Big Bad Weekly Tip: Do You Know When Your (Holiday) Book Deadlines Are?

Everyone has a lot on their minds during the holiday season. When it comes to writing a book, you may be just beginning your outline or putting the finishing touches on your umpteenth (and hopefully final) draft. Regardless of the stage, it is important to consider how the holidays can affect your book's deadlines. This holds especially true for books that center around a holiday theme—love and relationships for Valentine's Day, Santa and the joy of giving for Christmas, super-spooky and horror for Halloween are a few examples. Consider this:

• According to literary agent Nathan Bransford, the weeks around major holidays are a time to avoid sending out query letters.
• A certain percentage of book buyers' budgets are allocated specifically toward holiday-related books, often children books. The largest amount of that percentage goes to established authors, titles, and series.
• Most winter holiday book purchases by bookstores take place between July and September.
• If your book has been accepted by a publisher, they will aim for the best release date. For holiday books, this may mean the holiday next year.
• The time between a book being accepted by a publisher and being distributed and in stores can be anywhere from 6 months to a year. Know what holiday season you are aiming for!

The holidays are a busy time for agents, publishers, distributors and bookstores—and, of course, for authors. Enjoy the season, and make sure you know how it may affect your project. Happy Holidays!