Summer. Our favorite time of year, and also the one time of year most publicists will tell you is not a good time to start a book promotion campaign. You might also hear that starting a campaign after Thanksgiving, mid-Spring publicity or mid-Fall are fraught with publicity perils.
What are you left with? Basically, September and January are the two “surefire” best times to release and start promoting a book.
Well, I disagree, and here’s why…
It’s really pretty simple. If everyone follows traditional thinking on this topic, then most promotional campaigns start at the same times. This means you’re beginning publicity at a time when most other authors are, and you’re competing against the largest pool of books possible. By competition, I mean authors vying for media attention. Why not increase your odds of success by going against the grain, and start promotion when most other authors are not?
It makes sense, on one hand, to think that summer is not the ideal time to launch a publicity campaign. Most of us take our vacations in the summer, so it seems logical that media opportunities are more limited for the same reason. If producers, editors, and reviewers are all on vacation, then what is the sense starting to pitch them?
Well, think about this for a minute. Does your local newspaper cease publication in the summer? Does your favorite talk radio station go on hiatus? Do all TV shows disappear for a few months in the summer? Obviously, the answer to these questions is a resounding “no!”
With the exception of some of the national daytime talk TV shows, virtually every other form of media still has air time or column inches to fill. Often, producers or editors are scrambling to find fodder for interviews or articles. At Smith Publicity, we routinely secure some of our biggest media “hits” for clients during the summer.
So, if you’re nearing completion and publishing of your book, and stressing over when to start your publicity campaign … don’t. If you’re ready mid-Spring or Summer, go for it. You just might get more attention than any other time.
Dan Smith is the CEO and founder of Smith Publicity, an international book publicity and public relations firm which has conducted over 900 promotional campaigns for authors, entrepreneurs, and businesses. The firm has offices in New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles, and London. Website: www.smithpublicity.com
It’s good to hear that it doesn’t matter too much. Summer and Winter are relative to where we stand on the globe. Launcing a book in a Northern summer would be launching it in a Southern winter. If we can largely ignore the seasons, that’s one thing fewer to worry about.
I have had the advice that September is a good time to launch a book for Christmas however, and that’s more of a fixed point than summer and winter.
We actually seem to be having a summer in Wales this year… Usually it’s raining at this time of the year!