Are you identifying and hitting a strategized target ... or are you taking a shot in the dark?

Karen Bouchard here. Let's talk about the best time to launch that book of yours.

It makes sense that you want to give your work every advantage in the marketplace, which is why you want to work with publishing professionals, take actions to grow your platform, and build some marketing into your launch. Is there anything else you should be doing?

Actually, you should be asking yourself this question: With 12 months to choose from, is there a best time to release your book for maximum impact?

The answer, of course, is Yes. (If the answer were no, I probably should have picked a different topic for this email!). 

Here are a few things to think about as

you are deciding when to launch your book:

Seasonal book-buying trends.

The publishing industry has identified seasonal patterns related to when consumers buy books. For example, self-help books are big in January, relationship books do well in February, travel books sell more in the spring and summer as people are planning and taking trips, and fiction sales see a rise starting early summer as people anticipate a little vacation reading.

Here are some industry best-practices in terms of when to launch books by genre:

• January / February / March / April: Self-improvement, Self-help, Romance, Relationships, Business, Personal Finance, Cooking
• May / June / July / August: Adventure, Fantasy, Travel
• September / October / November: Academic, Horror, Paranormal
• December / January: Children, Cooking, Illustrated, Quiz and Novelty books

Does this mean you can't launch a novel in November? Of course not. It just means that, whenever you launch, make sure you've put some thought into why that particular timing is a good idea.

Here are some additional factors that can complement—or even supersede—the seasonal trends we just talked about:

Holidays and other special days & events. 

It's no secret that annual holidays and events—Father's Day, Mother's Day, Valentines Day, Memorial Day, etc.—influence what people are thinking about and/or buying.

Trending news topics also influence what society is thinking about. For example, it makes sense to launch a book about politics prior to an election, a book about war heros around Memorial Day, a book about a past event around the anniversary of that event, and so on.

Special marketing or public relations opportunties. 

Don't overlook opportunities that, with some effort on your part, you can leverage to promote your book.

For example, if you have an opportunity to rent a booth at the Star Trek Convention in October, that's obviously something to consider as you plan the launch of your cookbook of Captain Picard's favorite Instapot recipes.

It's also helpful to remember that regional morning TV shows are often interested in interviewing local experts for short segments on topics that are relevant to the season, a special day, anniversaries, awareness months, etc.

Here's how you can make this work for you: Are you writing a memoir that deals with autism? Consider launching your book to coincide with National Autism Awareness Month. Writing a book on how to improve your brain power? You could make it a self-help release for January or—since that's a crowded market—consider releasing it in March with a press kit to local media with a tie-in to Einstein's birthday on March 14th. 

I'll admit that it's a good idea—even if your book has been out for awhile—to capitalize on these kinds of publicity or marketing opportuntiies. But there's no denying that when your book is newly released, it has extra appeal to local media that love the idea of bringing something fresh to their audiences.

Finally, identify any times that could work against the launch of your book.

It's also a good idea to recognize months that might actually work against the most effective launch for your book.

For example, everyone thinks getting in on the Christmas selling season is desireable, but that might not be the best launch time for your book—especially if you are currently an unknown author, or your book doesn't have an obvious tie-in to the season. During the holidays, people are making quick gift-buying decisions and may not take the time to consider or research an author they've never heard of before, going instead with celebrities and established names.

If you need to be discovered as an author, you want to avoid getting lost in the holiday mayhem. If your book is releasing around Christmas, make sure you've thought through how to get your book in front of the perfect buyers. Or publish sooner—in the summer or fall—and get to work generating some buzz for your book before the holidays hit. 

Start strategizing now!

Bottom line, don't wait until your manuscript is written to think about the release date of your book. Your launch strategy is important enough that it should be one of the first things you consider as you begin the grand adventure of getting your message or story into the wild. 

If you'd like help brainstorming the release of your book, you can shoot me an email, or click here to go directly to my calendar and schedule a quick chat. I have a worksheet I can share with you that will help you evaluate the best launch opportunities for your book idea. I know you'll find it very helpful. 

And if you're thinking about publishing your book in the first half of 2019, let's talk about that, too—and quickly! How quickly? How about today or tomorrow? We are coming up fast on the deadline for the Spring 2019 Midpoint Trade Catalog, which will be used to sell our books into bookstores for release dates between January and July. To get into that catalog, your book doesn't need to be finished, but it needs to be far enough along that we can quickly complete the cover and description.

It may not be possible to get your book into the spring catalog—we are that close—but if you've been thinking about a spring/summer 2019 release for your book, let's talk right away and see what's possible. 

Here's to a GREAT launch!

Karen

Karen Bouchard

Acquisitions Editor, Illumify Media Global

Click Here to Schedule a Free Consultation 

kbouchard@illumifymedia.com