A 30-Day Ebook Launch Checklist
A launch is a list of small jobs done in the right order. Here are those jobs by week, for a free lead magnet and for a paid ebook, so nothing is left until launch morning.
By Shri and Sarath · 6 min read · Updated 20 October 2026
This checklist makes no promise about results. It is an order of work: get the book finished, get the place that delivers it ready, tell people, then look at what happened. Where the two kinds of launch differ, the free lead magnet and the paid ebook each get their own line.
Dates count back from launch day. If you have less than 30 days, keep the order and shorten each stretch. For the pricing decision, read ebook pricing strategy; for the free version, see how to make a lead magnet.
30 to 22 days out: settle the book
- Write one sentence that says who the book is for and what they can do after reading it.
- Freeze the contents. Finish the chapters and stop adding. Read it start to finish once, out loud if you can.
- Choose the title and subtitle and say them to someone who hasn't seen the book.
- Decide the format: PDF for reading on screens, EPUB for e-readers, or both.
- Lead magnet: pick the one action you want after the download, such as a reply, a booking or a purchase of something else.
- Paid ebook: decide where it will be sold, and what it will cost after that place's fees. Try the Kindle royalty calculator if Amazon is one of them.
21 to 8 days out: build the pieces
- Cover and description. Finish the cover and write a short description a stranger could understand in ten seconds.
- Proofread with fresh eyes, or ask one reader to check for gaps and typos. Check links, page numbers and the contents list.
- Set up delivery. Create the page, form or shop listing that hands over the file, and test it from a phone.
- Check each platform's rules. If you sell on Amazon KDP, read how to publish an AI-assisted book on Amazon KDP for the disclosure and the review time.
- Write the announcement once, then cut it into a post, an email and a short message to people who might share it.
- Paid ebook: write your refund policy in plain words and put it where buyers will see it.
- Lead magnet: decide what the follow-up email says and what you will send on day one.
30 to 22 days out
- Free lead magnet
- One-sentence promise; freeze the contents; pick the next action you want
- Paid ebook
- Freeze the contents; choose where to sell and a price after fees
21 to 8 days out
- Free lead magnet
- Cover; sign-up form or page; welcome email
- Paid ebook
- Cover; sales page; checkout and file delivery; refund policy
Last week
- Free lead magnet
- Test the form, the email and the download on two devices
- Paid ebook
- Test a real purchase and the download; check tax settings
Launch day
- Free lead magnet
- Publish the page; send the announcement; reply to every message
- Paid ebook
- Publish the listing; send the announcement; watch for failed deliveries
The week after
- Free lead magnet
- Read the replies; note questions; fix what confused people
- Paid ebook
- Read the reviews and questions; handle refunds; fix the page
The last week: test everything
- Do a full run as a stranger. Open the page on your phone, sign up or buy, open the email and download the file.
- Check the file. Does it open on a phone and a laptop? Is the cover there? Do the links work?
- Check the settings no one sees: the email sender name, the reply-to address, the receipt text, tax settings if you are selling.
- Line up the people. Send a short note to anyone you asked to share, with the link and one sentence to copy.
- Schedule what you can. The post, the email and any reminders, so launch day is for answering people.
Launch day
- Publish and check the live link, not the preview.
- Send the announcement to the people who already know you first: your email list, your clients, your followers.
- Answer every message the same day if you can. Questions show you what your page leaves unclear.
- Watch delivery. Look for failed downloads, bounced emails and payment errors, and fix them before doing anything else.
- Keep notes. Write down what you sent, when and where, so you can compare later.
The week after
- Read what people said. Group the questions and the complaints. They are your next edit.
- Fix the page first, then the book. A confusing description loses more readers than a missing section.
- Send a follow-up to the people who signed up or bought, with one useful thing and one next step.
- Look at your own numbers against what you wrote down in advance, and write one thing to change next time.
- Thank the people who shared it. Short and specific.
- Paid ebook: answer refund requests under your stated policy and note the reasons given.
- Lead magnet: check that your follow-up emails go out in the order you planned.
Make the book with SuperEbook
If the writing is what's holding the launch up, SuperEbook can draft from your own notes. Planning is free and gives you three title options, a brief and an editable outline, and nothing is written until you press Write. It exports PDF, EPUB and DOCX. It doesn't build landing pages, quizzes or email sequences, so you will need your own tools for delivery and follow-up. Read every chapter before launch.
30-day launch checklist
- One sentence says who the book is for.
- Contents are frozen and the whole book has been read through.
- Title, subtitle, cover and description are final.
- Delivery page, form or listing is built and tested from a phone.
- Refund policy (paid) or follow-up email (free) is written.
- Announcement is written and scheduled.
- A full run as a stranger works: sign up or buy, email, download.
- Launch-day link is live and checked.
- Every message got an answer.
- Questions and complaints are listed for the next edit.
- One thing to change next time is written down.
Write it from your own material.
Plan a book free and see the outline before you spend a credit.
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