SC Writers ACFW: Holiday Book Marketing Made Easy

By Misty M Beller @MistyMBeller

The holidays are such a busy time, with shopping and events and special time with family. The last thing you want to do is worry about marketing your books!

The good news? A successful holiday marketing plan is best put together early, leaving you to focus on what matters when the holidays actually arrive. So what should be on your list?

Let's think like a shopper...

Christmas-Themed Books: Many readers eagerly await Christmas-themed novels, so make sure you start advertising your Christmas books by Thanksgiving weekend at the latest. People will make time in their busy shopping and holiday party schedule to snuggle up with a Peppermint mocha and a good Christmas story. It's that most wonderful time of the year...

Good advertising methods include: Posting to Facebook groups (free), Facebook paid ads, and email distribution websites (eReader News Today, Bookbub, Pixel of Ink, etc.).

Book Signings: Print books still make great gifts, so consider scheduling a book signing in the mall or a popular bookstore. Any Saturday in December is a great day for this!

Post-Christmas Ebook Sales: Ereaders (like Kindle and Nook) are a popular Christmas gift, so it's a great idea to run an ebook sale beginning Christmas day. People need to fill up the Kindle they received under the tree!

Facebook paid ads and email distribution websites (eReader News Today, Bookbub, Pixel of Ink, etc.) work well to get the word out to new readers.

I especially like Facebook ads for this, because you can target users of specific devices (Kindle Fire, iTunes, etc.). If you're not sure how to do this, see my blog post about Facebook ads here.

Now it's your turn? What ideas do you have to market your books over the holidays?

Misty M. Beller writes Christian historical romance, and is author of the bestselling novels The Lady and the Mountain Man and The Lady and the Mountain Doctor.

Misty was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. About eleven years ago, she made a career change from farm life into the business world, where she worked as a Senior Manager and Director of Process & Training. She's now loving the life of a full-time writer, wife, and mother.