What's the Best Time of Year to Publish?

Now that it’s the middle of October, the weather is getting cooler (even here in Texas!), lawns are getting leafier, and we’re starting to look forward to the holiday season.

Chances are you’re going to be seeing a lot of bestseller pushes and a lot of flashy book displays as the holidays approach. If you’re an author with a manuscript, you’re probably wondering if you, too, should be getting in on the holiday rush. But when, really, is the best time to publish?

Publication date is mainly driven by production milestones—finalizing  the manuscript, completing the book cover, converting to ebook formats, and setting the printing timeline. And publication dates have become more fluid as POD and ebook models continue to thrive. If you’re working with a traditional publisher, you might find that you have no control over when your book hits the shelves. However, if you’re self-publishing or working with an independent publisher like Greenleaf, you might have some say in your publication date.

Author and publishing veteran Jeffrey Krames advises that business books usually sell well in the earlier autumn months, while coffee table books, fiction, and big biographies all do well around the holiday season, since they are more often given as gifts. Fall months are traditionally a good time to publish for most genres. It allows booksellers to stock the title for the holidays, and also capitalizes on the “back to school” mind-set.

Late November and December can be tricky publication months. Not only is there rampant holiday clutter in pretty much any retail environment, but many booksellers have also already made their buying choices for the Christmas season. End-of-the-year publication also superficially cuts off your book’s longevity. A book published on December 30, 2011, will seem older than a book published January 2, 2012—even though they’re technically only a few days apart.

If your publication date gets pushed back to November or December, don’t fret. If you’re doing your job right—that is, marketing your socks off—you’ll be able to overcome any timing snafus. If you’re publishing an ebook, having a December pub date might even work in your favor, as many people with new ereaders may be surfing for new authors.

January is also a great publication month for many genres. Self-help, fitness/health, and many financial titles will do well at the beginning of the year as people take on a “new year, new you” mind-set. If you’re publishing in one of these genres, timing your date to coincide with the beginning of the year could be a good idea. Summer months might also be a good choice—especially for digital books—as many vacation-goers browse airport bookstores and ebook outlets searching for something to take with them on their trips.

As you go into the production process with your book, don’t obsess about your pub date, but do take advantage of it, if possible. Just remember—if you have the right content, a developed platform, and a marketing push behind your book, it has the potential to do well any time of the year.