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the 90 days before launch are the launch
You spent eighteen months writing and ten days marketing. The book is going to die in the first week.
Pre-launch is the launch. The first 90 days before publication are where the launch actually gets built or lost — list growth, sneak peeks, reader vows, ARC distribution, podcast appearances, retailer pre-orders. Books that launch quietly are almost always books whose authors started marketing two weeks out. The Maven 90-day pre-launch sequence is unsexy and works. We walk through it week by week so the book has a fighting chance instead of a Tuesday with three congrats DMs.
90-day pre-launch milestones
| Days out | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 90 | Cover reveal, ARC sign-up open |
| 75 | Newsletter sneak peek + first chapter |
| 60 | ARCs distributed; podcast outreach |
| 45 | Pre-order push; influencer ARCs |
| 30 | Goodreads giveaway; cross-promo partners |
| 14 | Launch team activated; reviews coming in |
| 7 | Final push: newsletter, social, podcasts |
| 0 | Launch day; engage every review |
The 90-day weekly cadence
- Weekly: one newsletter, one cover-adjacent social post, one podcast pitch.
- Biweekly: cross-promo with another author in your genre.
- Monthly: launch team check-in.
- Final 30: daily presence on at least one platform.
- Final 7: all hands.
The launch isn't a day. It's a 90-day campaign that ends on a day. Most authors run the campaign in the final ten days and wonder why the book is quiet. The math wasn't going to math.
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven
From the Maven Catalog
- Master Course — 90-Day Pre-Launch
- eBook — Pre-Launch Saves Books
- Planner — Pre-Launch Planner
- Toolkit — Launch Plan Toolkit
Start 90 days out. Follow the cadence. Build the launch team. The book launches loud. The Tuesday with three congrats DMs becomes a Tuesday with a bestseller list ranking.