The 30-Day KDP Book Launch Checklist
A day-by-day launch plan for Amazon KDP: pre-launch metadata, proof copies, pricing strategy, review generation, ad testing and the 30-day post-launch review.
A launch is not a day, it is a 30-day window in which Amazon decides how much organic visibility your book deserves. Plan it backwards from that.
Use this checklist as a working plan; every item is something you can complete in under an hour.
Days 1–10: get the listing right
- 1Finalise the primary keyword phrase and lock the title and subtitle around it.
- 2Fill all seven backend keyword fields with distinct long-tail phrases.
- 3Choose two categories that match those phrases.
- 4Write the description using the hook–promise–proof–spec–close structure.
- 5Order a printed proof copy. Always. Screens hide gutter and margin errors.
Days 11–20: pricing and first readers
- Price within 10% of the page-one median unless you have a clear differentiator.
- Check royalty maths at both 35% and 70% bands before committing.
- Send advance copies to your list and ask for honest reviews — never incentivise them.
- Set up an Amazon Author Central profile and link the book.
Days 21–30: test paid traffic carefully
Start with a small manual-targeting sponsored products campaign using only the seven phrases you researched. A low daily budget for two weeks produces enough data to know which phrases convert — and those become your ranking priorities.
- One campaign, manual targeting, exact match on your seven phrases.
- Low daily budget; the goal is data, not volume.
- Pause any phrase with 1,000+ impressions and no sales.
- Move the winners into the title or subtitle at the next metadata revision.
The 30-day review
- 1Impressions low, conversion fine → keyword and category problem.
- 2Impressions high, clicks low → cover problem.
- 3Clicks high, sales low → description or price problem.
- 4Sales fine, returns high → interior quality problem.
Every launch metric maps to exactly one fixable asset. Diagnose before you rewrite anything.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a KDP book launch take?
Plan for 30 days. The first ten days finalise metadata and proofing, the next ten cover pricing and early reviews, and the final ten test paid traffic and produce your diagnostic data.
Should I order a proof copy before publishing?
Always, for paperbacks. Gutter margins, bleed and cover colour rarely look on paper the way they look on screen.
What should I price my first book at?
Within roughly 10% of the median price on page one for your primary keyword, unless your book has a clear differentiator that justifies a premium.