How to Create a Book Marketing Plan

What goes in a one-page book marketing plan?

Keep the plan short enough to fit on a single sheet or a short note. If it needs a binder, it won't get used in launch week.

Write only these fields:

• Book: working title, format (ebook, print, both), and target live date
• Reader: one primary reader in a specific situation
• Promise: one sentence for the cover subtitle and the retailer description opening
• Primary channel: where you'll put most of your effort (usually email)
• Support channel: one backup (one social platform, a podcast guest list, or a small ad test)
• Pre-launch window: start date about 60 to 90 days out, with three or four dated milestones
• Launch week: emails, posts, and reviewer asks on known days
• After launch: what you measure for 30 days and the one test you'll run next
• Budget ceiling: a number you can afford to lose while you learn
• Success metric: one number that decides whether the plan worked (list growth, week-one sales, or booked calls)

Who is the book for, and what does it promise?

Marketing fails when a book tries to speak to three audiences at once, so pick one.

Write two lines:

• Reader: role, stage, and the problem that made them search for a book this week.
• Promise: the result they should feel after finishing, in plain language.

Hypothetical example: "Mid-career coaches who already have clients but no defined offer stack" and "A simple offer stack you can publish on your site in two weeks." If a stranger can't tell who it's for from those two lines, tighten them before you spend on ads or outreach.

Every major section of the book should serve that promise sentence. If a chapter only exists to impress peers, cut it.

What has to be finished before you promote?

Don't promote a listing that's still half-built. Before the first teaser or launch email, finish:

• Cover, title, subtitle and retailer description that all carry the promise on your one-pager
• Categories, keywords and the Look Inside sample set the way your reader shops
• Author page and buy links checked on phone and desktop

If the cover still looks like a draft, pause promotion until it's finished. For the upload path (files, categories, live checks), use our KDP publishing checklist for first-time authors so this plan can stay on dates and channels. When files still need polish, finish ebook formatting for Amazon KDP before you schedule paid traffic. If you want help with the listing, our Amazon KDP ebook writing page shows what we prepare: retailer-ready files, category and keyword research, and guided setup on packages that include it. We work under NDA, you keep 100% of the rights, and the book stays in your own KDP account.

What should you do in the 60 to 90 days before launch?

Aim for about 60 to 90 days when you can. Shorter windows still work if you keep the same order: assets first, list and reviewers second, public noise last.

About 60 to 90 days out: Freeze the promise and the one-page plan. Finish cover, description, and sample. Set the live date (or preorder date). Start or clean your email list with one specific reason to join (a chapter, checklist, or short companion PDF).

About 30 to 45 days out: Recruit a small group of advance reader copy (ARC) readers from people who already trust you. Send files with a dated feedback deadline and a reminder that review wording must stay their own. Draft launch emails and two or three social posts so launch week is for sending.

Amazon's KDP help on Customer Reviews is the rule set to follow: you may share free or discounted copies, but you must not require a review, pay for a review, or tell someone what to write.

About 14 days out: Confirm buy links, price, and Look Inside. Send a polite ARC reminder with the live date. Line up one support-channel action (podcast pitches, a LinkedIn series, or one small ad test ready to turn on).

The channels in our guide on how to find beta readers for your book work for recruiting ARC readers too. If a free download grows your list, match its promise to the book using our guide to writing a lead-magnet ebook that gets emails.

How should you run launch week?

Launch week is for coordinating what you already prepared. Pick one primary channel and one support channel, then put dates next to each send.

A simple pattern for many coaches and consultants:

• Primary (email): day 0 announce with the buy link and who the book is for; day 2 share one useful excerpt or checklist; day 5 answer the main objection and point to the next step (a call, a course, or the chapter they should read next).
• Support (one social or outreach lane): three posts or messages that match the emails.
• Reviewers: a short, no-pressure note on live day that the book is available and that a review in their own words is welcome if they choose to leave one.

Don't open three new accounts in launch week. Extra channels hide what actually moved sales.

What should you track after launch?

For the first 30 days, track a short list tied to decisions: retailer page views and sales, email open and click rates on the three launch messages, new list signups traced to the book, whether reviews mention the promise you sold, and calls or product clicks if the book leads to your offer.

Then run one test at a time: a two-week price change, a new primary keyword, a small ad with a hard stop date, or a second email with a different excerpt. Write the test and stop date on the one-pager. If you change three things at once, you won't know what worked.

How much should you budget for book marketing?

Put one number on the page: the ceiling you can afford to lose while you learn. That might be zero dollars (time and outreach only) or a small paid test. Name what the money is for and what you won't fund yet. When the ceiling is gone, stop and read the metrics before you raise it.

FAQ

When should I start a book marketing plan for a KDP ebook?

Start when the manuscript is stable enough to freeze the promise and the live date, ideally about 60 to 90 days before publication. If you're closer than that, still write the one-pager, cut the channel list harder, and finish sales assets first.

What should go on a one-page book marketing plan?

Reader, promise, primary channel, support channel, dated pre-launch milestones, launch-week sends, a 30-day metric, a budget ceiling, and one success number. Anything beyond that is optional.

Do I need paid ads in my book marketing plan?

No. A first launch can run on email, a small ARC group, and one support channel. Add ads only after the listing converts organic traffic and you have a ceiling you can afford to test.

How many channels should I use at launch?

One primary and one support. Email is the usual primary for coaches and consultants because you own the list. Pick the support channel where your reader already spends time.

Can I ask ARC readers for Amazon reviews?

You can invite reviews and share a free or discounted copy, but you must not require a review, offer payment or extras for a review, or dictate the wording. Follow Amazon's current Customer Reviews guidance for KDP authors.

What if my book is already live and I never made a plan?

Write the one-pager now as a relaunch plan. Fix the weakest sales asset first, rebuild a short email sequence, recruit a fresh early-reader group if reviews are thin, and run one measured test for 30 days.

Ready to date your launch?

When your reader line, promise sentence, and target live date are on one page, send that draft through our contact page. Tell us whether you need help finishing the manuscript, the files, or the KDP listing, and we'll start with whatever is blocking your next dated step.