If you have written a bestseller and want to know the right time to self-publish a book, we have your answers. This blog tells you why self-publishing a book before the holidays is a good idea rather than launching it during the festive season.
It is beginning to look like Christmas everywhere. From Navratri and Diwali in India to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year in the USA, people are almost ready to welcome the festive season with food, music, and great books. And so should you, because this is the prime time for self-publishing authors to attract the interest of their potential readers.
Why “Before-the-Holidays’ is the Right Time to Self-Publish a Book?
The book publishing industry thrives during the holidays. Both online and retail book sales soar by about 50% during winter, from mid-November to mid-January.
Thousands of books are gifted in the form of gift cards or ebooks throughout the festival seasons. And people generally spend more time reading their favorite genres or discovering new books during the colder months.
So, we don’t see any reasons why you shouldn’t leverage this period to launch, publish, and promote your book.
It is the hottest time for self-publishing authors of cookbooks, self-help books, children’s books, and any other book that can be gifted.
But Why Not During the Holidays but Before the Holidays?
Publishing a book and launching it successfully takes time.
If you are an established author, the holiday sales period is the safest and easiest way to earn money because a lot of people read books and gift them.
But that cannot be said about authors who are just making their way into this publishing world. Relatively unknown authors need to create buzz and attract the target readers group. The process of book discovery, browsing, and purchasing takes time and doesn’t usually happen during the holidays.
So, the perfect time for self-publishing a book is before the holiday begins, from February to September.
Book Publishing Should Never Be Rushed
It is important to allocate the necessary time to promote your book correctly.
If you wait until Christmas to promote a holiday-special recipe book, it’s simply too late. If you are planning to boost sales, ideally, you need to start working on publishing and promotion by October or even earlier if possible.
Since there are several things to take care of, such as writing, editing, designing, publishing, and marketing, we have shared some tips below that will help ensure you don’t self-publish a book at a bad time.
Books that Sell Between October and December (Upcoming Season)
The festive season is here, and as you see many businesses launching new products and services, you feel it’s the prime time to self-publish a book. Because why not? People would buy it, right?
While books remain popular gift options, not all books will get wrapped in gift papers. Bookstores and online marketplaces like Amazon will be focusing on stocking inventory from the bestsellers of the year, and your book might be lost in the crowd.
So, promote or self-publish a book if only it falls under one of the following categories:
- Children’s books and comics
- Any holiday-themed books
- Cookbooks and recipe books that include festival dishes only
- Horror-sci-fi-supernatural (Halloween only)
- Religious books (India only)
Book Publishing Timetable for the Rest of the Year
Books for the New Year (January through March)
People love to start their New Year with positive vibes and new resolutions. January is the best time to publish a book on self-motivation, business management, or self-improvement, like leadership, career, personality development, relationship, weight loss, home, and wellness.
February is obviously the month of love and kindred spirits. Romance novels, Valentine’s Day-themed cookbooks, poetry books, wedding-themed photo books, and teenage novels will most likely sell more in Feb.
March brings Spring, and it is the perfect time to start gardening, planning for trips with children, and parenting kids during summer vacation. Books on similar lines will be a chartbuster in March-April. Examples include inspirational books, travel books and guides, gardening and cooking, DIY easter books, picture books, children’s playbooks, and religious books (Easter related only).
Books to Publish During the Summer (April to August)
April through June is summertime in many Asian countries, like India, while summer hits the USA and Canada in July. A lot of activities happen during these months, from travel enthusiasts visiting new places, children learning new stuff, adrenaline junkies creating new experiences, wildlife photographers having a blast in the jungle, and wedding jingles making everyone merry.
It is also time for graduation, finding new life, a new career, and applying for higher courses.
A variety of books sell in these months. However, you will churn profits if your book is based on one of the abovementioned themes.
Sci-fi, thrillers, textbooks, career management, books on professional and personal lives, travel and tourism, history books, children’s books, fashion and apparel, wedding and home décor, interior decoration, architecture, and gardening, and DIY books are a few ideas.
Start Your Book Publishing and Marketing Plans in September
September is ideal for promoting your book for the upcoming festive sales.
However, if you wish to publish a book, September is good for history, education, romance, biographies, political, academic, supernatural, and horror books.
Note to dear authors
This doesn’t mean that if you self-publish a book in a month that doesn’t fit your criteria, your book will not sell. Our suggestions are here to help you maximize your efforts and earn more from your book sales.
The month or time alone doesn’t decide your book’s future. There are other things to consider, too, like the book’s quality, cover design and format, editing and proofreading, marketing efforts, the self-publishing platform you select, and your efforts in promoting the book.
We suggest reading the article on how to make money by publishing a book written by our publishing consultant. You can also visit our website to learn about the advantages of self-publishing a book with Writat, regardless of the month, year, or week or click here to look at our features and packages.
