Yes, people are already looking for Christmas gifts, so I want to help you capitalize on this in order to sell more books with some strategic book marketing.

According to Google Trends, search terms related to “gifts” in the United States start rising in early to mid November through Christmas Day.

And did you know 25% of trade books are bought as gifts? This is a fact, according to Sourcebooks CEO Dominique Raccah at BookExpo 2017.

So here are some ideas to maximize on the gift giving season, some you can use this year and others should help inspire you to be more prepared for your 2018 book marketing plan!

Consider a festive cover update

Maybe your book’s storyline spans over the Christmas season but isn’t technically a full-fledged holiday book. That’s okay!

Have a special book cover done that’s super festive and release a special holiday edition of the title. Not only does this get you into the Christmas market, it gives you another product on your virtual bookshelf.

Festive covers scream Christmas, so wreaths, trees, snow, white twinkle lights, you get the idea.

Build a holiday boxed set

This is another great way to grow your virtual bookshelf.

If you have a series, consider creating a digital boxed set specifically with a holiday theme. It’s really simple to do this with a basic cover design.

And the best part? It doesn’t have to be a Christmas-themed story, you’re really just packaging it to be more fun to buy around the holidays!

Send a virtual holiday card to fans

Sending virtual cards is so easy and inexpensive these days.

Email marketing, including newsletters, can be a powerful book marketing tool, so be sure to take advantage of these options whenever opportunities present themselves – and holidays are excellent.

Create a virtual card that lists and links to all your books, and be sure to remind people what good presents they make.

Everyone loves a BOGO

That’s a “buy one, get one” in case you weren’t up on the sales lingo!

Let your followers know that you’re doing something very special for the holidays.

One idea is to encourage them to buy print copies for friends, and tell them if they send you the receipts via email you’ll gift them a digital copy for each print title they purchase!

Run holiday-themed ads

While I’m not big on spending a ton of money on ads in general, unless you know they’re converting for you, ads around the holidays are a slightly different story.

Most eBook promotion sites like Bookbub, and book bloggers, have advertising options. Have some holiday-themed ads created and have these sites display them for you during the shopping season.

Coordinate with other authors for joint promotions

I’ve discussed teaming up with other authors in your genre to share social media promotions, and if you still haven’t tried this powerful book marketing strategy, now is a great time.

Contact some authors in your genre, at your same general “level” and suggest sharing each other’s books as a way to create your own holiday gift guide.

The more authors you can get involved the better – and you all benefit equally from selling more books!

Play the numbers game

Do giveaways and discount promotions that play off the 12 days of Christmas.

So you can do 12 days of discounts, 12 days of reduced priced eBooks on Amazon, there are lots of book marketing options here to sell more books so get creative!

Host a holiday party

If you have a good following on Facebook and get good engagement, consider doing a Facebook Live holiday party where you answer questions from fans and give away prizes.

Encourage fans to share images

Involve people on a more personal level as their favorite author! Encourage these opportunities!

Do a call on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and ask fans to share images of your book in their cozy holiday reading nooks, or your book with a backdrop of their fantastic tree.

Prepare to comment back because this is how these book marketing efforts make their biggest impact.

Create branded swag

Come up with a way to fit your top series or title into people’s holiday.

Coordinate with a designer on sites like Etsy to turn your book into an ornament. Use these for giveaways, prizes, or thank yous for your super fans that you know always have your back.

Here’s an example of a fantastic Etsy listing.

The Takeaway

People are more open to spending money during the holidays than any other time of year. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to sell more books.

Plan in advance for 2018. Get to a place where you can count on the holidays to really increase your annual revenue.

Save

Save

Save