How to set up paperbacks for pre-order on Amazon

For some reason defying logic, Amazon KDP does not allows authors to pre-sell their books in paperback format. They will let you set up your ebook for pre-sales, but not paperback.

If your heart is set on a paperback pre-sale campaign and you have at least three months until your book launch, there is a workaround many authors use.

Set up your paperback f your book release is 3+ months away, you can set up your paperback via Ingram Spark and pre-sell that way. It’s the only workaround I know.

1. Add the title to KDP. Do NOT enable distribution (i.e. don’t publish it). Make sure to have the ISBN included in your metadata.
2. Add the book to Ingram. DO enable distribution. Be sure to use the same ISBN.
3. Once Ingram’s listing propagates (4–6 weeks), Amazon will show the book as available for pre-order. KDP is part of the network that Ingram pushes it’s titles out to. For example, by doing this, your title will also show on stores such as Barnes & Noble as a pre-purchase. Any orders place, will be fulfilled by Ingram Spark’s POD system.
4. On your pub date, when you publish the paperback on KDP. When the KDP version goes live using the same ISBN, Amazon replaces the Ingram-sourced listing automatically.

Need to know:

• This is the only reliable workaround for paperback pre-orders on Amazon we know of.
• KDP must NOT be live first or the whole strategy fails.
• Amazon will not guarantee pre-order status, but in practice it appears nearly 100% of the time once the Ingram feed hits.
• 👉 Pre-orders do not count toward Amazon bestseller rank since the book isn’t coming from KDP. This can be a deal breaker for some authors. 👈
• Ingram must go live first. If KDP is live first, Amazon will default to KDP and ignore the Ingram ISBN listing. That kills the pre-order strategy.
• Use the SAME ISBN on both platforms. If the ISBNs don’t match, Amazon will create duplicate listings and won’t merge them consistently – this can be a nightmare to sort out. Using the same ISBN lets KDP take over seamlessly on launch day.
• Keep KDP unpublished until launch day. Just creating the project is fine—don’t hit publish on paperback until you actually want it live.
• Expect temporary metadata weirdness. Amazon sometimes shows odd prices, long ship dates, or placeholder data during the 4–6 week propagation period. This is normal.
• You cannot specify the “pre-order” dateAmazon controls that. It will show “Available on [pub date]” once Ingram’s ONIX feed populates the release date.**

Plan B: Sell Direct-from-Author

Pre-sell books through your own author or publisher website. Most of the authors we work with who do this generate thousands of dollars in presale profits which help offset the editing and marketing costs.

When you set up the sales landing page for your book, be sure to add an option for readers who may not be ready to buy. This option will be: “Notify me when the book hits stores.” This helps build your email list as well.