2 builders who never spoke to each other

Take preorders while you are still writing

Selling a handful of slots partway through the build brings in committed money and reviewers who owe you feedback within hours. Keep publishing through the preorder window with the ask at the end of each post, and forecast the launch from the inputs, since subscriber count and guest posts moved in step with revenue across consecutive launches.

The method

1. 01

   Sell a handful of preorder slots to reviewers halfway through the build, on the condition they give feedback in the next few hours

2. 02

   Keep publishing posts through the preorder period and put the preorder ask at the end of each one.

3. 03

   Forecast the size of a launch from its pre-launch inputs: subscriber count and number of guest posts moved in step with revenue across consecutive launches.

4. 04

   Fund and pre-sell a print run on Kickstarter instead of signing with a publisher, so you keep control of the design.

5. 05

   Draw your first readers for a book out of the audience you already have instead of hunting for strangers.

What it returned

• $121

  Committed monthly revenue climbed from $121 to the low $200s to $972 per month as more posts went out

• $12,500

  The App Design Handbook did $12,500 in a day; Designing Web Applications, with every pre-launch number larger, did $26,600 in 24 hours

• Ten preorder slots opened once the first five exercises were drafted, restricted to people who could review that afternoon

• Paul Jarvis funded his print book on Kickstarter, raising the money and pre-selling a fixed quantity of copies in advance.

Sources

• Self-Publishing Hangout highlightsJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Platforms and publishers · undated
• Join me as I create & launch a product in 24 hoursNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 3:30 PM update: · 2014-12-01
• Can preorders work for software-as-a-service companies?Nathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · More preorders · 2013-02-25
• Self-doubt and launch statsNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 2013-05-28
• 2023 Year in Review: Of Ambition and Aliveness - Ness LabsAnne-Laure Le Cunff · nesslabs.com · No one can whistle a symphony · 2023-12-21