Promoting your book means taking advantage of any opportunity that is relevant to it. Generally, book sales are very low in winter, after the Christmas rush, but summer and holidays are great times to sell books. Being aware of which events or holidays will help your book’s sales can help a publisher and author realize when to promote heavily, and when promoting can be a waste of time and energy that could be spent working on the next book. or prepare for a better promotional opportunity. The way. Here are some guidelines for determining the best times to promote your book.
Christmas: Christmas time is probably the time when most books are sold. However, fall is also the time of year when more books are published because everyone thinks that their books will sell better at Christmas. Is not true. No one is going to want to receive a diet book as a Christmas present, that would be an insult, even though the same person might buy the diet book for himself at a different time of year. Similarly, a self-help book that tells you how to take charge of your life can be offensive to someone, making them feel that the gift is a sign of disapproval of how they are living their life. Books work as gifts when the book matches the recipient, being something the person is interested in, so obviously someone who likes to cook might enjoy a cookbook, or a spiritual person might enjoy a collection of inspirational quotes and poems. Novels, children’s books, history books, and even biographies always tend to sell well as holiday gifts.
Summer: Summer is the next big season for book sales, and authors have more flexibility during this time than during the holiday season. There are many book festivals and arts and crafts shows where you can promote your title to the general public and usually find a few interested people. Any topic has summer potential as long as it’s not winter related, like a book about skiing or ice climbing. Of course, the best-selling books are often beach novels and escapist vacation reads. Travel books also sell well in spring and summer for people preparing for vacations. And don’t forget the fitness books – people want to lose those extra pounds so they can look their best at the beach.
Other Holidays/Seasons: Depending on the theme of your book, it can help promote it on various holidays. Start planning two months or more before the holidays, and start promoting at least a month beforehand so that as the holidays approach, people get interested and excited. For example, any romance novel has Valentine’s Day potential, any book about Ireland or that has Irish characters might work well for St. Patrick’s Day. Horror novels can be a hit on Halloween, and historical fiction or history or biographies about important Americans might work well on the 4th of July. Books about war and the military can be promoted in conjunction with Memorial Day and Veterans Day, or on anniversaries like Pearl Harbor or the Normandy landings. And if your book is about hunting, there’s deer season, bird season, bear season. There is also a school “season”. Be creative when considering the possibilities.
Birthday: Don’t forget significant event anniversaries: Several books are in the works in conjunction with the bicentennial of the War of 1812, and I imagine the same will be true in 2014 as World War I reaches its century mark. Various events are always held on certain topics of interest that can help sell your book. For example, if you write about automobiles, Henry Ford, or the auto industry, the upcoming 100th anniversary of a specific car model, such as the Model T celebrated in 2008, might help you promote your book.
Annual or biannual events: Every time the Olympics get closer, books about athletes and especially Olympians can see increased sales. If you are a local author who writes about the history of your area and the city celebrates Founder’s Day annually, you can promote your book at the festivities. The 4th of July is a popular time for communities to celebrate their own history together, so keep that in mind. It could also be an annual auto race, an annual fishing derby, or an annual public library exhibit on mental illness that might be relevant to your book.
festivals: There is no absence of parties, especially in summer. If you’re writing history or something with an ethnic connection, look up local Greek, Scandinavian, Italian, Irish, or any other ethnic festivals. The lilac festival could help you sell your gardening book; the yacht festival might help your shipwreck book. And don’t forget the food! It could be the annual cheese festival or the annual seafood festival: any place where people go to eat will draw a crowd; Festival goers’ minds may not be in the books, but it will grab some people’s attention. When people are having fun and satisfying their appetites, they are in a good mood and more willing to part with their money.
National ____ Day/Month: Whatever, there is a day or a month for everything. It could be Black History Month helping you, or Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or even National Pickle Day. Find out when these events take place, help raise awareness about them, and promote your book together.
Whether it’s a local event or an international conference, a national holiday or a milestone anniversary, there are plenty of possibilities to tie your book to something people are excited about. Plan ahead so you’re ready to promote when the event happens. You could be advertising on your website a month in advance that “Mother’s Day only” will have a “half off” special. It can be booked to be at holiday shows every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You might be looking for organizers for summer events in the winter so you can be prepared. With a little creative thinking, you can always tie your book in with something else that already has people interested and excited so you can capitalize on their enthusiasm to help your book sales.
