Publishing
A pre-order only matters if it is doing something useful with the time it buys. Otherwise it is just a longer stretch of looking at the same dashboard and wondering whether the number is a signal or a habit.
For indie books, that extra lead time can help if it builds visible momentum, gives readers a reason to pay attention, or lets you line up the rest of the launch properly. If it does none of that, it starts to feel like a very patient form of waiting.
For indie books, that extra lead time can help if it builds visible momentum, gives readers a reason to pay attention, or lets you line up the rest of the launch properly. If it does none of that, it starts to feel like a very patient form of waiting.
Pre-orders can also be useful in a much duller way: they tell you whether your cover, blurb and positioning are doing any work at all. If people will commit early, something is landing. If they won’t, that’s not always a disaster, but it is a useful warning before launch day turns up with a knife.
Pre-order numbers are a fairly blunt instrument anyway. They can be useful, but only if you already have a reason for people to care. Otherwise you end up treating a shop window like a weather forecast.
For indie books, I’d rather see pre-orders used to support a clear plan: cover reveal, sample chapters, maybe a bit of outreach. Not as a superstition with a spreadsheet attached.
For indie books, I’d rather see pre-orders used to support a clear plan: cover reveal, sample chapters, maybe a bit of outreach. Not as a superstition with a spreadsheet attached.