by Marcia Mickelson
Timing is everything. I know it sounds cliche, but it's true. My next book, Reasonable Doubt, goes to press next month and will be released on December 1. I'm a bit worried about the timing of it. People are so busy in December with holiday shopping, parties, and preparations. I wonder if it's not the best timing for a book to be released. Has anyone had any experience with a book being released close to the holidays.
And, I wonder about book signings, too. I imagine the holidays are not the best time for book signings. True, the stores are filled with people, but they're busy and often don't have time to stop. I could be very wrong about this, however. If anyone's had book releases or signings during the month of December, chime in and let me know how it went.
2 comments:
I had a book released November 1 last year and by that time, the stores already had their authors booked for signings and it was incredibly difficult to get anything underway. Of course, my book didn't get listed with major distributors until about three months later, which really turned booksellers off. The shelf life is pretty much gone by then as far as they're concerned. I do wish you the best of luck and think you should do better than I did last year. You book's got to have better subject matter than mine for a Christmas title. Mine was about a rape victim. Try selling that during holiday cheer.
if you want to do signings, I'd call now and get set up--which is tricky if the book gets delayed. One of the very best things I think you could do is start telling EVERYONE you know that the book is coming out, make sure it's up on Amazon and direct people there so they can buy it for gifts. I've never had one that close to the holidays, and Robyn is right about shelf life and all that, bummer, but don't do less because of the time of year, try to capture it as best you can. Good luck and congrats!
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