The period following Christmas and heading into the New Year presents unique opportunities and challenges for advertising books, especially for indie and self-published authors, who typically earn very per sale. Here is the little I know about the Ouija board known as advertising during what is often called the fifth quarter.
Word of Caution: Advertising one work for one of my novels. Promoting the others loses money, meaning we can’t expect readers to respond to all of our books the same.
CHRISTMAS’s INFLUENCE
Whether you practice Christmas or not, the holiday influences sales in the US and much of the world. It skyrockets on Black Friday, which gains its name from the fact that many companies finally work their way to positive revenue for the year, a switch from red/negative accounting to black/positive accounting.
Christmas influences pre-Christmas sales and has repercussions leading into the weeks and possibly months to follow. As such, we must adapt our sales strategies.
I turn off my ads in December because the increased competition for ad space raises the cost of advertising so each one costs more than I get from sales.
Monitoring: I check out my ads once a week to make sure they are still doing well. For me, this is a good balance between spending too much time on it and staying on top of algorithm changes.
POST CHRISTMAS CHANGES
Companies, including traditional publishing companies, tone down their advertising frenzy after Christmas because sales plummet. This is a long-standing trend that we would be foolish to ignore.
An Aside: Cultivate readership is equivalent to paying for advertising, just with your time rather than money. Much of this holds true for either.
WHY DO SALES PLUMMET?
Spending Fatigue: After the holiday season, many shoppers experience find themselves cash-poor after spending more than normal on Christmas. This means tighter budgets and less ability to spend on fun or “unnecessary” items.
Credit Card Bills: Many people build up debt on their cards to pay for gift-giving. The wise focus on paying off their cards so they don’t get charged out the ass by the credit card companies.
Urgency: The rush to buy gifts passes. They are tired of scouring the internet and stores for good deals and the perfect find.
Already Got it: Gift-getting means many of us have more stuff than we need, whether that means candy or books. That includes books. Why buy more books to add to the to-be-read pile that readers may never get to?
The gist: The drop in book sales for indie/self-publishing authors can hurt all the more because it covers the whole time from the end of November to mid-January.
FANS & WORD OF MOUTH
If you or your books have a strong following, you may see book sales rise even though ads screw with us. There is nothing like word of mouth to influence book purchases. Better yet, fans may ask for your book in particular as part of their Christmas list. It is important to separate these two types of sales by looking at your ad and sales numbers. This word of mouth may continue into the new year as readers spend their gift cards.
FYI: word of mouth benefits traditionally published authors more because people worry about giving recommendations that may not suit someone else’s interests. If they don’t like a well-known book, it’s easier for most recommenders to feel confident it wasn’t their fault if it goes awry.
THE OPPORTUNITIES
With lower ad costs after Christmas, shifting consumer behavior, and seasonal trends, it can be a successful time to market your latest work. It requires careful planning to give you the best chances of success.
Lower Ad Costs: As drove home already, advertising costs are lower. You can measure this with cost per click (CPC) or cost per thousand impressions (CPM). For indie authors, this means you can run digital campaigns more affordably.
Gift Cards: Millions of people receive gift cards for retailers like Amazon, Amazon, and Apple during the holidays. These gift cards can translate into book sales.
New Year’s Resolutions: The start of a new year is a time for fresh starts. Many readers resolve to read more books, whether novels, self-help, or educational. If you advertise right, you might be able to draw some of these readers to your books.
Post-Holiday Downtime: In the days after the holiday chaos, many people often find themselves with more leisure time. making it an ideal moment to discover new reads. Whether it's curling up with a cozy fiction novel or diving into a new nonfiction title, this is a time when readers are looking for fresh content.
Hint: Be clear about your goals. Do you want sales, increased readership, or as many ratings/reviews as possible? This should shape your strategies.
OTHER CHALLENGES
There are specific challenges that may influence your ability to advertise depending on genre, price points, and the number of reviews your books have.
Niche Competition: Certain genres, like self-help, fitness, or education, see a surge in competition for readers interested in supporting their New Year’s resolutions. These niches might experience higher-than-average prices in the new year.
Oversaturation: Readers have so many options, and they’re often done and cooked with all the possibilities offered to them pre-Christmas. Too many options can lead to analysis paralysis.
Timing: Launching a campaign too early in January may waste money on an audience that isn’t ready to spend or commit to a new book. Waiting too long could mean missing out on the opportunities described above.
Suggestion: You’ll need to experiment over the years to figure out what works for you. Each of our books is different, so they differ in how we need to advertise/market them.
BEST PRACTICES
Here are some strategies to consider for your post-holiday ad campaigns. They may or may not apply to your works, so take this with a grain of salt.
Seasonal Relevance: Tailor your messaging to align with the season. For example, the line “New Year, New Reads” may grab someone’s attention. Or try “Self-Help for 2025.” Alternately, “Relax and Unwind with This Cozy Novel.”
Gift Card Focus: Target those gift card dollars. A simple tagline like “Got Gift Cards? Buy a Fast Apocalyptic Adventure” could grab an eye or two.
Definition: Taglines are short catchphrases or slogans used in advertising to capture attention and convey the major point as quickly as possible.
Your Audience: Platforms like Amazon and Facebook allow you to advertise specifically to your potential readers. Choose “Romance Readers” or “Horror.” Select your target demographic. Under 25? Over 65? Men. Women? US only? Other?
PROMOTIONS
As always, avid readers often look for deals. Offering limited-time discounts, bundle deals, or free eBook downloads can entice potential readers. These are particularly true if your goal is increased readership or reviews. You won’t earn as much (or any) revenue from your efforts, but it could increase your standing on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books.
PLATFORM SPECIFICS
You should tailor your campaigns to where you’re advertising/promoting your books. Not all ads work well on all platforms. Here are a few specifics you may find useful.
Amazon: Simple picture-based ads do well. You want readers to know what your book is about in less than a second. They’ll scroll past videos. There’s no room for detailed descriptions.
Facebook and Instagram: Great for visual storytelling and reaching niche communities.
Google Ads: I don’t use these, but some people do. They don’t require graphics at all, just catchy tag lines. Keep your ads short and sweet. Faster is better.
Facebook: This is where splashy images and/or videos stand out. Your graphics will appear on multiple platforms (like Instagram) and in different placements on those platforms. Like elsewhere, short, catchy descriptions help.
OTHER ROUTES
Use email marketing, social media, or blog posts to connect with your readers. Share behind-the-scenes insights, reviews, or bonus content to keep them engaged. Sites like BookBub and Reedsy Blog offer tips tailored to indie authors.
Example: A.J. Calvin (@AJCalvin) writes one of my favorite newsletters here. If you’re into fantasy (and now sci-fi), I highly recommend subscribing.
PARTING THOUGHTS
What holds true for me won’t hold true for others. For example, @lfultonauthor found that “[she] had half of the downloads in December that [she] had in November on Barnes & Noble, but it was pretty close to the same on iBooks.” Experimentation and taking notes are the keys to long-term success.
Persistence and trying not to get discouraged through this season are important for your sanity. If you suffer from a lack of confidence, anxiety, or imposter syndrome, it can be hard to stay positive. Just know that you are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of authors feel exactly like you. We are all in this together. Reach out. Connect with like-minded wordaholics. Your words are important. They are unique. They deserve an audience.
As always, I appreciate your support of indie authors. In the name of putting myself out there, here are a few of my works.
