Marketing & Launch

The rule of thumb for indie authors: half the work is writing the book; the other half is finding readers. The 2024-26 indie launch playbook leans heavily on email list-building (BookFunnel / StoryOrigin), KDP keyword optimization (Publisher Rocket), ARC distribution, and BookBub featured deals. For self-publishing distribution see writing-self-publishing-kdp; for royalty tracking see writing-royalty-tracking.

Keyword / KDP research

• ★ Publisher Rocket — paid; ~$200 one-time; the indie author's KDP keyword
  • category + comp-title research tool. Dave Chesson / Kindlepreneur. Reviews reliably highly; expensive but standard.
• K-Lytics — paid; KDP genre / category market reports.
• KDSpy — paid Chrome extension; competitor-book analysis.
• TitleWave (free in some regions) — free; comp-title checker for libraries; less KDP-flavoured.

ARC (Advance Reader Copy) distribution

• ★ BookFunnel — paid (~$20-250/year tiers) + free for some authors; ★ the indie ARC + free-book-distribution default. Send ePub / mobi / PDF to readers; track delivery; integrates with newsletter signup.
• ★ StoryOrigin — paid + free trial; ★ for author-to-author promo swaps + ARC team management + newsletter signups. Many indie authors pair both.
• Booksprout — paid; ARC team focused; review tracking.
• NetGalley — paid (expensive); the trad-pub-flavoured ARC platform; reviewer audience is more reviewer / librarian / blogger.

Universal book links

• ★ BookLinker (Amazon-shape) — paid + free; one URL that geo-routes Amazon buyers to their local Amazon store.
• ★ Books2Read (Draft2Digital) — free; universal link across all retailers (Amazon, Apple, Kobo, B&N, Google Play, libraries). The default cross-retailer link.
• Geniuslink / Linkfire — paid; broader universal link / attribution.

Promo deal sites (paid placements)

• BookBub Featured Deal — paid (highly competitive); ★ ★ the most powerful single paid promo; sells out books regularly. Hard to get accepted.
• Bargain Booksy / Freebooksy — paid; smaller but reliable; daily promo emails.
• Robin Reads — paid; mid-size; well-targeted.
• Fussy Librarian — paid; long-running; quality readers.
• Many Books — free + paid; lower-effort listings.
• eReader News Today (ENT) / The Fussy Librarian / Book Cave — paid; rotation staples for indie launches.

Discovery / reviews (free)

• ★ Goodreads — free; Amazon-owned; the dominant reader review site; Goodreads Author Program is free.
• ★ StoryGraph — paid + free; growing fast 2024-26; better recommendation engine than Goodreads; popular with younger readers.
• BookBub (free side) — free; reader-recommendation profile; following you means notifications on new releases.
• LibraryThing — free; older; serious cataloguers.
• Reedsy Discovery — paid (~$50 to submit); curated reviews.

Newsletter (own-your-readers)

• See writing-publishing-platforms-online for Substack / Beehiiv / Ghost / Buttondown / ConvertKit.
• Reader-magnet workflow: free novella → BookFunnel → newsletter signup → release-day announcement to engaged list.

Social / discoverability

• TikTok / BookTok — free; the dominant 2024-26 discovery channel for romance / fantasy / YA. Algorithm-driven; works for some authors, not others.
• Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon — free; Twitter-replacement-shape; smaller but more engaged communities.
• Instagram / Bookstagram — free; visual side; cover-driven.
• YouTube BookTube — free; long-form reviews; matters for fantasy / sci-fi.

Author website / branding

• See writing-publishing-platforms-online for Ghost / WordPress / static-site options.
• Author Site Network — paid; specialized author-website hosts.

Ad platforms

• Amazon Ads (AMS) — paid; sponsored product placements on Amazon; the indie author default ad channel.
• Facebook / Meta Ads — paid; was huge, mileage varies in 2024-26.
• BookBub Ads — paid; lower-CPM but qualified readers.
• TikTok Ads — paid; rising; works best with creator-style content.

Launch-week tactics (the playbook)

• 90 days out: build ARC team via BookFunnel / StoryOrigin.
• 30 days out: email list reveal + cover; BookBub follow.
• Launch week: Amazon Author Central live; ENT / Fussy Librarian / Bargain Booksy scheduled; AMS ads turned on; ARC reviewers reminded to post.
• 30-90 days post: BookBub Featured Deal application (if eligible after a few months).

Pick this if…

• KDP keyword + category research: Publisher Rocket.
• ARC distribution: BookFunnel + StoryOrigin.
• Universal link: Books2Read (free) or BookLinker (Amazon-only).
• Best paid promo: BargainBooksy / ENT first; BookBub Featured if you can get it.
• Discovery: Goodreads + StoryGraph; BookTok if it fits your genre.
• Own your audience: Beehiiv / Ghost newsletter from day one.