The Summer Publishing Doldrums

If you’re fairly new to indie publishing, you may not have encountered what I call the "summer publishing doldrums." That’s my term for the fact that book sales often fall during late spring and don’t pick up until fall. What causes it? Generally speaking, it’s because summer is when many of us would rather be outside doing things other than reading. Summer is the time for vacations, gardening and yard work, outside play, barbeques, and other things that take our attention away from books.

Many indie authors may begin to experience some doubt about themselves and their efforts if they fall victim to this phenomenon. Take my word for it. A drop in sales does not necessarily mean that your books are being rejected by readers. They’re just busy right now. They’ll be back in the fall. And so will you.

Here’s how I’m planning to position myself for the return of readers this fall. I’m going to use this summer to expand the reach of my books. They are currently offered through Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook book programs. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be uploading them to other bookseller sites. I’ll also be looking at marketing plans. A lot of you have some great ideas in the marketing area, and I am really grateful that you’ve been generous in sharing your expertise online.

I’m also going to be focusing on creating more evergreen books. I won’t be rushing my next knit book into print even though it’s nearly ready because I already know sales will be disappointing. I’ll release it in the fall, when crafters are looking for winter projects.

Please don’t be disappointed if your sales are dropping a little right now. And don’t get discouraged. Keep creating, writing, and publishing. It will be worth it in the end when the snow starts flying and readers return to evenings with their books and e-readers. And keep marketing your work. Nothing could be worse than to have current and potential readers forget that you’re out there.

As for me, I’ll be out in my back yard with a nice cold iced tea, reading, writing and taking care of my garden.