The holiday season is the busiest time of year. People are out shopping, they’re in a good mood, and they’re looking for gifts to buy their loved ones.
For authors, this is a prime opportunity to get your books in front of people who may never have heard of you before or would be inclined to purchase your book as a gift for someone else (or themselves!). We’ve put together some ideas that will help you market your book during the holidays so that you can take advantage of this time period.
8 Book Marketing Ideas to Capitalize on the Holiday Spirit
Whether you’re a self-published author or traditionally published, the holidays are a great time to bring books to the forefront. This is when people are thinking about gifts and how they can help others.
The key is using holiday themes as a way to build up your brand. That doesn’t mean going overboard —it’s all about incorporating seasonal elements that fit into your existing overall message.
Offer a Discount
This is one of the most popular ways to market books during the holidays and it still works well. You can offer a discount on your book for a limited time during the holidays, and you can also bundle together multiple copies of your books and offer them at a discounted rate.
The holiday season is a great time to do this because most people will be looking for something new and exciting to read during the holidays, and they’ll appreciate the opportunity to get something they really want without having to spend any money on it!
Add a Gift with Every Purchase
In the holiday season, one of the most successful strategies is to use a gift-with-purchase strategy. This involves giving away an extra item with a purchase. For example, it could be an ebook, a gift card, or even a basket of goodies. The gift can be limited to a certain number of buyers depending on how you set it up and how much you want to spend on this promotion.
This is an excellent way to increase sales at this time of year because customers are more likely to buy when they know they’re getting something extra.
Send Holiday-Themed Email Greetings
What better time to send holiday-themed email greetings than during the holidays?
Email marketing is a great way to spread the word about your book. You can include a short message about how much you appreciate your subscribers and their support over the past year. Then tell them about a new project you’re working on, including its title, a short excerpt and the release date.
You can offer them a discount code or other incentives if they buy now rather than later. You can include holiday-themed discounts and sales, bundle or package your book with other products, and promote any upcoming events. You can also offer them a free download of one of your older titles.
Open Book Pre-Orders
Now’s the time to launch your new book — if it’s ready — and open it for pre-orders. Pre-orders are a great way to get people to buy your book before it’s released. They also help you build a buzz around your book, get some reviews up and running, and get a higher ranking on Amazon. Plus, you can promote the pre-order as a gifting idea where people can gift this book to their loved ones during the holidays.
Develop Specialized Holiday-Themed Book Covers
You can create holiday-themed book covers by using a holiday-themed image or a color theme. You can also use a holiday-themed image as the background for your book cover. For example, if you are writing about Christmas, consider using an image of Santa Claus on your cover. You could also use snowflakes or other winter images to create the look and feel of your book cover.
Introduce Book Giveaways
Giveaway promotions are very popular right now because they’re easy to set up and manage. Whether you already have an email/follower list or are building one, don’t miss the opportunity to give away copies of your book on it! It’s a great way to keep readers engaged and interested in what you’re doing next.
If you have a larger following on social media, this is another great way to introduce your book, host a giveaway around the theme of the holiday and your book and get more exposure. You can do this by posting teaser images and offering signed copies of your books as rewards.
Develop Seasonal Promotional Banners
The holiday season is your opportunity to develop seasonal promotional banners. Use AllAuthor’s Seasonal Mockup Tool to create a holiday-themed banner for your promo materials. You can upload your book cover in any holiday theme you choose and leverage it for your social media promotions. There are hundreds of pre-created themes that you can customize to create instant banners for Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Cyber Monday, Hanukkah, Diwali, Easter, Good Friday, Mardi Gras, etc.
Create a Holiday-Themed Bundle
If you have several related books or a few that would make great holiday gifts, why not create a bundle and offer it as an option for readers? Your bundle can include any combination of fiction or nonfiction titles at any price point—and it doesn’t have to be limited to just the holiday themes.
Conclusion
Marketing your book can be difficult and time-consuming. That’s why we brainstormed a list of ideas that are quick, easy, and effective to help you drive sales during the holidays. It’s a great way for your book to get noticed, especially if you’re looking for a seasonal boost in sales. If you’re ready to get started with your holiday marketing plan, these strategies are sure to make an impact on book sales while giving customers something they’ll love all year long!
