How to launch an ebook: waitlist first, sales page on the day
An ebook launch works best as three stages rather than one announcement: build a list of interested readers weeks ahead, open sales to them first with a page that shows a real sample, then keep selling to everyone else. Your own site carries the story, a digital-product platform handles payment and the download, and your email tool does the talking.
Who does what in an ebook launch
| Job | Done by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The page readers land on | Anticode | A waitlist page first, turned into a sales page on launch day |
| Collecting interested readers | Anticode's newsletter form, sent to Kit or Mailchimp | Mailchimp uses double opt-in |
| Taking payment and delivering the file | Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy | The buy button opens their checkout |
| Launch emails | Your email tool | Anticode doesn't email your list |
| Counting visits | Anticode's analytics | Views per day by source; sales are counted in the payment platform |
Stage one: the waitlist, four to six weeks out
- Write one sentence about the book and who it's for, and build a page from it in Anticode with the newsletter sign-up as the main action. The newsletter form asks for an email only.
- Connect your email tool. Add the Kit or Mailchimp connector so sign-ups arrive as subscribers there. Each sign-up is also saved in the Anticode dashboard.
- Give people a reason to join now. A launch-week price for the list, or the first chapter early. Only offer what you'll deliver.
- Write to the list as you go. A short note every week or two: the cover, a passage you cut, the launch date. A list that hears nothing for six weeks forgets why it signed up.
- Share the page where your readers already are, and watch which sources send visitors in Anticode's analytics.
Stage two: launch day
Set up the product on Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy first, upload the file there, and test a purchase so you've seen the receipt and the download yourself. Then turn the waitlist page into a sales page with a change request, something like "turn this into a sales page for the ebook with a sample chapter section, the table of contents, who it's for and a buy button". Point the buy button at your checkout link. The previous waitlist version stays in history if you want to compare.
For the sample, put a few pages of real text on the page itself. It's readable on a phone, it can be found by search engines, and it needs no download. Anticode's media uploads are for photos and videos, so the full book and any PDF sample belong on the payment platform.
Email the list first, with the launch-week price if you promised one. Send to everyone else a day or two later, so the people who waited feel it was worth it.
Stage three: after the first week
- Replace launch-week wording on the page with standing copy, and check that the price on the page matches the checkout.
- Add a few genuine reader comments, with permission, once you have them. Never invent them.
- Keep the newsletter sign-up on the sales page for readers who aren't ready to buy.
- Compare page views by source with sales in your payment platform to see which channels were worth the effort.
What goes wrong
The common failures are small and avoidable. A launch-week price that never ends, so the list feels misled. A buy button still pointing at a test product. A sales page that doesn't say what format the file is or which devices it reads on. And a list built on a free site's allowance: the free plan keeps a monthly allowance of submissions visible (100 by default) and holds the rest until you upgrade, which matters if the waitlist grows quickly.
How you know the launch worked
Compare launch-week sales with the size of your list, and look at how sales tail off after the first week. A launch that sells mostly to the list says the waitlist did its job; strong sales from one source say where to put effort for the next book. If you're writing more than one, the author website guide covers a home for all of them.
Limits
- No file delivery from Anticode. The payment platform sends the book.
- No emails to your readers. Use your email tool for every launch message.
- Payments only by link. See payment links and the Gumroad setup.
Questions people ask
How to launch an ebook with no audience yet?
Start the waitlist earlier, around two months out, and spend that time sharing useful excerpts where your readers gather. A small list that opens your emails beats a large one that doesn't.
Can I sell the ebook directly on my Anticode site?
The page sells it, but the payment and download happen on Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy or another provider you link to. Anticode's on-site pay pages are switched off.
Should the sales page include a sample?
Yes. A few pages of real text on the page is the strongest argument you have, and it helps the page be found in search.