10 ways to market your self-published book for better holiday sales

 While the holidays might seem far away now, it’s never too early to start thinking about holiday marketing strategies for your self-published book this gift-giving season. Over the past few years, U.S. consumers have begun shopping even earlier than usual. According to a recent NPD survey, more than 51% of consumers plan to start their 2021 holiday shopping before Thanksgiving Day, which means that if you want to get your books into the hands of holiday shoppers, you need to start planning early to meet the demand. 

This article will cover ten ways to market your self-published books this holiday season. By following these tips, you can ensure that your holiday book sales succeed. Let’s jump in! 

Why are holiday book sales so important?

If you’ve never considered selling your book online during the holiday season, you might wonder why it’s so important. After all, people buy books year-round, right? 

Well, the last quarter of the year is actually the busiest time for many creators, as holiday shoppers have a huge demand for books. In fact, holiday sales make up a significant portion of many businesses’ annual sales. For example, retailers typically see anywhere from 20-40% of their yearly sales during the holiday season. Plus, with U.S. holiday retail sales expected to reach $1.3 trillion in 2022, it’s clear that holiday shoppers are spending big. 

So, if you want to take advantage of the holiday shopping season, it’s essential to start planning now rather than later. 

How to increase your holiday book sales this season

Since this time of year is so crucial for book sales, it’s necessary to stand out from the crowd. And having a marketing plan is integral. Luckily, you can do a few things to make sure your holiday book sales shoot through the roof this year. 

1. Build a marketing plan with promotions

One of the best ways to increase holiday book sales is to create a marketing plan with promotions and discounts for each holiday. This way, you can attract shoppers looking for deals on gifts—and who isn’t?  

Many artists, bookmakers, and small businesses have special deals lined up for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. All of these are great opportunities for you to promote your book to new (and current) fans. The best way to do so? Jump in on the promotions tactics with a sale—like 40% off your hardcover or a buy-one-get-one deal. 

To create a marketing plan with promotions, start by creating a list of all the holidays you want to target. Next, figure out what deals you can offer and still make money—if not on these sales, then at least on future ones. Finally, devise a promotional strategy for each holiday, perhaps a percentage off your entire series, a bonus magazine with any full-price sale, or free shipping on orders over a certain amount.  

Once you plan your promotions, create a marketing calendar of how you’re sharing your sales with your audience. A detailed calendar is necessary to help keep everything organized. This way, you can ensure your promotions are running smoothly and on schedule. 

2. Create online ads

Another great way to increase holiday book sales is to use online ads. This can be a great way to reach holiday shoppers who are looking for gifts online and aren’t currently part of your fanbase. Even better, you can target your ads to people interested in topics related to your book. If you’re selling a 30-minute cookbook, you could target your ads to people who have recently searched for quick recipes online. 

To get started with online ads, you’ll need to choose which platform you want to use to reach holiday shoppers. There are a few different options to choose from, including Google Ads and Amazon Ads, as well as all the advertising available on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest Ads, and YouTube. Pick the platform that most of your current fans, or ideal future fanbase, spend most of their time. If you’re a coaching business with a CEO handbook, LinkedIn makes sense, but if you’re an interior designer with a home decor lookbook, you might choose Pinterest. 

Once you’ve selected a platform that most caters to your target audience, you’ll need to create an account and set up your campaign. Then, you’ll need to make your ad and choose your target audience. After your ad is live, you can start monitoring your results to see how well it’s performing. This last part is perhaps the most important—you want to ensure you’re getting a return on your investment. 

3. Optimize your website or book pages for discoverability

Creating an author website or online bookstore page is only half the battle. You also need to make sure people can find them. This is where SEO and metadata come in. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of making your website or book pages more visible in search results like Google. And metadata are the keywords that help your book get discovered in the Blurb or Amazon bookstores. This can be a great way to reach holiday shoppers looking for gifts online. 

There are a few different things you can do to leverage SEO. Most importantly, ensure you use relevant keywords on your website and book page. These are the words and phrases people are searching for when looking for information about your book. Use tools to research keywords like Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer to find relevant keywords related to your niche. 

You might also consider setting up a landing page on your website specifically for holiday shoppers to capture more search volume. This can also maximize your online advertising by sending people to a specific page that features your promotion messaging, holiday-focused imagery, and holiday-specific keywords.

4. Solicit more book reviews

One of the best things you can do to increase book sales is to get more book reviews—especially during the holiday season when you might reach a broader audience that doesn’t already know you or your work. Potential buyers often look at reviews before they make a purchase. Over 90 percent of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase. 

Make sure your reviews are in place before the gifting season begins. It takes time for customers to write and post reviews, so you don’t want to wait until the last minute. You can start by reaching out to your current fans and followers and asking them to write a review if they haven’t already. If that doesn’t work, you could offer an incentive, like a discount on your next book or product, to encourage people to leave a review.

5. Rent a table at holiday fairs and markets

While most of our tips have focused on online shoppers, that doesn’t mean you should ignore your IRL customers. Another great way to sell your book during the holiday season is to rent a table at holiday fairs and markets. This can be a great way to reach holiday shoppers looking for gifts in person. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity to connect with potential customers, gain feedback in real-time, and build relationships. 

To find holiday fairs and markets in your area, you can search online or ask your local chamber of commerce. Once you’ve found a few options, reach out to the organizers and see if they have any available spaces. Make sure to take the time to prepare for the event by creating a display for your table and stocking up on books. 

6. Update your book cover for the holiday season

While it might seem like a small detail, updating your book cover for the holiday season can be a great way to increase holiday sales. This is because holiday shoppers are looking for gifts that feel festive and special. By updating your book cover, you can show holiday shoppers that your book is the perfect gift. 

You can update your book cover for the holiday season in a few different ways. First, you can change the colors of your book cover to match a specific festive day’s colors. For example, you could use red and green for Christmas or red, black, and green for Kwanzaa. You can add general winter holiday season elements to your book covers, like snowflakes or a big gift bow. Or, you could create a new limited-edition book cover to recapture interest! 

7. Email your network

You’ve likely built up a network of people interested in your book—hopefully even a newsletter list. This can be an excellent resource for holiday sales. To reach holiday shoppers, email your network and let them know (or remind them) about your book. You can also offer holiday discounts or bundle deals to encourage your current customers to buy your book as gifts for their loved ones. 

Fast-growing companies drive 40 percent more revenue from personalization than slow-growing companies, according to recent research. So when you’re emailing your network, make sure you personalize each message—even if it’s just adding a name in the subject line via MailChimp automation. Lastly, remember to ensure that your messaging focuses on your audience and why they should care about your book and not you. 

8. Post regularly on your social media

Social media posts are a great way to reach holiday shoppers—even without using paid advertising. People are using social media more than ever to find gifts and deals.  

To reach holiday shoppers on social media, you can start by creating holiday-themed posts. For example, you could create a post about why your book makes the perfect holiday gift. You share your holiday promotions or bundle deals in your posts. Just make sure to use relevant holiday hashtags so that people can easily find your posts. 

9. Submit your book to gift lists

Consumers always seek holiday gift ideas from their most trusted bloggers, magazines, or newspapers. By getting your book on a few gift lists, you can reach a new audience and show holiday shoppers why your book makes the perfect gift.  

To submit, start by finding a few gift lists from the prior year that you think would be a good fit for your book. If you’re selling a knitting book, a beloved crafting magazine might make sense, but an indie photoblog might be better if you’re marketing a travel-focused photobook. Then, reach out to the person in charge of the list and let them know about your book. Make sure to include information about why your book would make a great gift and any press or reviews you’ve received. 

Psst. You can even apply to be featured on the Blurb gift list by emailing us with a summary of your project and a few visuals before October 1, 2022! 

10. Get your book into local bookstores

Lastly, don’t forget to reach out to your local bookstores. This is a great way to reach people who are doing their last minute shopping for print books (or other gifts). You can contact your local bookstore and let them know about your book. Indie bookstores love promoting local creators, so let them know you’re from around town and that you’d be happy to promote alongside them. 

For example, you can also offer the store holiday discounts or bundle deals. Or, you can arrange a book reading in the store—this helps customers get to know you and build community! While it might seem like a book reading would only reach a small audience, this can actually be a great way to reach holiday shoppers. Not only does this give you a chance to share your book with people, but it also allows you to show holiday shoppers a preview of why your book makes the perfect gift. 

Go further by streaming it live on your social channels, and you’ve reached your local audience and your online followers too!

Wrapping It Up

The holiday season is the perfect time to market your self-published book. Following these tips, you can reach holiday shoppers and sell more books this winter. So what are you waiting for? Start promoting your book today!

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