By BookBaby author Steven Spatz

The blazing sun and summer calendar don’t change the fact that the holiday self-publishing crunch has already begun. This book publishing timeline will help you manage the calendar and score holiday book sales.

“It’s Christmas in July!”

Local merchants use this marketing gimmick to entice customers into their stores during the dog days of summer. Big guys get into the act, too. Jeff Bezos and Amazon wheel out their mid-summer Prime Day to discount anything and everything.

But there’s another audience that should heed these words: Self-published authors. Especially those who want to take advantage of the holiday season to launch and sell their books.

Note the emphasis on SELL. Everyone knows the holiday season is the biggest printed book and eBook buying time on the calendar. Online and brick-and-mortar book retailers report that over 41% of all printed and eBooks are purchased during the critical timeframe of November 15 to January 15, including online gift certificate redemption. It truly ‘tis the season to find your readers — the ones who have their wallets open for holiday gift giving.

(If your book isn’t going to be ready to launch before the holiday — don’t worry! Many savvy self-published authors find tremendous success by deliberately avoiding this time frame.

So how do you get from the dog days of summer to your holiday book launch party before Thanksgiving? I’m not going to lie to you: It’s going to take some work.

It also requires time. You’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into this labor of literary love. You owe it to yourself and your promising book-in-progress to allocate the necessary time to create the best product you can for the marketplace.

Take it from us: BookBaby has helped over 50,000 authors edit, design, and print their books for the holidays. The biggest success comes to those who pay close attention to the schedule and hit all the key deadlines. The book-publishing timeline presented here will help you manage the calendar.

It’s never about which author can get his or her book out the fastest — great holiday book launches are never rushed, and neither will yours if you start today, while the sun is shining and the kids are splashing in the pool.

You can do it — and BookBaby will be right there beside you all the way. So let’s get started!

Your holiday book publishing timeline

Now until Labor Day: Finish your book.

You’ve got just one focus: Get to “The End.” Let someone else mow the lawn. In this summer of Covid-19, there are no ballgames to go to. Maybe you need to skip a few Zoom Happy Hours while you’re at it. It’s a small sacrifice for turning your self-publishing dreams into reality.

But, sometimes you need some inspiration to get to “The End.” To help give you some helpful advice to get re-engaged with your writing, here are some BookBaby Blog posts to peruse.

Write Fast, Right Now
Panic For Fun And Profit: Submission Deadlines And My Book Series
Your Book As A Product, And Other Advice From The Creative Penn

Early September: Editing.

Is your book all finished? Congratulations! But wait… it’s really not done until you take one more step. Every book needs to be edited. Yes, even yours. One of our marketers came up with this great line: The only page that doesn’t need professional editing is blank.

There’s no shame in admitting you need an editor. The truth is that readers notice when your book isn’t edited. They’ll leave negative reviews about the grammar, misspellings and more. These reviews will crush your book sales, because reviews are the first thing a book buyer will see.

So what kind of editing do you need and how do you find the right editor to help you? Here are a few resources to help you out:

What Type Of Book Editing Do You Need? And When?
The Three Key Phases Of Book Editing
Book Editing And My Self-Publishing Experience

Editing is the single best investment you can make in your book. To help you plug this into your publishing budget, BookBaby is offering you a 20% discount on either line or copy editing. Just use the code EDITING20 after you’ve uploaded your manuscript and check out.

The editing process can take anywhere from two to four weeks for the initial edit, depending on the length of the manuscript. Then it’s up to the author to review the work their editor has done with the book. Allow another two to three weeks to examine each and every suggestion your professional editor has suggested.

Mid September: Assemble your team.

It’s time to get your publishing team lined up! While you’re putting the finishing touches on your last chapters, take a few moments to call or email the publishing specialists at BookBaby to get the ball rolling. Trust me, we’re not going to try to sell you anything right off the bat. We typically start the conversation with authors like you with: “Tell me about your vision for your book.”

This is your chance to start learning about the world of self publishing from your personal publishing expert including:

• eBooks. You’ll learn how we convert and distribute your files to Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and dozens more.
• Printed books. Beautiful, printed books are your best profit source with book signings, giveaways, promotions, and more.
• Print on demand. This is how independent authors are able to sell their printed books in bookstores around the globe and online.
• How to successfully launch your book. We’ll give you tips and ideas that you can start on right away!
• Book marketing services. Our specialists will tell you how authors are using Facebook and Instagram ads to attract new readers.

Meanwhile we can set up your account and make some recommendations and suggestions for you to think about as you finish your book.

Late September: Cover and book design.

While your book is in the good hands of a skilled copy or line editor, you can start to make decisions on two other essential parts of your book: Your cover design and book formatting.

A well-designed cover is the first assurance a reader has that the book is of a high quality, both in content and delivery. Nobody would give me credit for having the most artistic eye, yet even I can spot a homegrown cover a mile away. And so can you. When I see them, I usually think: “If the author didn’t want to invest any time, effort, or money on a decent cover design, I can only imagine what shortcuts he/she took inside the book.”

Here are a few articles for you to consider:
How To Work With A Self-Publishing Company
Five Self-Publishing Mistakes You Need To Avoid
How To Get Cover Design And Formatting That Fits Your Story
You Can’t Skip Hiring A Cover Designer

Book formatting is another critical component to a successful book. We old-school authors sometimes call this typesetting, but it goes far belong simply choosing font, font sizes, and positioning type on a page. Skilled book designers can provide a pleasing reading experience for your readers while adhering to industry standards with details such as forwards, title pages, acknowledgments, and dozens of other possible book elements.

Here’s how I explain the value of book formatting: It’s what makes a book look and read like a professional book. My blog post, “Book Formatting and Cover Design Make Your Manuscript… a Book,” tells you all about it.

Early October: Time to publish!

You should have everything you need to get started and to upload your materials to BookBaby. The process is pretty easy, but your publishing specialists can help you if needed.

If you’ve ordered BookBaby design, you’ll need to pay close attention to your email inbox. Your cover design and formatting team will be sending you proofs that you’ll need to approve on a timely basis. Every day lost during this stage can wreak havoc on your planned schedule. Make this communication a priority and sign off on your proofs as soon as you’re happy with the finished product.

The key to a successful book launch: Pre-orders

What’s the best way for you to maximize the release of your new book? It’s very simple: Make your eBooks and print-on-demand books available for pre-orders.

What is a pre-order? Pre-orders are the most important promotional tool for self-published authors who want to improve the visibility, discoverability, and sales of their new releases. A pre-order is an advance book listing at the online retailer for both your eBooks and print-on-demand titles. Pre-orders allow readers to place an advance reservation for your book. For most online stores, all these pre-sales orders will count as sales on Day 1, pushing your book up higher in the rankings! The readers’ credit card is not charged until the book is released to them when it officially goes on sale.

How do you set your eBooks and Print On Demand books for pre-orders?
For eBooks: During the sign-up process, you’re asked to list the release date of your book. Be sure to make it between 45-90 days following the day you upload your materials.

For print-on-demand books: After you’ve uploaded all of your materials, you’ll be asked to provide a release date of your printed book. Be sure to make it between 60-90 days following the day you upload your materials.

Late-October: Launch your promotion.

The countdown has begun! In a few short weeks, your eBook and print-on-demand titles will be distributed and listed on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other stores in the pre-sales status. You’ve received your shipment of printed books and you can’t wait to get them into the hands of your readers! Now is the time to throttle up your book promotions and start getting sales momentum.

Many of our authors recognize the power of social media for announcing book launches and gaining new readers. Authors who advertise on Facebook and Instagram have the power to understand, attract, and engage online with literally billions of potential readers. BookBaby’s Ads for Authors will help you tap into these huge user bases with your own targeted ad campaigns.

Here are a few more ideas to rev up your holiday selling efforts:
10 Tips for Hosting a Successful Book Launch Party
Three Social Media Mistakes For Would-Be Authors
Creating A Low-Cost Book Trailer
Booking Your Own Virtual Book Tour

Mid-November: Book launch day.

This is the day you’ve been waiting for! Your summer sacrifice is about to be rewarded in the form of new and eager readers who want your book. Today your eBook and printed books are available for sale. All of the pre-orders you’ve racked up in the last few weeks all get counted today. In fact, you might be able to crack some of Amazon’s Top 100 genre lists if you’ve been working the program.

Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the season. The seeds you planted last summer are going to be harvested in the form of holiday book sales.

Happy holidays!

This BookBaby blog article Your Publishing Timeline For Holiday Book Sales appeared first on and was stolen from BookBaby Blog .