Stop doing this with your book release
Imagine that your significant other is about to celebrate a birthday.
So you think to yourself, I'm going to throw this special person a surprise birthday party. And to make sure the person doesn't find out about it, I'm going to throw the surprise party THREE MONTHS AFTER the big day.
It would be fun, but it's not as much fun as celebrating a birthday on the person's birthday. Actually I would have h$!! to pay!!
It's all about timing.
But are you doing this with your book launch?
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Let's talk about the best time to launch your book.
It makes sense that you want to give your release 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, With 12 months to choose from, when is the best time to release my book for maximum impact?
Factors to Consider in Timing Your Book Launch
Factor #1. Seasonal book-buying trends.
The publishing industry has identified seasonal patterns related to consumer behavior.
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 plan their vacations, 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: Devotional, Self-improvement, Self-help, Romance, Relationships, Business, Personal Finance, Cooking
- May / June / July
/ August: Adventure, Fantasy, Travel
- September / October / November: Academic, Horror, Paranormal, small group study
- 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:
Factor #2. 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 consumer behavior.
Trending news topics also influence purchasing practices. For example, it makes sense to launch a book about politics prior to an election, a book about war heroes around Memorial Day, a book about a past event around the anniversary of that event, and so on.
Factor #3. Special marketing or public relations opportunities.
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.
This also applies to podcasts and radio programs. They're all ravenous for content.
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 (April).
Writing a book on how to improve your brain power? You could make it a self-help release for January or 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 opportunities. But there's no denying that when your book is newly released, it has extra appeal to local media who love the idea of bringing something fresh to their audiences.
Factor #4. 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 desirable, 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 adventure of getting your message or story into the wild.
If you'd like help brainstorming the release of your book, you can schedule a strategy session by clicking on the button below.
