Pre-ordering Ebooks: How It Works and Why It Helps Authors

Pre-orders sound simple, but the details vary from store to store: when you're charged, what happens if the price changes, and whether print copies can be pre-ordered too. This guide explains how pre-orders work, what to expect on BooksOasis, and why your early order matters so much to the person who wrote the book.

How a pre-order works

An author sets a release date and lists the book before that date. Readers can buy it straight away. Nothing more is needed on your side: when the day arrives, the store makes the book available in your library. You don't need to remember the date, visit the store again or check your email. The book is just there, waiting.

For readers who follow a favourite author or a series, that's the main appeal. You get the new book the moment it's out, often before most people have heard of it.

Pre-ordering on BooksOasis, step by step

1. Find a book that isn't out yet. Book cards show a Pre-order label, the book page shows "Pre-order" with the release date under the author's name, and the homepage has a Coming Soon shelf.
2. Choose a format. Ebook, and paperback or hardcover where the author offers them.
3. Pay at checkout. You pay once, the same way as any other book. A pre-order can sit in the same order as books that are already out; those arrive straight away as usual.
4. Check your library. The ebook appears in My Library marked Available with its release date, and your confirmation email says the day it opens.
5. Read on release day. The Read now button appears and the book opens in Oasis Reader.

How pre-orders differ between stores

Stores handle payment differently. The biggest difference is when you're charged.

Paying up front has one clear advantage: there's no surprise charge months later, and you know exactly what you've spent. The trade-off is that your money is committed until release day, so pre-order books you genuinely want to read.

What happens between ordering and release day

Once you have pre-ordered, the book sits quietly in your library with its release date beside it. You don't need to do anything. Behind the scenes, the author is usually finishing the last stages of the book: final proofreading, the cover, the description and the launch plans. A release date is a promise the author makes to readers, and pre-orders are the readers' half of that promise.

It's worth knowing how release dates behave once you've ordered. On BooksOasis, once a book has been bought, the author can't push its release date later on their own, so the date you see is one you can plan around. If an author brings the date forward, the book simply opens sooner, and your library shows the new date.

Pre-orders and prices

On BooksOasis, the price you see at checkout is the price you pay. Prices are fixed the moment you start checkout, including any sale price running at that time. If a book goes on sale after you have pre-ordered it, the earlier order stays at the price you paid, in the same way as a book that is already out.

That makes pre-ordering a simple decision rather than a waiting game. If you know you want the book, ordering early means you won't forget it, and the author gets your support when it helps most. If you are more price-sensitive, keep an eye on the ebook deals guide for ways to find books on sale once they are out.

Pre-ordering print books

Where the author offers a paperback or hardcover, you can pre-order that too. On BooksOasis, a pre-ordered print copy waits until release day, then goes to print and ships to the address you gave at checkout. Until then it's listed under My Orders with the status "Ships after release" and the date. After that, it moves through the usual order statuses, and tracking is emailed to you when it ships.

Because each copy is printed after release, a print pre-order arrives a little after the ebook would. If you want to start reading on day one, the ebook is the faster choice. If you want a copy on the shelf, print is the one to pick. Some readers buy both.

Pre-ordering books in a series

Series readers often want every book as it comes out. On BooksOasis, when you buy several ebooks from a series at once, any books that aren't out yet are included as pre-orders. The series box tells you which ones, and each arrives in your library on its own release date. You can also pre-order a single upcoming book from its series page, where it shows a Pre-order ebook button and its release date. See buying an ebook series for more on series.

Why pre-orders matter to authors

For an independent author, a pre-order is a vote of confidence months before launch. It says "I want this book" at the moment when the author is often working hardest, finishing edits, cover and launch plans. There are practical benefits too:

• A clearer picture of demand. Early orders help an author decide how much time and money to put into a launch, and whether to write the next book in a series sooner.
• A stronger launch day. Pre-orders arrive together on release day, which gives a new book a real start instead of a slow trickle.
• Motivation. Knowing readers are waiting is a powerful reason to keep going through the last hard stretch of a book.

On BooksOasis, authors keep the full ebook price, so a pre-order from you goes straight to the writer. See supporting authors when you buy ebooks for why that matters.

When a pre-order makes sense

Changing your mind

Plans change. For a print pre-order on BooksOasis, the copy doesn't go to print until release day, so there's time to stop it. Email support@booksoasis.com with your order number before then, and if it can still be stopped before printing, you get a full refund, shipping included. For ebooks, the refund policy explains what happens if something is wrong with a book you bought.

New releases, not just pre-orders

Once a book comes out, BooksOasis shows a New release label for its first 30 days on sale, in the place where the star rating goes, while the book has no reviews yet. As readers review it, the review count and then the star average take its place. The homepage opens with a New Releases shelf, and the Browse page sorts by newest unless you choose another order. If you missed a pre-order, those are the places to catch a book early.

Reviews and pre-orders

A review is one of the kindest things you can do for an author after you've read their book. BooksOasis never sends a review request for a book that isn't out yet. Once it's released and you've had time to read it, you can leave a review like any other book you bought. Reviews on BooksOasis come from verified purchases, which makes them more useful to the next reader.

Making the most of release day

Release day is a small celebration for an author and a treat for a reader. A few ideas to enjoy it:

• Clear an evening so you can start the book when it opens.
• Reread the last chapter of the previous book in a series, so the new one picks up cleanly.
• Tell a friend who might enjoy it; word of mouth is still the best way a book finds readers.
• Visit the author
• Follow the author on their author page, so you hear about the next one.
#39;s page to see their other books while you wait for the next one.

Three pre-order stories

A thriller reader pre-ordered the next book in a series the week it was announced, and started it the evening it opened.

A parent pre-ordered a hardcover as a birthday gift, knowing it would print on release day and ship to their child's address.

A reader discovering an author read two earlier books first, loved them, and then pre-ordered the third.

New and upcoming books

See the full list of books you can pre-order. Here are the newest releases:

Browse all books →

In short

A pre-order means paying once, now, and reading on release day without lifting a finger. It's a simple way to make sure you never miss a favourite author's next book, and one of the most direct ways to back the writers you want to keep reading.

Writing a book of your own? Read our self-publishing guides.