Don’t Launch to Crickets
3 Steps Every New Fiction Author Should Take Before Publishing
The 6 & 7-Figure Author Shortcuts Newsletter Is a Curation of Weekly Proven Systems, Templates, and Strategies to Turn Your Books Into Consistent, Scalable Income (Without Burnout Even if You’re Brand New)
You finished your book. You did the thing most people only ever talk about — you actually wrote it. And now you’re staring at the manuscript wondering: what do I do next?
Here’s the hard truth no one tells you at the finish line: finishing your book is only the beginning. And what you do in the weeks and months before you publish will determine whether your launch reaches real readers — or disappears into the void without a single sale.
I’ve worked with authors who did it both ways. The ones who skipped the foundation launched to crickets. The ones who built the structure first? They launched with momentum, readers, and reviews already in place. Some of them have gone on to turn what started as a debut novel into a consistent income stream.
The difference wasn’t talent. It wasn’t even the quality of the book. It was the three steps I’m about to walk you through.
P.S. Read till the end for your free download of the checklist!
Step 1: Choose Your Pen Name — and Research Your Market First
Before you set up a single account or design a single graphic, you need a pen name. And not just any name you like — one that’s been researched, tested, and chosen with strategy.
Here’s the thing most new authors don’t realize: the days of publishing under your real name are largely over. A pen name protects you, brands you, and gives you the flexibility to write in multiple genres without confusing your audience. Even if you only write one genre, you want the separation.
So how do you choose the right one? Start on Amazon.
Think of Amazon as a search engine, not just a store. Go look up books like the ones you’re writing. Study the pen names other authors in your genre are using. Notice the patterns — the vibe, the length, the style. Look at their covers, their titles, how they describe their books. This is your market research, and it’s free.
When you’re ready to choose your name, follow these rules:
Keep it easy to spell and easy to Google. Four to five letters per name is the sweet spot.
Avoid initials. They create inconsistency across platforms (A.N. Author vs. AN Author vs. Ann N. Author — readers get confused and move on).
Be 100% consistent. Same spelling, same format, same punctuation on every single platform — Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, everywhere.
Google it AND Amazon search it before you commit. You don’t want to accidentally share a name with a popular fictional character or an existing author in your genre.
This name is your brand. Take a few days on it. It’s worth it.
Step 2: Build Your Email List Before You Launch — with a Story Magnet
This is the step most new authors skip entirely. Please don’t be most authors.
Before your book comes out, you need to start building an email list. Not after launch. Not once you have a few readers. Before. And the best way to do it is with something called a story magnet — a free prequel or “starter story” set in your book’s world that you offer readers in exchange for joining your list.
Why does this matter so much?
Your email list is your number one marketing asset as an author. It’s the one thing you can never lose. Social media platforms get restricted, accounts get shut down, algorithms change overnight — but your email list? It’s yours. Always. It’s a direct line to readers who have already raised their hand and said, yes, I want what you’re writing.
You get to contact them directly when your next book drops. No algorithm standing between you and your reader. No hoping the platform shows your post to your followers. Just you, your book, and the people who actually want to read it.
And yes — you’ll get some freebie seekers. That’s fine. You can clean the list later. Right now, the goal is growth.
Start building before you launch. You’ll thank yourself on release day.
If you want to learn how I gained 1,700+ Email subscribers without writing anything extra? Then check out the ARC Reviewer Engine here!
Step 3: Do Your Homework While You’re Still Writing
Here’s the good news: you don’t have to wait until your manuscript is done to start building your author platform. In fact, the time you’re writing is the perfect time to lay the groundwork for your launch.
Here’s exactly what to do while you’re still in drafting mode:
Find 5 comp authors. These are authors who write books like yours — same genre, similar tropes, comparable readership. Write them down. Then go read their reviews on Amazon. What do readers consistently love about their books? Not to copy — but to understand what your ideal reader is already hungry for. If every review on your comp author’s page raves about the slow-burn tension or the witty banter, that’s a signal. Lean into what you already do well, and make sure it’s visible.
Get your cover designed to be on-market. A cover isn’t just decoration — it’s a marketing signal. It tells a reader in one glance whether your book is for them. Study the covers in your genre and hire a designer who understands that space. Your cover needs to look like it belongs.
Choose your tropes and know them. Readers in fiction (especially romance and romantasy) shop by trope. Know which ones live in your book and make sure they’re front and center in how you talk about it.
Build your marketing plan now. Before the book is done. Before launch week. Map out how you’ll announce it, where you’ll share it, and who you’ll reach out to. Don’t let launch day sneak up on you with nothing in place.
The authors who launch with momentum are the ones who treated the writing period as a building period too.
“But Do I Really Need an Email List Before I Even Have a Book Out?”
Yes. And I’ll prove it to you.
Using this exact structure — without writing a single new book — I grew my own email list to 1,700 subscribers in less than 30 days.
Not with a story magnet. Not with months of content. With a system that grew my list and launched my book with reviews already in place at the same time. Two birds, one strategy.
The question isn’t whether you need an email list before you publish. The question is how quickly you can start building one. Every day you wait is a day you could have been growing an audience that’s ready and waiting when your book drops.
Ready to Build Your List and Launch with Reviews at the Same Time?
If you want the step-by-step system that does both — grows your email list AND gets your book launched with reviews, without any additional writing work — then the ARC Reviewer Engine was made for you.
It’s exactly how I took a brand-new author platform from zero to 1,700 subscribers in under a month, with readers who were excited, engaged, and ready to review.
(Your book deserves readers. Let’s get them.)
Ready to take the next step in your publishing journey? Share this post with a fellow author who’s getting ready to launch — they’ll thank you for it.
Don’t forget your free checklist!
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