Should You Publish a Non-Fiction Book in the Summer?

Thinking of publishing your nonfiction book in July and August? Well, for some authors, there might be a good reason to publish during the dog days of summer. But for most of us, I highly recommend you reconsider and publish after summer is over. If you're wondering if you should publish your book in the summer, then this video is for you. Hey there. I'm Julie the book broad, the founder of Book Launchers. We're your professional self publishing services team. Ah, summer. It's the perfect time for a lot of things. Beach trips, ice cream cones, making sure you wear enough sunblock so you don't look like a lobster. But when it comes to a summer release date for your book, past sales numbers show that success depends on a lot of different factors and that you're probably better off picking another launch date. Certain genres sell great in August and July, or July and August. Those two months are prime vacation time due to so sunnier weather and school breaks. So many readers grab a fiction book to read while they leisure. They want to spend their downtime with a bit of escapism. And nothing provides a little break from reality better than a teenage vampire love story, right? Thrillers, romance, sci fi, mystery. These all see two major sales peaks during the year. One during the holidays and another during the summer. After vacation fun comes to an end. Parents see that the next school year is quickly approaching. So grade school, school, instructional materials, workbooks, textbooks, homeschooling materials, the whole academia genre. It gets a boost in the mid and late summer months as school gets back in session. In fact, the seven weeks between June and August of 2020 activity, book sales grew over 450% while books on school and education saw a 144% jump. So if you're publishing a fiction book or something focused on education, so the numbers show that a summer release could totally work for you. But when you're publishing a nonfiction book, your best bet is to publish in June or wait until September. And it's more than just book sale stats that make me say that a lot of people are distracted in the summer. Kids are home from school, it's graduation season, the weather's nicer. It's going to be a lot tougher to get and keep the attention of your supporters and potential readers when they really just want to be outside in the sun for a successful launch. You really want your book army behind you, buying your book, leaving reviews and spreading the word. By the way, I have a great video on mobilizing your book army to get reviews and sell books so you're going to want to check that out. And you also really should subscribe to the channel and turn the notifications on so you catch all future videos about Book army getting reviewers and writing newsletters to grow and use that army. A reliable, supportive book army can sometimes be the difference between an okay launch and an awesome launch. But during the summer, even your book biggest fans and supporters might find themselves too busy building sandcastles or attending barbecues to really, really focus on your book and come through on the things they said they would do for you and your book Army. They're not the only ones on vacation. Summer is a popular time for industry, media and podcasts to take a break from their computer too. And if media's on a hiatus, you might be losing valuable chances for appearances to promote your book launch. While it's hot, people love to talk about what's new, and what was new in July is no longer new in September or October. The more buzz surrounding your book launch, the better. So summer won't be the best time to launch. If your goal is to catch the attention of media and be featured on podcasts, you're better off waiting for September when everyone gets back to work and they're focused on providing content for their audience. I hope I didn't shatter your summer launch dreams. Don't lose hope just yet. There's a couple of exceptions when it comes to nonfiction summer launch success. Your nonfiction actually might do well in a summer launch if it pairs with a live event or an anniversary that generates media coverage like news stories or articles that can include in your book. Media and podcasts might take vacations, but the news cycle doesn't slow down for a sunny day. So if your book covers something newsworthy during July or August, then a summer launch might be for you. And if you have a big enough following so social media followers, newsletter subscribers, video viewers, then the month of your launch is much less of a concern. Celebrities, Politicians, major influencers. They're less fazed by the risk of a summer release because their following is big enough to generate good sales no matter the date. If they like you, they'll buy your book, even if summer's the main thing on their mind. Hit that like button if you love summer, just like the rest of us at Book Launchers and while you're waiting for more sunshine, YouTube thinks that you'll love this video right here and this one right here is is on mobilizing that all important book army. I'll grab the sunblock just in case and I'll meet you there.