Book Marketing Ideas to Last You All Throughout the Year

November 21, 2018 • Aerio Staff

The holidays aren’t the only time of year to take advantage of promoting your book.

There’s a saying, "It's all in the timing"; when it comes to book marketing, the old adage couldn't be more true. Bestselling authors know that holiday book promotion doesn't start at Christmastime - your Santa-themed book should be in stores and the marketing in full swing by October.

Consider what your book is about, what you want readers to get out of it, its theme and backdrop, when it takes place, and even what the cover looks like. Then, follow some of these book marketing tips and watch your book sales soar.

Days and Anniversaries of Historical Importance

Think about what historical dates or events correspond to your book and integrate them with your other book marketing ideas. For example, Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 and there was no shortage of related books published during 2009, the 150th anniversary of his death. This year also marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley's famous novel Frankenstein, which has led to a plethora of books on the subject being published (and sold!) this year.

If your book corresponds to an important historical date or anniversary, your book promotion plan can use that to your advantage and help you sell more books. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Publish your book around “Presidents’ Day” if it’s a fictionalized account of a moment in presidential history, such as the assassination of Lincoln or a history of Andrew Jackson's duels.

Offer ebook promotions of your romance book that takes place at the end of WWII near the calendar date the war ended, September 1-2, 1945.

Remember, historical days don't just revolve around historical figures. Every day is National Something Day whether it celebrates man's best friend or the invention of the cheeseburger!

It's the Time of the Season!

Holiday book sales are a no-brainer! Have you written a Christmas-themed romance? A self-help book for how to start the new year? Start your book marketing a few months before the holiday season, by using tactics such as:

Republishing your books as a winter-themed boxed set for holiday gift-giving.

Taking out Facebook ads to promote your book around Christmastime.

Amping up your ebook marketing in January, when people are looking to spend their gift cards. Ebook sales skyrocket right after the holidays!

Holidays aren't the only seasons during which you can promote your book. Maybe you've written a YA novel about going back to school; target your book and author marketing for the fall. Does your book celebrate black history? Publish in December, and market your book to coincide with Black History Month in February.

Publish your beach read before summer and use the preceding few months to promote your book: create a Facebook page dedicated to summer reading, write guest posts for other authors of beach books, and double down on your author marketing during the spring months.

Have You Voted Yet?

If your book has anything to do with politics, then you might want to get it out there well before voting day! You can capitalize on voting season in the early months of fall via well-timed book launches and on social media.

Three months prior to election day is a great time to publish - and start promoting - your novel that takes place during the suffragette movement. Even if you've already published your historical account of the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment, start a fresh marketing campaign in September with a tie-in to election day and watch your book sales increase.

Touchdown! Sports Seasons and Events

Schedule your book promotion around sports seasons and events if your target audience includes sports fans.

Whether you've written an appetizer cookbook great for tailgating or a history of the Curse of the Bambino (which, incidentally, the Boston Red Sox have clearly overcome), market and promote your book a few months before the beginning of baseball season.

You can also target your marketing around hockey season, the PGA Golf Tour or the Wimbledon tennis tournament if your book has something to do with those sports. Super Bowl Sunday is another one of those popular trending times of the year that can help boost your book promotion.

NaNo... What?

In case you haven't heard, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). A novel in a month? Yes, it's a thing! Not only is it a great month to write or, more realistically begin, your novel, it's the perfect time to engage with other authors and publishing professionals.

Veterans of (and newcomers to) NaNoWriMo start preparing to write The Great American Novel in late fall, so if your book offers tips on writing/editing a novel or how to promote books, target your audience with a marketing campaign beginning in the summer.

Another point to consider about NaNoWriMo is that books about writing, indie publishing, marketing, and book promotion typically enjoy higher book sales just prior to November.

Although it's too late to hit it this year, now is the perfect time to plan and schedule book promotion for next year's NaNoWriMo! And when it’s time to publish your completed novel, resources like IngramSpark can help get it done.

When it comes to good book marketing, timing is everything. One of the ways you can use timing to your advantage is to create a book promotion plan around days that are important to your target audience!

The common themes for successfully timing your book author marketing and book promotion are knowing what your book has to offer, understanding exactly who your target audience is, and beginning your sales and marketing push three to five months before "go time". That's the time when people will be buying your book - whether it's Christmas, Valentine's Day, a historical anniversary, election day, the start of the World Series - or National Cheeseburger Day!