’s the first brick, not the finished house.
Publishing without a launch plan is like throwing a message in a bottle into the ocean and hoping it washes up at Waterstones!
Just because you’ve built it, doesn’t mean they will come. You don’t need hope. You need a map.
This isn’t a motivational post. It’s a launch plan.
A real one.
If you want your book to succeed—and by succeed, I mean find real readers, create opportunities, and become the asset it deserves to be—then you need a strategy built to move it.
Below is everything you need to do, create, plan, and execute for a solid self-published launch—whether you’re releasing a novella, a how-to guide, or a dark little serial that belongs in the shadows.
Save it. Print it. Use it every time.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Why writing the book is just the beginning if you want real reach and revenue
How to plan your book launch from the moment you start writing
How to choose the right publishing platform for your goals (KDP, Gumroad, Substack, IngramSpark)
What assets you need ready before launch day (templates, blurbs, media kit)
How to build a high-converting launch page using Carrd
The full breakdown of what content to create (and when) for a strong, visible launch
How to plan and automate your social media rollout using Metricool
Why a media kit matters—and what it should include
How to structure your launch week as a full campaign, not a one-day announcement
How to keep your book selling long after the initial buzz dies down
This is a practical, ruthless, and reusable guide for every book you launch from now on.
1. Write the Book With the Launch in Mind
The writing starts first. But it should never start in a vacuum.
Why it matters:
A book without a target reader or intention is just a nice PDF. If you know where it’s going—Substack, KDP, Gumroad—you can write, structure, and format for that platform from day one.
Things to think about:
Is this part of a series or standalone?
Is it for a warm audience (your list) or cold traffic?
Is it story-led, solution-led, or something else entirely?
Knowing this makes every other step easier.