Christmas is a magical time and a period when everyone is actively looking for gifts for loved ones. That is why it is a sin not to take advantage of this ideal opportunity to promote your books and attract new readers.
Today we are sharing 10 Christmas book promotion ideas to help you spend December effectively and fun as an author.
1. Arrange a Christmas giveaway
Organize a holiday giveaway on social networks, but prepare for it in advance. You need to announce the conditions of participation several weeks before the date on your pages and via email.
You can host this event on your own or collaborate with other bloggers and stores. It will help you reach a larger audience. Here are some examples of who to partner with for a Christmas giveaway:
- An author who writes in the same genre as you
- A coach who shares your values and tastes
- A book blogger with a suitable target audience
- Cute stationery shop
- Shop for home decor, including Christmas accessories
- Accessories store
- Store of goods for creativity.
2. Write a free Christmas story for everyone
Write a Christmas-themed story for a general audience. Be sure to take care of an eye-catching book cover design that will express a festive mood and happiness. Publish your story on Amazon and make it accessible for anyone to download and read.
It is an excellent opportunity to attract new readers. In the run-up to Christmas, people are looking for festive vibes, so they’ll be happy to get a chance to read a story like this for free. If they like your story, they will be glad to read your other books.
3. Create Christmas merch
Dress up your characters in holiday clothes, add Christmas decorations and create atmospheric merch. This list may include the following:
- Posters
- Calendars
- Notebooks, planners, and sketchbooks
- Coloring pages
- Sticker sets
- Bookmarks
- Postcards
- Christmas tree decorations
- Festive cups and plates.
You can sell the Christmas Merchandise separately or add it as a gift to every book purchased in December.
4. Record the Christmas podcast
People are busy enough to read texts in the run-up to Christmas, so why not record a podcast they can listen to while doing other things? You can do it independently or with a fellow author or blogger.
The topic can be anything from your experience with Christmas decorations to tips on writing stories about Santa Claus. Your main goal is to draw attention to yourself by sharing helpful content with your audience.
5. Offer discounts for your books
December is the month when everyone is looking for gifts for their loved ones, and in the windows of stores, there are advertisements about discounts. Don’t be an exception; offer readers Christmas discounts on your books and merch. After all, they can become a wonderful gift for someone.
Remember to announce your discounts to your target audience. You can use social media or email for this.
6. Share Christmas content on social networks
It would be best to think about your Christmas content plan for social networks in advance. As always, prioritize helpful content and interactive communication with readers. And in between such posts, you can share new details about the release of your books.
What to write about on Christmas on social networks? Here are some ideas:
- Tips on how to write a Christmas story
- List of your favorite Christmas books
- Recommendations on Christmas movies
- Your experience of how your family gets ready for Christmas
- Top gifts for Christmas according to your version
- List of your favorite winter mood songs
- Recipes for Christmas meals.
Readers love personal stories from the lives of their favorite writers, so feel free to share more details.
7. Target your audience with SEO articles
If you blog on your author site, you can use it as a marketing tool for Christmas. Prepare an article on a Christmas theme, for example, about the best gifts or books for a winter evening. The primary condition is that your book fits organically and harmoniously into the context.
Be sure to include keywords in your article that you can find using tools like Moz or WordStream. Here are some examples of keywords:
- Books to buy this Christmas
- Books for Christmas presents
- Best books for Christmas gifts
- Best books for Christmas
- Books to give to friends.
Such a blog post will help attract organic traffic to your site. However, publishing such an article in advance is better as the search engine needs time to index it.
8. Hint to people that your book is a perfect gift
So that everyone knows that your book is the best gift for Christmas, make it look like a gift. First, change your book description on the platforms where you sell it to add a holiday blurb.
Also, take care of the visuals. Add a gift ribbon to the book cover and order marketing materials with a Christmas atmosphere. You can also use such pictures in social networks, your website, and newsletters.
9. Use Email marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools for authors. And during the Christmas holidays, it’s not just the greetings you send to your followers.
Use email to alert your audience about discounts, promotions, and holiday events you’re hosting. You can also send personalized promo codes and pleasant Christmas bonuses.
10. Share an additional chapter of your novel
Write an extra chapter in your novel where the main characters celebrate Christmas, even if you’re writing in a fantasy or horror genre. It may not be related to the book’s plot, so everything is clear to new readers.
Send a link to this section to subscribers in an email or offer it as a bonus when they buy a book. Remember to add a Christmas illustration with the main characters. After reading this piece of history, readers will want to know more and may buy your books.
Summing up
We hope you will use our Christmas book promotion ideas. Most importantly, remember to add a festive mood to any promotion with the help of decor and other attributes.
Remember that some ideas need time for effective action, so implement them in advance. It applies to Christmas giveaways and SEO articles. At the same time, some things require more effort to create, for example, A Christmas Story.
Whatever idea you choose, may it not only bring you additional book sales but also get you in the Christmas spirit.
And which idea did you like the most? Share with us in the comments.