Book sales tend to be highest for most authors during the holidays, so authors should make the most of the holiday season. There are many ways to increase book sales during the holidays and a little more imagination can always help, while many of the possibilities can be effective the rest of the year as well. If you want to sell books, the holidays are definitely the best time.
Any dedicated author looking to sell books will ensure that the months of November and December are full of opportunities for them, and while it would be easy to let your book marketing take a backseat to all the other busy activities surrounding the holidays, this season is usually the one that can cause the biggest jump in book sales. If you want to sell books, here are some tips to make a fun holiday season profitable too.
- Map ahead. Start in the summer or earlier by trying to schedule your events in November and December. Many holiday arts and crafts shows start taking applications at this time, so to get in and get the best placement, spring and summer are the time to reserve a space. That being said, shows often don’t fill up until the last minute, so never feel like it’s too late to call and try to get in if you didn’t plan ahead. If you’re going to publish a new book, you might plan to release it in late fall; September or October are slower months for book sales, but a release around that time will give you a couple of months to plant the seed in holiday shoppers. heads as you nab the first buyers, giving you time to build excitement about your book. Finally, the more time you give yourself, the more ideas you will come up with and the more you can refine them to be effective during the holiday season.
- Schedule events every weekend. Whether it’s a holiday craft show, church bazaar, or holiday book signing, be sure to fill the holiday season with events that attract people looking to buy Christmas gifts. The more high traffic the area receives, the better. While a book signing at a bookstore might seem like a good idea, more people are buying books online whether we like it or not, so bookstores may not get the traffic that other places do. A Christmas craft show, on the other hand, can often generate traffic in the thousands. Also, people go to craft fairs in search of handcrafted items and are often surprised to find books there, which are often among the most affordable items. It gets exposure there to people who might never go to a bookstore, and is likely to be seen by people with money in their pockets that they plan to spend. Any event in a mall is also a good idea during the holidays.
- Participate in festive entertainment. If you’ve written a children’s book, you might just land a booth at the mall when Santa is there for your target audience of kids to see. If you can find a holiday open mic, like a poetry reading, go read your book so people will hear it and want to buy it. Is your downtown having a Ladies Shopping Night? Then ask one of the store owners if she can sell her books that night in the store.
- Donate books for a Christmas fundraiser. Christmas is the season of giving. You can give copies of your books to local charity events, whether it’s your church bazaar, your local Toys for Tots or other organization’s book drive, a charity auction, or anything else that gives your book a chance to be the center of attention. And don’t forget that giving your time is also fruitful. Participate in an event where you not only feel good about helping others, whether it’s a church bake sale, a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner for the homeless, or any other event, but also you’ll meet new people and be able to tell them about your book, granted, the homeless might not buy it, but the other workers might. Remember, wherever you go, many people will treat you like a celebrity because you are an author. You don’t have to flaunt your book, but when people ask what you do, just remember to proudly say, “I’m an author.” Many people find it exciting to meet someone who has written a book, and even if you only get one person interested, that person is often able to spread the word to many other potential buyers.
- Holiday special offer. There are many ways to get people excited about your book by offering various forms of special offers. If you’re attending a holiday craft show, make a sign announcing that you have an “Exclusive Showcase Special” and offer a discounted price for your book, or better yet, if you have multiple books, offer “Buy two, get third.” free”. or other package. Maybe you have an author friend who shares the book with you, and you can have a special where customers get one of each of your books as a special offer. Or if you have an artist friend, you can offer a discounted piece of art with the purchase of a book or vice versa. And don’t forget your website! Offer special deals there and send emails to your readers, as well as post messages on Facebook and other places online where you can reach out to your online readers to let them know that you have a special offer for a limited time, or even offer free shipping until Christmas . Any time you can let people think they’re getting a deal, they’re more likely to buy.
- Be cheerful and festive. Exude the Christmas spirit! Wear Christmas colours: red and green, or fun Christmas ties or sweaters. At events, decorate your booth with Christmas decorations, from a Christmas tablecloth to giving away Christmas candy or anything else that draws people to your booth, putting potential customers in the festive mood and making them feel welcome. Remember, no one wants to do business with a Scrooge, let alone read his book. A Christmas Carol it has already been written. Now is the time for people to read your book.
Trying to promote your book around the holidays can be time consuming and exhausting, at least many authors have told me that’s why they don’t, but I find that when you connect with people at holiday events, it’s usually They are in a happy mood and cheer you up, and when you imagine people opening the wrapping paper to discover your book under their Christmas trees, it can be a very uplifting experience. When it comes to book sales, most authors wish it was Christmas all year long.