Have you heard the secret to gift shopping for your loved ones?
Something they want,
Something they need,
Something to wear, and
Something to read!
You can give people their “something to read”! It’s no secret that the holiday season is one of the busiest shopping times of the year. Make the most of book sales in preparation for winter!
Events
- Develop activities and presentations that tie your book into a holiday theme.
- If your book is about baking, host a holiday cookie baking class.
- If your book is about dogs, host a talk about dangers that dogs may face during the holidays that they may not at other times, like chocolate under the Christmas tree.
- If your book is a memoir, prepare a talk about how religion affected your childhood, especially holidays.
- Attend holiday events that have been planned by other people, like holiday craft shows or winter book fairs.
Drive Sales
- Offer discounts on your cover price or offer free shipping.
- Black Friday is November 29.
- Cyber Monday is December 2.
- Here at Brandylane, we offer a sale that lasts all of Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday through Monday, to make the most of these events.
- Offer bonuses with the purchase of your book like:
- Downloadable content. Games, coloring pages, or learning materials are great options, especially for kids’ books.
- A free ebook with the purchase of a print book.
- Sell only autographed copies of your book.
- Special gift wrapping, perhaps with themed paper, either as part of the package or at an added cost.
- Discounted or free shipping, or free local dropoff.
- Include bookmarks, printed coloring sheets, or other paper goods with a purchase.
- Include an ornament, candy, or other holiday item that ties into your book — or just as a fun bonus!
Promote Online
- Boost a holiday-themed post on Facebook or Instagram using a fun, seasonal graphic. We recommend utilizing Canva to easily create eye-catching graphics!
- Add holiday decor to your website to make it jazzy and up to date.
- Post social media pics of your book(s) with holiday decor.
- Send out a holiday e-blast to subscribers that frame your book(s) as a holiday gift.
- Host an Instagram giveaway. (See Marketing Tip #25 to learn more about Instagram giveaways.)
- Host a literary advent calendar! Offer twelve days of gifty content.
- Host twelve giveaways with different prizes:
- Paperback
- Hardcover
- Ebook
- Gift card
- Journal
- Anything else literary!
- Host twelve days of different deals:
- Free ebook download
- Free shipping
- 25% off the cover price
- Anything else you can think of!
- Simply run an advent-themed campaign where you post twelve pictures of the same theme across twelve days.
- Your twelve favorite books
- Twelve books you’ve read this year
- Twelve winter book pictures
- Host twelve giveaways with different prizes:
