Fall offers a unique marketing opportunity for authors. People are transitioning back to their routine after summer vacations, schools are in session, and the holiday season is just around the corner. This time of year is perfect to engage new readers and boost your book's visibility and sales with a seasonal approach. Whether you're an experienced author or new to self-publishing, here are five actionable steps to help you sell more books this fall.
1. Launch a Seasonal Marketing Campaign
Fall-themed promotions can be highly effective because they tie your book's release or sales to the current season. Depending on your book's genre, you can create marketing campaigns around curling up with a good novel on cozy fall weekends, Halloween horror, back-to-school or back-to-business themes, and so much more. For example, did you know that in September, the US celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, National Pain Awareness Month, National Recovery Month, National Disease Literacy Month, National Square Dance Month, National Self-Improvement Month, National Library Card Sign Up Month, Baby Safety Month, and Classical Music Month, among others—and that's just September! You can visit the National Day Calendar website to find an amazing list of things to celebrate. What can you do if you find a special day or month that makes sense for your book? Promote a discount or flash sale tied to the event. Create a series of social posts to share before and during the event. Run event-themed Facebook ads to promote your event-specific offers.
2. "Seasonalize" Your Online Positioning
Since book sales increase in the fall and the majority of those sales occur through Amazon and other online bookstores (especially for self-published books), fall is a good time to "seasonalize" your metadata and positioning. Consider tweaking your book description and keywords with a seasonal twist. Experiment with new categories. Try a different set of search terms and comparable titles in your advertising, especially on Amazon. These steps are important year round, but especially when competition for attention gets stiffer during the busy fall-selling season. You can also use phrases like "perfect for fall" or "an autumn must-read" in your marketing materials.
3. Engage and Build Your Reader Community
Building strong relationships with readers is a crucial long-term strategy, but fall can be an especially fruitful time for audience-building—especially with a seasonal twist. Whether your outreach is through social media, newsletters, or blog posts, consider fall themes, seasonal discounts and giveaways, or inspirational autumn quotes and tips. The opportunities are endless. For example, your could create social assets to give your readers so that they can promote your book with seasonal images, hashtags, and prompts. You could run a contest associated with the most creative post and come up with an attractive prize for the winner. Here's another idea: Run a reader-appreciation book giveaway tied to the Thanksgiving season in November. These type of events can strengthen the relationship between reader and author. I mean, what fan wouldn't love a signed copy of your book with a special note of gratitude?
4. Maximize Reviews and Seasonal Lists
Reader reviews and testimonials are very powerful marketing tools that drive book sales. Share your book's strongest reviews with book bloggers, bookstagrammers, or influencers who are popular in your genre and can amplify your reach through their large social followings. Your reviews may convince them to read your book and provide their own testimonial. Sometimes such collaborations are free and sometimes they are paid, so do some research before reaching out. Here's an expert tip: Many social influencers make money through affiliate links. Learn about how this works by checking out Amazon's affiliate program. Social influencers, literary magazines, bookish websites, and book bloggers often make seasonal reading lists and create holiday gift guides for book lovers. Pitch them why your book would be a good fit for their lists and guides. Make sure you have physical and digital Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) available to send to those who express interest, and make your book's stellar reviews part of your pitch.
5. Consider Seasonal Collaborations and Events
Fall is a busy event season in the book business. Virtual events, which became very popular during Covid, continue to attract readers. As a result, there are also now thousands of virtual book clubs in the United States. Offering to virtually pop-in if an online book club chooses your book can improve your book's chances of being chosen over the competition. Online book events are also now common, including virtual cover reveals, book launches, readings, and author Q&A sessions—all are excellent for engaging with current and potential readers. In-person events have also come back strong after Covid. Book festivals, holiday fairs, bookstore panels, library readings, and local author talks are all in full swing during the fall season. Events do take a fair amount of coordination so consider collaborating with fellow authors in your genre to draw a bigger crowd. Settle on a seasonal theme for your event, like "Pumpkin Spice and Pages" or "Hot Chocolate and Book Chat."
There's no doubt that fall is an important time to step-up your book marketing with creative, seasonal strategies that resonate with readers. By optimizing your online presence, engaging your audience, leveraging book reviews, and hosting collaborative events, you can drive more sales and reach new audiences. Remember, consistency is key, so plan your fall campaigns and events now so you can take full advantage of all the bounties of the season.