December brings with it one last opportunity in the current year to connect with fans and followers. Your book could make a wonderful holiday gift and, by all means, promote it, but there are other ways you can stay top of mind and generate momentum going into the new year. Here’s a roundup of ideas authors can use in their blogs, articles, and social media posts:
1. Tap into the quirky and fun traditions surrounding the holiday season.
For example, Ugly Sweater Day falls on December 20th this year. Dress up in your favorite and post a picture of yourself reading a copy of your book. Expand it out to your fans and followers by inviting them to post photos of themselves in their favorite ugly sweater. Extra points if they are holding your book. Variations on that theme are holiday pajamas, socks, favorite cookies, or Santa hats. For a list of the daily and weekly holidays in December, check out this post from CaveSocial.
2. Celebrate the official start of the winter season.
Here in Virginia, it’s just starting to get cold, but depending on where you live, you may have already seen snow. You can write about how your writing ritual changes with the season, whether that’s getting inspiration from a brisk walk in cold temperatures or moving your writing space to a cozy spot by the fire.
3. Run a holiday promotion or host a holiday event.
We’ve all gotten used to navigating the virtual meeting tools such as Zoom or Google Meet for socially distant gatherings. Host a special Q & A session with a holiday vibe for your fans and followers. Maybe combine it with one of the ideas in Item 1 above.
4. Send Christmas, Holiday, or New Year’s gifts or cards the old-fashioned way – through the mail!
You can easily create holiday cards from one of the online sites, such as Vistaprint. Get creative when deciding your gift options. It doesn’t have to be expensive and can even be a free download that would be useful for your followers. A great free download would be the Top Ten Must-Have Tools or Techniques your followers need to succeed in the new year.
5. Identify a charity to support and encourage your fans to participate.
Pick a charity that has personal meaning for you or that ties into your book topic. You can offer to donate a portion of your book proceeds during December to that charity, and you can showcase the charity on your social media pages or in a blog post.
6. Create your version of the 12 Days of Christmas.
There are many ways to have fun with this type of event. For example, you could post one tip from your book each day or one recommended gift from your gift-giving guide. You could highlight one person you follow on social media and include a link to their profile or page. You could post a fun holiday-themed challenge and encourage your followers to post using the hashtag you create for the challenge.
7.Warm-up your email list.
If you haven’t been posting to your list regularly, this month is an excellent time to start with some low key, non-salesy messages. This post from Heidi Cohen has some creative email subject line template you can quickly adapt.
8. Write a Year in Review post.
This type of post can reflect on what happened in your book writing journey this year, such as the process of becoming a published author and how your life has changed. It could also be what has happened in your industry because every industry has had to pivot and change the way they do business.
9. Post a list of your holiday favorites, whether that is books, movies, or cocktails, and invite your followers to do the same.
Turn it into a fun contest and have followers vote for their favorite response. One of the hosts on the QVC shopping network posts a question every week for her fans to answer. A recent question was, “Which Thanksgiving leftover is your favorite?” It received over 400 comments.
10. Ideas to sell more books during the holiday season
For specific ideas on holiday promotions to sell your books, please read my post on holiday promotions for nonfiction books.
After you’ve planned out your December posts and articles, don’t forget to relax, spend time with your loved ones, and enjoy the season.
