What is a book launch calendar?
- A one-page document mapping marketing actions T-180 through T+30.
- Seven canonical T-anchors.
- Each anchor names deliverables, owners, and dates.
- Slippage is visible months before launch.
- A calendar that isn’t visible isn’t a calendar — keep it pinned somewhere.
A book launch calendar is a one-page document mapping every marketing action from pre-launch planning through 30-day post-launch QA, anchored to T-180, T-120, T-90, T-60, T-30, T-0, and T+30. Each anchor names deliverables, owners, and dates. The calendar makes slippage visible months before it becomes a launch-week fire.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Launches that drift cause the second-most-common indie failure (after skipping copy editing). The T-anchor calendar makes the schedule concrete and the slippage visible. The single biggest gain is the ability to see slippage in May before it becomes a problem in October.
Chapter ii·What to include
- T-180: pre-launch planning starts; set publication date.
- T-120: cover final, metadata draft, ARC list assembled.
- T-90: reviewer outreach begins; ARCs ship.
- T-60: pre-orders open; newsletter and social begin.
- T-30: final retailer setup; ad campaigns built.
- T-0: launch day push across channels.
- T+30: post-launch QA — review monitoring, metadata refresh.
Chapter iii·Example
A second-time indie author maps her launch calendar in April for an October 15 publication. Every T-anchor has named deliverables. When her cover designer slips at T-120, she sees it in May and reschedules without affecting the launch.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom’s Market studio plots the launch calendar with T-anchors and assigns owners.
See the Market studio