Selling Books

Your Guide to Writing, Publishing and Marketing Books and Ebooks

  • Blog
  • Free Newsletter
You are here: Home / Book Publicity / Is Summer a Bad Time to Start a Book Publicity Campaign?

Is Summer a Bad Time to Start a Book Publicity Campaign?

June 2, 2010 by Dan Smith

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

Related Posts :

What’s New in Marketing Books?
Creative Book Promotion Ideas
Why Even Small Media Coverage Matters
A Guide to Four Free and Effective Book Adver...

Filed Under: Book Publicity Tagged With: Book Publicity, publicity campaign

Comments

  1. 'o-Dzin Tridral says

    June 24, 2010 at 11:11 am

    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!

Sell More Books!

FREE! Sign up Cathy Stucker's Selling Books newsletter. You will get useful tips and techniques for writing, publishing and selling books, plus member-only exclusives such as free webinars.

BONUS! Get instant access to Cathy's audio program on how to Build an Effective Author Platform!

I respect your privacy & will NEVER sell, rent or share your email address. More than a policy, it's my Privacy Pledge.

Recent Articles

  • Save the Cat! Writes for TV
  • Summarize Your Book and Increase Your Book Sales
  • Why Structure Is a Friend, Not a Formula
  • Save the Cat Story Cards
  • Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet
  • Stop Procrastinating, Start Writing
  • FAQs About Children’s Book Illustrations
  • 5 Posts Every Author Should Write on their Website
  • Reducing Everyday Distractions So You Can Get More Writing Done
  • E.S.Danon – Moon in Bastet

Pages

Contact
Contribute Articles
Contributing Authors
Free Newsletter to Help You Sell More Books
Get Interviewed
Publishing Resources
Subscribe/RSS
Privacy/Disclosure Policies

Categories

Agents Amazon.com Article Marketing Author Interviews Author Platform Blogging Book Business Book Design Book Marketing Book Proposals Book Publicity Book Publishing Book Reviews Book Signings Bookstore Book Titles Book Tours Cathy's Blog Children's Books Content Marketing Copyright Copy Writing Ebooks Editing Fiction Writing Freelance Writing Get Published Ghostwriters Internet Marketing Marketing Fiction Motivation Networking Non-Fiction Writing Oprah Winfrey POD Publishing Public Speaking Research Resources for Writers Running Your Publishing Company Self Publishing Social Media Special Sales Video Marketing Writers Block Writing

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2006 - 2022 Cathy Stucker · All Rights Reserved

Log in to your account