Book Launches and Relaunches: How to Trigger Amazon’s Algorithm the Right Way

For fiction authors, a book launch is more than a release date. We can look at it as a strategic window.

When executed correctly, a launch becomes your single strongest opportunity to trigger what we call Dream Reader Sequencing: the process by which Amazon and other vendors begin promoting your book for you as the right sales signals come in.

But this only happens when a launch is designed to work with the algorithm, not against it.

According to the Rebecca Hamilton, author coach and founder of Six Figure Author Coach, this is where most authors unknowingly sabotage their own success. by treating launches as one-time events instead of long-term systems.

Why Launch Timing Matters More Than Most Authors Realize

Amazon’s New Release Algorithm gives every ASIN a limited opportunity window, roughly the first 90 days a book is live. During this time, Amazon is actively testing your book to determine:

• Who is buying it

• When they’re buying it

• What else those readers buy

• How consistently sales occur

If the book is purchased by the right readers at the right time, Amazon begins increasing organic exposure.

If not, that window closes.

This misunderstanding is one of the reasons many authors believe their ads or launches are “broken,” when in reality the system is behaving exactly as designed, a concept we call Delayed Buyer Effect.

After the initial 90-day window, the only way to regain similar algorithmic momentum is through a relaunch, and even then, the first week is critical.

What Breaks Launches Before They Start

Most launches fail because critical foundations were skipped or rushed, not because authors didn’t care. Here are the most common mistakes that quietly sabotage algorithmic momentum:

• Launching a book that hasn’t been professionally edited

• Launching without planning at least 30–90 days in advance

• Releasing on a holiday or holiday weekend

• Uploading the wrong interior or cover file

• Publishing without a properly formatted blurb

• Ignoring metadata, categories, and keyword optimization

• Failing to line up ARC reviewers ahead of time

• Giving ARC reviewers too little time (less than six weeks)

Many of these missteps stem from a lack of upfront market positioning, something we encourage authors to evaluate early using frameworks like those outlined in the blog post about 5 questions to answer to ensure marketability for authors.

Where Many Authors Get Stuck After Launch

One of the biggest challenges we see isn’t that authors work really really hard in the wrong sequence.

Many authors pour time, money, and energy into launches, ads, and promotions, yet still struggle to scale sustainably. This isn’t a motivation problem; it’s a systems problem. We explore this in more depth in "Why So Many Fiction Authors Work Hard and Still Don’t Scale" blog post, where the core issue often comes down to missing strategy between effort and outcome.

Launches magnify this gap. If your foundation isn’t aligned, from positioning to metadata to reader targeting, the algorithm has nothing solid to amplify.

Another misconception is that authors need to “get it right once” and then everything will work forever. In reality, platforms evolve. Algorithms shift. Reader behavior changes.

The authors who continue earning consistently are the ones who understand why systems work and know how to adjust without burning everything down!

Launches and relaunches are part of that adaptive process. They aren’t resets, they’re recalibrations.

What Successful Launches Actually Do Differently

The difference between a strong and weak book launch is that strong launches are more precise. Before release, successful authors ensure:

• The final, edited file is uploaded correctly

• ARC copies are sent to 100–250 reviewers at least six weeks before launch

• Metadata, categories, and keywords are optimized using reader psychology, not guesswork

• Promotional bookings for launch week are secured 30–90 days in advance

• The promotional stack is designed to support algorithmic visibility, not just short-term sales

This preparation ensures that early sales come from readers Amazon wants to see interacting with your book, rather than random traffic that fails to convert long-term.

Why Relaunches Are Not a Step Back

Once the initial 90-day window closes, the algorithm no longer treats your book as “new.” At that point, relaunches become a strategic reset, not a correction.

Rebecca Hamilton often emphasizes that relaunches are most effective when authors stop reacting emotionally and start responding analytically, looking at what signals were sent during the original launch and how they can be improved.

This same mindset applies to paid traffic as well. In fact, many authors prematurely abandon ads believing something is “wrong,” when the issue is timing or sequencing.

A properly executed relaunch can:

• Reintroduce your book to the algorithm

• Re-align targeting if early readers weren’t ideal

• Restore visibility for books that stalled despite strong content

How We Structure Launches for Algorithmic Growth

Inside Six and Seven figure author programs, launches are treated as systems, not events. Under Rebecca Hamilton’s guidance, authors receive:

• Tools to build a series ecosystem before launch

• Worksheets and feedback to optimize metadata, categories, and keywords for Dream Reader Sequencing

• Support finding ARC reviewers and distributing up to 250 advance copies

• Guidance on securing bonus metadata inside Amazon for increased organic reach

• Swipeable release plans to structure promotional stacks correctly

• Launch-week decision support to maintain rankings and sustain visibility

The Bottom Line

A launch is not about pushing a book into the world and hoping it sticks. It’s about feeding the algorithm the correct signals during a very small window of time, so your book can continue working for you long after release week ends.

And when that window closes, relaunches become part of a scalable author strategy.

Join the Conversation Inside the Facebook Group

If you’re ready to move beyond reactive launches and into intentional, data-driven growth, the best next step it’s community and context!

Inside our free Facebook group for self-published authors, Rebecca Hamilton and the team share real-world insights on launches, relaunches, ads, algorithms, and long-term career strategy, including what’s changing right now and how authors can respond without panic.

You’ll also see discussions, examples, and questions from authors at every stage, from first launches to six-figure scaling. See you there!