[Monique]

Hi gang!

I come seeking your wisdom. I'm working on a short story that takes place during the Thanksgiving holiday.  Should I wait and published closer to TG or go ahead and put it out there and just publicize closer to the holidays?

What say ye?

Danke in advance.

 

[Raymond Birdsell]

I personally would lean towards getting it "out there".

You can ramp up the marketing and publicity for it as we get closer to the holiday - certainly - but putting it out now gives you a chance to build a slow base - maybe get some positive reviews - etc. - that will help when it is the "right time".

Just my opinion of course - your mileage may vary. 

 

[Monique]

Thanks, Ray. That's what I'm thinking as well.

 

[Amanda Brice]

I'm going to dissent and say hold off...somewhat.

I agree that you'll want to be able to get reviews before you start promoting it for the holidays, but you already have a readership, so doing the slow build isn't as necessary.

So I'd hold off and publish it during the early fall. That way you can still get the benefit of getting reviews before your biggest sales time, but you'll also get the benefit of it being a new release during the correct season.

For example, most Christmas books are released in late October. So I'd release this one in September or early October, probably. Releasing it now...well, honestly, who wants to read a holiday story at the beach?

 

[Monique]

The story isn't a romance so the audience might be a bit different from my current readership, but you make some good points.

 

[Decon]

I would hold off until nearer the holiday period. It is more likely to gain traction in the Amazon ranking charts and searches if your marketing efforts are put in to a pre-detemined launch date.

 

[Alain Gomez]

On the one hand, you need to make your mark on the internet.  But on the other hand, I would definitely take advantage of the "newly released" category.  Usually Amazon and B&N classify things as new releases for several months.  But now might be a little early.

 

[Ryne Billings]

I'd say wait until October at the earliest, November 1st at the latest.

 

[Todd Russell]

You could try doing both. Publish now and then publish again closer to Thanksgiving with an updated version including some sort of timely bonus content (maybe a bonus Thanksgiving story?). Best of both worlds there.

Some are surprised to learn that Miracle on 34th Street was originally released in May

 

[JodyWallace]

What else is on your plate? Are you crazy busy with other things? Or is this a good time to work on that particular story? That might figure in there too. And you could always get it ready, do the legwork, and just hold off on the actual release until later in the year.

 

[Guest]

I come seeking your wisdom. I'm working on a short story that takes place during the Thanksgiving holiday. Should I wait and published closer to TG or go ahead and put it out there and just publicize closer to the holidays?

Neither.

Use it as a marketing tool. Personally, I'd sit on it until September. Maybe set up a special exclusive deal (either selling directly on your own website or by setting up a new project on Smashwords...it would be too problematic to try this on Amazon without screwing up the algorithms) where you bundle the story with one of your current books. Then promote it as a Buy X, get Y free from September through November. Then deactivate the BOGO (buy one, get one in packaging jargon) and sell the story individually. Use it for brand building and publicity.

 

[MariaESchneider]

I put out Tracking Magic in April of last year (lots of ghost stories in it.)  It sold quite well with a nice pick up in and around October.

In short, I don't think it matters all that much--your advertising is only going to reach so many people anyway.  You can advertise heavier before and during the holiday period, but more books sell then anyway.  Summer is typically slower than the ends and beginning of the year.

My only advice would be to get it out early enough to have a few people who have read it so that you have reviews and recommendations.  And consider also that sites like DailyCheapReads require 5 reviews--that can take some time.

 

[Monique]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Lots to think about.

I'm leaning toward a Septemberish release with some ARCs to get reviews in the queue. Will definitely consider some of the other ideas re: marketing, packaging, etc.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Imogen Rose]

I personally would lean towards getting it "out there".

You can ramp up the marketing and publicity for it as we get closer to the holiday - certainly - but putting it out now gives you a chance to build a slow base - maybe get some positive reviews - etc. - that will help when it is the "right time".

Just my opinion of course - your mileage may vary.

This is what I would do, maybe even get a new cover up nearer the time to repackage it for the holidays.

 

[Mel Comley]

I'd release it maybe a month or two before Thanksgiving. 

 

[Bakari]

The sooner you publish it, the sooner it will build up a "Customer who bought this item also bought" list and it will be indexed in a number of sites that act as affiliates for Amazon, etc. All of this can help build up interest in your book before, during and after the holiday season.

I also agree with others that you can "re-release" it a few months closer to Thanksgiving with additional material. Additionally, you can always ramp up your marketing then.