Getting ready for the holiday season? We’re almost in the final quarter of the year. Quarter 4 is the year’s BIG sales season, so businesses boost their advertising spend.
Savvy self-publishing authors make the most of the season too. They publish “Christmas” themed novels and novellas, right through the next several months.
Here’s why they do that — and why you should, too. It’s because indies are out-spent by major companies’ advertising over the holiday buying season. Traditional publishers plaster Amazon with huge advertising campaigns. They can afford to out-spend indies, and they do. Many indies resign themselves to slow and no sales until January.
Do you need to get used to the idea that you’ll lose money over the holidays? No! Publish more over the holiday season, instead. You can write one, or several novellas over the next couple of months. Here are some reasons that might be a good idea.
1. The holiday sales season is launching now
The holiday sales season starts in October. Companies huge and small have sales and offers. It’s expected. You need to have offers too — but don’t lower your books’ sales price. Publish a novella or two instead, because NEW sells.
Readers get new phones and tablets either as gifts, or they update their older devices. Either way, they’re looking for reading materials to load onto their new goodies.
When you publish something new, it’s given a boost by Amazon’s algorithm, which rewards “new”. When you make sales of something new, your older titles are promoted too, via the “also bought” titles.
2. Novellas introduce new readers to your novels and series
Another reason to write novellas: they make ideal introductions to your books. Everyone’s caught on to this idea now. Many traditional publishers encourage their authors to write novellas.
For the holidays, write holiday-themed novellas. Promote your novels with a preview at the end of each novella.
3. Advertisers are preparing a major sales push (and they’re prepared to lose money)
If you’re not aware of the holiday season push by major publishers, your advertising dollars will be outspent and you’ll wonder what’s happening. You’ll think that readers have suddenly gone off your books.
Nope. Readers haven’t gone off you. It’s simply that they can’t see your books — they buy books which are promoted.
You can’t out-advertise the publishing behemoths. So it’s time to step up publishing (you can do it, when you publish novellas) and promote your novels, both new, and older, with content campaigns in social media. (Keep building your mailing list too.)
Ready for holiday sales?
Get ready. Publish, and your sales will increase, rather than languishing. Start writing a novella now. Happy publishing. :-)
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