Books make great gifts for the holidays. If you want to cash in on the holiday hustle and sales consider a route most authors don’t think of taking; include your book in publication Recommended Gift Guides.
Consumers love recommended lists. When you are on a list of “Must Buy” products then that is borrowed influence. That publication is telling their audience that your book is a book that they think their audience will enjoy.
Below are a few things you should know to keep in mind:
1) It helps if your book cover stands out or fits in with the publications scheme. Color schemes are a decision-making factor when editors are deciding to include your book.
“You can’t always judge a book by its cover, but you can SELL a book by its cover.”
Selling your book is exactly what you want to do! The more places your book is seen and the more recommendations that are made to purchase your book– will increase the chances of sales for you.
2) Submit early; most gift guides are finalized by early September, so you still have a few more weeks to hustle! If you don’t make it in time you can still consider the other holidays.
3) Make sure to include press kits with your books and products; they are incredibly important. If the editors have product info readily available it helps your chances. They receive many requests, so make their job easy.
4) Most publications prefer email pitches with all pertinent information. For those of you who are wondering what that might be, it is things such as images (JPEG of your book cover), the cost of your book, a brief bio of the book and author.
5) Find the appropriate Holiday Gift Guide editor at each publication you are interested in being included in; enter their name, email address and contact number in a spreadsheet.
A lot of publications now have a dedicated Holiday Gift Guide editor whose job is to find products to feature. If the publication does not have a Holiday Gift Guide editor, find out who is in charge of curating that year’s gift guide and contact them.
6) If your book is featured, scan a copy of the article and add it to you website’s “In the news” or “Press” section, also share it in your newsletter if you have one, and don’t forget your social media hot spots like Facebook and Twitter.
You want people to know how great your book is so this is not the time to be shy! Toot your own horn. You will find that most people want to celebrate with you, especially your fans.