It’s Friday, December 24, 2021! A few thoughts on marketing to round things out before the end of the year:
- Don’t feel bad if you aren’t selling a ton of books for Christmas because (a) you’re competing with a lot of people who are trying to sell their stuff at the same time, and (b) a bunch of those other advertisers have deep pockets.
- Page reads down? That’s understandable. People are busy now and many don’t take their foot off the gas pedal and slow down until after Christmas.
- January is often a better month for promotions because the cost of advertising goes down. Your ad bids are competing with fewer advertisers with deep pockets.
- Sometimes book sales are even better in February because people are still getting over their credit card shock in January. Admittedly, I’m looking for the blue sky in a storm here, but more lockdowns appear imminent and that’s been good news for some readers. They have more time to immerse themselves in a novel while they stay safe.
- Though people may be unwrapping their brand new kindles on Christmas day, don’t launch your book on December 25th. A marketing expert I don’t like advised against it, so naturally I did it, anyway. I let my emotions cloud my judgment. He was right. (Guy’s still a dick, though.) The novel recovered, but it could have had a better launch if I weren’t a contrarian.
- Something I’ve learned to focus on is the long tail of retail. Not every book launch is a home run, but once you’ve published an intellectual property, it’s yours forever. It can take a while for a book to be discovered after a soft launch. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
- What almost no one talks about is luck. A friend of mine who worked in trad publishing told me about a couple of books that weren’t selling well. Then a minor celebrity with a decent following picked it up and tweeted her love for the novel. That’s when the book took off. Some major movie deals have started similarly, too.
- Kurt Vonnegut declared that the novel was dead in the ’70s. And yet, we keep writing and people keep reading. Fiction isn’t the force it once was, but there are still enough readers to sustain us. When the sales aren’t coming through, remember to love what you’re doing right now. Not every painter expects to end up a millionaire. Most artists aren’t that delusional. As all the gurus say, remember your why.
- Discovery is often a slow process. Word of mouth is slow. Reviews come in slowly. Your audience’s attention is fragmented in hundreds of ways. Be patient. What I’ve just described is the norm, but stories of instant success tend to pull focus. This isn’t loser talk. I’m keeping it real.
- When you’re down, low on energy, and disappointed, find balance. A bunch of people will tell you to do more research, invest more in what didn’t work, and keep fighting. Maybe you need to step back and enjoy the holidays without obsessing about the number of words you didn’t write today. This goes especially for those writing machines intent on churning out a new book every month. Because a bunch of us are running scared, some writers think it sounds crazy to slow down, take a break, or even take a breath. Burnout is a serious danger. When the writing isn’t fun, give yourself permission to step back. That’s a sign your readers won’t have fun, either.
I’m taking this time to enjoy the holidays and get back into exercise after a long illness. Still recovering, actually, but feeling more grateful and relaxed these days. I’ll be blogging again soon, but not too soon. See you in 2022?
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
~ Robert
Reviews of Endemic are coming in!
Timely, unique, and entertaining tale!
December 22, 2021 Format : Paperback | Verified Purchase A deadly virus has brought the world a half step away from the apocalypse. Neurodivergent book editor Ovid Fairweather struggles to function in the new reality. When a terrifying incident threatens her survival, everything changes. Armed only with the voices in her head, her fabulous vocabulary, her knowledge of the steps of the hero’s journey, and her finely nuanced understanding of plot structure, Ovid is forced to focus on the world around her in order to save herself. In doing so, she may just save us all.
I enjoy Robert Chazz Chute’s books. They are always refreshingly unique and original. This one was no exception. The critical importance of perception is a central theme in this story. As we are at a point in society when perception is reality, this book is indeed both relevant and timely. Highly recommended!
Timely, Gripping, Excellent
December 19, 2021 Format : Paperback | Verified Purchase Written by a gifted author and subtle philosopher, Endemic clutches the reader’s hand to pull him into an uneasy existence where nothing is certain but danger and the unknown. Ovid Fairweather’s life, off-balanced from the beginning by an unloving and unreasonable mother, teeters from one chapter to the next, and readers will seek comfort when they finish the tale and lay the book down. Excellent in storytelling and skillful in technique, Chute is a fabulous author.
An apocalypse of the soul
December 17, 2021 Format : Paperback | Verified Purchase There are no zombies in ‘Endemic’. No vampires either. Instead there are human-shaped monsters who profit from the degradation of others and glory in the exercise of power.
Not that different from the here and now. The only real difference is that waves of plague have stripped away the veneer of civilization that hid the darkness within. Now the monsters are out in the open and free to indulge their most outrageous whims.
And then there is Ovid Fairweather, a survivor who was broken to begin with and finally finds her niche in a broken world.
I’ve been a huge fan of Robert Chazz Chute since I first read This Plague of Days, but I have to say that Endemic is even better. It’s a brilliant read and highly recommended.
Can’t stop thinking about COVID? Same.
December 14, 2021 Format : Paperback One of the best books I’ve read this year. And timely as heck! Robert writes so well, and I read everything he puts out but rarely have time to leave reviews. This one, though—I came straight to share with you. Read Endemic, so so good.
A Story With a Soul
November 2, 2021 Format : Paperback | Verified Purchase If you’re tired of the formulaic schlock that clutters dystopian literature, then you need to read Endemic. The author has created a unique tale that serves up the best of deep characterization, nuanced plot, and emotional impact. Read this and you’ll soon be looking for other books by Robert Chazz Chute.
A Chilling Reflection of What Could Be
Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2021 I’ve read quite a bit of Chute’s stuff, enough that I could probably pick out a passage of his in a blind taste test. He normally has a way of turning a phrase but for ENDEMIC he pulled out all the stops. Every chapter, and indeed it seems like almost every page, Chute crafts the perfect sentence full of imagery and depth. In spite of the fact that this book outlines a not-entirely-unrealistic pandemic scenario, I enjoyed every bit of it.
Filed under: publishing, book marketing, book marketing at Christmas, holiday time, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, setting realistic expectations, writing
C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m 
Happy Holidays, Rob. Thanks for the good advice and may 2022 be kinder to all of us. 🙂
Thanks! All my best to you, too!
High Five!
“Discovery is often a slow process. Word of mouth is slow. Reviews come in slowly. Your audience’s attention is fragmented in hundreds of ways.”
Which is just as well for me because I’m a charter member of ‘the slowest writers on the planet’ club. But I’m also incredibly stubborn. I’ll get there.
Your post is very encouraging.