Holidays are quickly coming up and if you aren’t utilizing them as a part of your book marketing campaign, it’s not too late to do so.

Black Friday

Date: November 24th, 2017

What you can do: The day after Thanksgiving stores (and shoppers!) are focused on finding the steepest discounts, so play the game.

Many ecommerce and online retailers take advantage of the Black Friday frenzy as well, especially since Cyber Monday is a comparatively new phenomenon.

So figure out a catchy way to do a percentage off, because it fits the theme of Black Friday and people are instantly drawn to it.

Ideally have your book 50% off for the day and be sure you get the word out on social media and via your email list.

You can utilize book marketing strategies for both print and eBook for Black Friday so this is a huge opportunity.

Cyber Monday

Date: November 27th, 2017

What you can do: Cyber Monday is the perfect day to capture new readers because so many are online with the goal to spend money!

For some perspective, Amazon hosted 59.2 billion unique visitors for Cyber Monday in 2016. Whoa.

To fit the cyber theme we suggest simply focusing on your eBook for this day. Take the plunge and make it free.

Yes I know, free doesn’t make you any money, but it’s a book marketing strategy I stand behind.

‘Free’ introduces so many more people to your work and that introduction to potential life-long fans is priceless.

Christmas Eve

Date: December 24th, 2017

What you can do: Here’s your opportunity to reach the procrastinator.

Remember, eBooks don’t require any shipping time.

Promote your ebook as a last-minute gift or virtual stocking stuffer for all those people your fans and followers maybe forgot about.

An eBook also makes an excellent, no-clutter, fruitcake alternative to a host or hostess gift!

Boxing Day

When: December 26th, 2017

What you can do: There’s a bump in eBook sales starting on December 26th through the New Year so this is book marketing gold.

Why? Lots of people receive brand new eReaders and tablets for Christmas, and start playing with their new toys (and buying books to fill them up) the day after Christmas.

Many people also receive gift cards to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple for Christmas and start redeeming them for merchandise and ebooks.

Advertise your limited time discounted book as a great deal for new eReader owners!

New Year’s Day

Date: January 1st, 2017

What you can do: Online traffic picks up in the afternoon on New Year’s Day as people start to wake up and recover from the previous night’s festivities.

They also don’t want to let go of the holiday bubble yet AND as mentioned for Boxing Day, many have gift cards to spend.

Don’t forget New Year’s resolution season in full force by now as well.

So get creative with your book marketing sales pitch!

If you’ve written non-fiction you can no doubt find some sort of resolution to tie into your topic.

If you’ve written fiction, go with the resolution to read more – it’s so common it’s almost always a sure thing.

BONUS Amazon Shipping Deadlines

Date: December 15 – 24, 2017 (depending on location and shipping options)

What you can do: This is a great opportunity to promote your paperback or hardcover books.

Use a ‘books make great last-minute gifts’ message and remind fans and followers there’s still time to get it to people before Christmas.

And thanks to Amazon’s full service approach, they can have it wrapped and even include a gift message.

The Takeaway

Get creative and make a plan around all these major holiday shopping dates so you’re ready to execute your different book marketing strategies with minimal effort and drama.

So start planning and scheduling social media posts, pre-write emails, and secure any discount eBook promotions that are left ASAP.

If you always need more tips, contact me for your personalized assessment on how to sell more.