How Authors Can Create A Yearlong Marketing Plan…and Stick To It

Fall is one of the most important times of the year when it comes to marketing, promoting, and selling your book. From where? Because during this period, everyone buys books, either to sell them, to give as gifts or to treat yourself in the coming winter months. Book sales increase rapidly in November and December.

Chances are, you've been busy writing, editing, and maybe even designing book covers. However, if you want to start selling books right away, planning ahead is one of the most important tools. It sounds deceptively simple, but planning your promotion dates can help you avoid the hassle of last-minute tasks like designing compelling ads, writing copy, and attracting people, readers, and subscribers.

The most effective way to plan ahead is to create a marketing calendar . It can be as simple as using a wall or desktop calendar or planning on your phone or computer. (I personally like a paper calendar with plenty of room to jot down notes and deadlines. For some reason, I need to see the entire month to see what's going on and which weeks seem busy. But everyone has their preferred method.)

First, mark the most important dates for your book: publication dates, deadlines, anything you know means you're busy this week. Are you planning a vacation? You point that out too.

So look at all the big parties and ask yourself, "Is this an opportunity to sell your book?" Are there marketing and advertising opportunities here?

Here is a list of some public holidays that can (and will!) be used for advertising or marketing purposes:

New Year: Nonfiction books are great performers, especially how-to books, self-improvement books, and even relationship books. Many readers use January 1 to think about big changes they want to make in their health, home, community, and even personal development, such as: B. Education, spiritual journeys, travel, etc.

Valentine's Day: Relationship and love books are always good this time of year. However, some authors have books that can take on a creepy or humorous feel, such as suspense, suspense ("This Valentine's Day, get your heart racing") or even horror ("They're coming for you... with heart and soul »).

Spring Break and Reading Week: March or April is usually the perfect time for children's books, but it's also the start of vacation and beach reading season. Readers will be looking for nonfiction, humor, women's fiction, short story collections and essays, and more.

Memorial Day: Summer reading begins this long weekend. Book sales often do well this time of year, when readers are thinking about what books to read this summer and what books to take on vacation. This is when you want to make sure they review your book.

Halloween: Terror read plenty!

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday, and December Holidays: November marks the start of the holiday season, and you should spend the next two months planning online promotions (they usually last a week or more). two days before) with Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday and the December holidays when people are looking for freebies in addition to sales. Remember that while print books make a great gift, a great e-book makes an even better last-minute gift.

We also encourage you to consult the holiday calendar and, depending on the topic of your book, research other relevant holidays (religious or not) or repetitions that might be an interesting way to promote your book. May 4th is a good time if you've written a space opera, or April 20th if you've written a how-to for cooking cannabis. There are celebrity parties, special events (perfect for novels or historical fiction), and even silly holidays like Towel Day. And don't look for ways to play the game like everyone else. Maybe your marketing plan can go against the grain, like promoting your book as the anti-Valentine's or a scary read on the beach in the summer.

Once you've decided what holiday and seasonal promotions you want to run, think about your campaign. In general, you should aim to promote your book a week or two (or a month, whichever comes first) beforehand, so mark the start days of each of these promotions. Then make a list for each action and decide what needs to be done. An effective marketing or advertising plan requires art, copy, budget, and maybe even support from other writers, publishers, or the media. Also set time limits for these items, especially if you outsource your ad to a designer or copywriter, or if the ad takes at least a week or more to run.

Now that you're ready for the Christmas special, look for empty months. Of course, you want to get your book in front of readers and subscribers, so this is where you should start planning other advertising or marketing campaigns. This could mean selling or creating a trailer for your book. If you're looking for ideas, check out Kirkus' 14 Amazing Ways to Market Your Book for fresh ideas.

The next thing to do, especially if you're publishing a new book in the next 12 months, is to plan when and where you'll submit your book for review, whether it's in blogs, magazines, newspapers or elsewhere. Top-tier publications sometimes require authors and publishers to submit their books for review four to six months before your book's anniversary, so it's imperative that you not only plan ahead, but make sure you have all the equipment you need and meet the eligibility criteria. Before submitting a book for review, check out our checklist of these 3 things to make sure you've covered your basics.

Are you planning to enter competitions or apply for scholarships? Participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? All of this should be included so that you don't have any unexpected surprises at the last minute.

After adding these items, you should (hopefully!) have a complete annual calendar with all of your marketing plans for the next few months. With the holiday season fast approaching, now is a good time to start marketing and selling your book, and planning ahead is one of the best ways to ensure your success.

Based in Toronto, Hannah Guy is a professional writer and editor specializing in books, books and more. Follow her on Twitter at @hannorg.

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