Is pre-order a good strategy?

Question

I have a new website that will be selling ebooks and audio books. I will be starting out with between 42 to 50 titles.

Is it a good strategy to put all titles to sell on pre-order at the same time as the website goes live for the first time?

Answer 1

Presales work best for famous authors whose upcoming book releases are always already surrounded by a buzz. For unknown authors, most readers will be reluctant to buy a book in advance. No one can vouch for you, because there are no reviews, no fans, you are an unknown and that will hold buyers back from advance sales.

For a not already well-known and bestselling author conversion rates will be better for maketing efforts after the book has been released and readers can immediately read what they have bought.

If you want to do prepublication marketing, it might be better to build your email list and social media followers. That is, your prepublication marketing isn't aimed at sales but at being able to notify potential readers once the book is released. Then, you can let them know that they can buy the book when you have launched it.

Gaining followers and newsletter subscribers is also worth more than immediate sales, because you can use those contacts for your next releases too, while immediate customers are immediately gone again and you will have to start your next marketing campaign from almost zero.