This book launch checklist covers every job between a finished manuscript and the first weeks after release, sorted by area rather than by date: metadata, files, ISBNs and legal deposit, pre-orders, review copies, launch day and after. Tick items as you go; the list saves in your browser and prints on a single click. For when to do each marketing task, use our week-by-week launch plan. This page is the companion that makes sure nothing technical is missed.
Who this is for and how we checked it: this is for self-published and small-press authors releasing through KDP, IngramSpark or Draft2Digital, in the US, UK or anywhere else. On 3 November 2026 we read every rule below on the rule-maker’s own page: KDP Help, IngramSpark Support, the Draft2Digital FAQ, the US Copyright Office, the British Library and the FTC. ISBN prices were read on the Bowker and Nielsen stores the same day. Rules change, so each one links to its source. Check them again before you set dates.
The full book launch checklist (tick and print)
Work down each group of this printable book launch checklist in any order. The groups match the sections further down, which explain the reason behind each tick and the platform rule it comes from.
Metadata
Files and formats
ISBNs, copyright and legal
Pre-orders
Review copies (ARCs)
Launch day
After launch
Key launch deadlines at a glance
Most launch problems are missed platform deadlines, not bad marketing. Counted back from release day, these are the dates the platforms set:
- Up to 18 months beforeOpen the KDP ebook pre-order
For pre-orders created on or after 2 Sep 2026. Up to 2 postponements within 6 months of the original date.
- Up to 90 days beforeSchedule the KDP print release
No print pre-order: the page stays hidden until release.
- 30+ days beforeIngramSpark on-sale date = publication date
Approve final files first. The on-sale date locks at distribution.
- 10 days beforeDraft2Digital final files
Cover and final ebook file uploaded.
- 5 days beforeKDP scheduled print locks
No edits and no unpublishing.
- 72 hours beforeKDP final ebook file
Miss it and the pre-order and every order are cancelled.
- Release dayLive everywhere
KDP scheduled print goes on sale at 12:00 AM GMT.
- Soon after releaseUK/Ireland legal deposit
One copy to the British Library. Don't wait for a claim letter.
- Within 3 months afterUS mandatory deposit
Two copies of the best edition to the Copyright Office.
- Up to 18 months before: the furthest ahead you can open a KDP ebook pre-order, for pre-orders created on or after 2 September 2026.
- Up to 90 days before: the furthest ahead you can schedule a KDP print release.
- At least 30 days before: IngramSpark’s minimum gap between setting up your title and its on-sale date.
- 10 days before: Draft2Digital’s deadline for your final ebook file and cover.
- 5 days before: a scheduled KDP print book locks; no edits, no unpublishing.
- 72 hours before: KDP’s deadline for your final ebook file.
- Within 3 months after: the US mandatory deposit with the Copyright Office.
Book launch checklist by area: what each item means
Each card below explains one group of ticks. Read the one you are working on, not all of them at once.
Metadata: title, author name, categories and keywords
Metadata is what stores, libraries and search engines read about your book, and mistakes here are the hardest to undo. Type the title and subtitle exactly as they appear on the cover. Decide your author name for good: KDP locks the primary author name once a book is published. Enter the series name and number the same way on every platform.
On KDP you choose three categories and up to seven keywords. KDP’s keyword rules ban other authors’ names, Amazon programme names such as Kindle+ and KDP Select, subjective claims such as calling your book the best ever, and time-sensitive words such as new or on sale. On IngramSpark and Draft2Digital you set BISAC subject codes instead. Set prices for each format. On Amazon.com, KDP’s 70% royalty band runs from $2.99 to $12.99 from 7 July 2026, up from the old $9.99 ceiling. Finally, answer KDP’s AI questions honestly: its content guidelines require you to disclose AI-generated text, images or translations, but not AI tools you used only to edit or brainstorm.
Files and formats: interior, cover, proofs and accessibility
Proofread after the final edit, not before it, because late changes bring new errors. Check the ebook on a phone and a tablet as well as in Kindle Previewer. Lock the print page count before the cover designer builds the wrap, because the spine width depends on it. Order a printed proof and read it on paper; KDP proof copies carry a “Not for Resale” mark. If you are still choosing a trim or binding, our guides to book cover design and hardcover versus paperback help.
Make your DRM choice deliberately. Since 20 January 2026, buyers of DRM-free Kindle books can download EPUB and PDF copies, although Kindle+ borrowers can’t. For accessibility, add alt text to images and a real, linked table of contents. If you sell ebooks into the EU, check where you stand under the European Accessibility Act, which has applied since 28 June 2025. Most solo authors fall under its microenterprise exemption, which can be declared in EPUB metadata (see the W3C note), but claiming it is your responsibility, so check.
ISBNs, copyright and legal deposit
Your first decision is whose ISBN to use. KDP’s free ISBNs are for paperback and hardcover only, can’t be used outside KDP, and list the imprint as “Independently published”. Draft2Digital also gives free ISBNs that work only through Draft2Digital. Buying your own lets you use one imprint everywhere. You need one ISBN per format. Checked on 3 November 2026, Bowker (the US agency) listed one ISBN at $125 and ten at $295, and the Nielsen ISBN Store (UK) listed one at £93.00 and a block of ten at £174.00, including VAT. Check the current price before you buy. If you use your own ISBN, the title, author and imprint you enter on KDP must match the agency record. Our ISBN guide covers the basics.
If you print through both KDP and IngramSpark, IngramSpark’s support page says not to tick KDP’s Expanded Distribution for that ISBN, because an ISBN can sit on only one Ingram account. US authors can also ask the Library of Congress for a Preassigned Control Number (PCN) before publication. As the Library’s pages describe it, the programme takes self-publishers with a US address, excludes ebook-only titles, and asks you to send a copy of the printed book once it is out. Read the eligibility rules there before you apply, as they can change.
Legal deposit is a legal duty, not a marketing choice. In the US, the Copyright Office requires the copyright owner or exclusive publisher to send two copies of the best edition within three months of publication; online-only works are deposited only on written demand. In the UK and Ireland, the British Library asks for one copy of anything published there, in any format, sent to the Legal Deposit Office at Boston Spa without waiting to be asked. Its service is still disrupted after the October 2023 cyber-attack: receipts aren’t being issued and the e-deposit portal is down, so ebook publishers should email the address on that page.
Review copies (ARCs)
Prepare a watermarked ARC file, or deliver copies through a service, and pick your reviewers. Keep the rules simple. KDP allows free or discounted copies as long as you don’t require a review or try to influence it; anything more, such as a gift card, invalidates the review. In the US, the FTC’s rule on consumer reviews has been fully in force since 21 October 2024. It bans fake reviews and rewards that depend on a review being positive or negative. Your ARC note should say honest reviews are welcome and none is required. Remind creators who post that they need to disclose a free copy.
Launch day
Check that every format is live and that the ebook and paperback share one Amazon page. Claim the book in Author Central and add your bio and photo (US authors can add editorial reviews there too). Fix the Goodreads book page and claim your author profile. Click every buy link on your website from each country store you list, using our note on how Amazon stores differ. Then send your launch email. The order and timing of emails, posts and creator outreach are in the week-by-week plan linked at the top.
After launch: the first 90 days
Send your legal deposit copies. Read reviews but don’t argue with them. Log typos and fix them in one batch; IngramSpark has charged nothing for revisions since 1 February 2026. Test ads once a few reviews are up. Plan price promotions, remembering that Kindle Countdown Deals and free days need KDP Select. Consider translations and an audiobook, and add the next book’s pre-order link to the back matter. If you would like help with the launch or the months after it, our book marketing services cover that. We should declare our interest: The Bookish Elf sells marketing services to authors.
Pre-orders on KDP, IngramSpark and Draft2Digital
Pre-orders are where the platforms differ most, and where the most-searched launch questions sit. The short version: KDP does ebook pre-orders only, IngramSpark handles print pre-orders, and Draft2Digital covers the other ebook stores but not Amazon.
If your final ebook file isn't in 72 hours before release, KDP cancels the pre-order and every buyer's order. The first miss is forgiven once. A second removes pre-order rights across your whole catalogue for 6 months. (KDP Help, read 3 Nov 2026.)
KDP
- Ebook pre-order
- Yes, up to 18 months ahead
- Print pre-order
- No (scheduled release up to 90 days, page hidden)
- Final files due
- 72 hours before (ebook); print locks 5 days before
- Changing the date
- 2 postponements within 6 months of the original date
- If you miss
- Pre-order and orders cancelled; 2nd miss: no pre-orders for 6 months
IngramSpark
- Ebook pre-order
- Yes, if the publication date is in the future
- Print pre-order
- Yes: on-sale = publication date, 30+ days out
- Final files due
- Approved about 30 days before publication
- Changing the date
- On-sale date locks once distribution is approved
- If you miss
- Revised files after distribution can pull the book from sale
Draft2Digital
- Ebook pre-order
- Yes, but not to Amazon
- Print pre-order
- Yes, up to 1 year ahead; final files needed
- Final files due
- 10 days before (ebook)
- Changing the date
- Not covered on the FAQ we read
- If you miss
- Not covered on the FAQ we read
Which fits you A common set-up: KDP for the Amazon ebook pre-order, IngramSpark for print pre-orders, Draft2Digital for the other ebook stores.
KDP. In KDP’s own words, “Pre-orders are available for eBooks only (not paperbacks or hardcovers).” For pre-orders created on or after 2 September 2026, KDP Help lets you set a release date up to 18 months ahead (12 months for older ones) and run up to 10 pre-orders at once. Your final file must be in at least 72 hours before release. Miss it and KDP cancels the pre-order and every customer’s order. The first miss is forgiven once; a second removes pre-order rights across your catalogue for six months. Under the postponement rules, newer pre-orders can be moved up to twice within six months of the original date. If you lower the price, existing pre-orderers pay the lower price.
KDP print. There is no print pre-order. You can schedule a print release up to 90 days ahead, but the detail page stays hidden until release day, it locks five days before, and it goes on sale at midnight GMT. If you use another service for print pre-orders, KDP says not to use its release-date option.
IngramSpark. For print pre-orders, IngramSpark’s support page says to set the on-sale date and the publication date to the same day, at least 30 days after you set up the title and upload files. The on-sale date locks once distribution is approved. Uploading revised files after that can pull the book from sale while they are replaced, so approve final files first.
Draft2Digital. The D2D FAQ lets you open ebook pre-orders before you have a final file or cover, but both must be uploaded at least 10 days before release. Print pre-orders need final files and can be set up to a year ahead. D2D does not currently support ebook pre-orders through Amazon.
What changed in 2026 and what’s coming in 2027
A book launch checklist is evergreen. The rules under it moved a lot this year, and a few changes are worth watching.
Now (2026)
18 months, 2 postponements and a 6-month penalty for pre-orders created from 2 Sep 2026.
KDP Help, read 3 Nov 2026From 1 Feb 2026, plus a 1.875% market access fee and re-priced printing.
IngramSpark SupportRenamed in Oct 2026 (reported 22 Oct). Update back matter and ads.
KDP Help; Android Authority, Oct 2026Next (2027)
Kindle Translate (beta) covers English with five languages; plan which editions follow.
About Amazon, updated 30 Jun 2026The EU Accessibility Act has applied since June 2025. Most solo authors are exempt as microenterprises, but check.
W3C note, Aug 2025Watch
No change announced as of Oct 2026.
SpeculationThe portal has been down since the Oct 2023 cyber-attack.
British Library, read 3 Nov 2026- Longer KDP pre-orders. From 2 September 2026: 18 months ahead, two postponements, and a six-month penalty for a second missed deadline.
- IngramSpark’s pricing reset. From 1 February 2026, IngramSpark re-priced printing (some books cost more, some less), added a 1.875% market access fee for distributed books and made revisions free. Title setup stays free. Re-check margins on older titles.
- Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+. Amazon renamed it in October 2026 (Android Authority reported it on 22 October), and KDP’s help pages now use the new name. Update back matter and ads that still say Kindle Unlimited.
- A wider 70% band. $2.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com since 7 July 2026.
- Translations at launch. Kindle Translate (beta) now works between English and Spanish, German, French, Italian and Portuguese, so decide which editions follow the English one.
- Watch, 2027. These are speculation, not announcements: changes to Kindle+ pricing or payouts (none announced as of October 2026), the British Library’s e-deposit portal returning, and EU retailers asking for accessibility metadata.
FAQ about book launches
Can you do a paperback pre-order on KDP?
No. KDP pre-orders are for ebooks only. You can schedule a KDP print release up to 90 days ahead, but the page stays hidden until release, so authors who want a print pre-order usually run it through IngramSpark.
How far ahead should I set up a pre-order?
KDP allows up to 18 months for pre-orders created from 2 September 2026, but a long pre-order only helps if you will promote it. A practical trigger is to open it once the cover and description are final. For IngramSpark print, allow at least 30 days.
What happens if I miss the KDP pre-order deadline?
If your final ebook file isn’t in 72 hours before release, KDP cancels the pre-order and every customer’s order. The first miss is treated as a one-time courtesy. A second removes your pre-order rights across your whole catalogue for six months.
Do I need my own ISBN?
Not for a KDP ebook, where an ISBN is optional, and KDP and Draft2Digital both give free ISBNs. Free ISBNs work only on the platform that issued them and show a generic imprint. Buy your own if you want one imprint across every retailer.
Do I have to send my book to the British Library or the Library of Congress?
If you publish in the UK or Ireland, you must give one copy to the British Library, in any format. If you publish in the US, the Copyright Office requires two copies of the best edition within three months of publication. A Library of Congress PCN is optional and is applied for before publication.
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