Meteorological Winter begins December 1st for the northern hemisphere (as opposed to astronomical winter that begins with the winter solstice). Just like the sky and weather Publishing has its own seasons.
Seasons of feast and famine.
Seasons to query and seasons to edit.
Seasons to publish and seasons to sit quietly, impatiently fuming and waiting for Valentine’s Day.
Why Valentine’s Day?
Because, my Lovelies, publishing is dead between mid-November and Valentine’s Day. D-E-A-D
The northern hemisphere has holidays starting with a sudden slow down in October and followed by the fatal blow of Thanksgiving. No one acquires in December, it’s a thing. Written in the stars and the bank accounts of beloved editors.
By December the budgets are low, everyone has a cold, and no one is interested in anything but getting their next cup of hot cocoa and running home without hearing the same holiday pop song fifty times.
January is the month of taxes. Numbers need crunching. Statements need sending. Holiday excess needs to be curbed by extreme measures like Dry January, or 5am trips to the gym, or whatever else everyone swears they’re going to do but will have forgotten by Groundhog’s Day (February 2nd for those who don’t keep track of hibernating mammals).
But in February? Valentine’s Day!
Everyone is ready to fall in love again.
The coffers are full, the calendars are beguiling bare, and all the agents and editors are dreaming of the books that will fill their shelves in a few years’ time. Like greedy dragons they are eagerly sorting through the slush pile looking for gems to add to their trove.
Even outside the northern hemisphere and the bubble of traditional publishing these seasons remain.
December is the start of summer holidays in the southern hemisphere. People might want beach reads, but sales hit the same summer slowdown as summers up north.
January is a bad sales month for everyone except the self-help gurus. The rest of us have to wait while the readers work their way through holiday-spending guilt, their budget fasts, and the accumulated debts of the December festivities.
February comes the boom. Australians are back in school, northerners are tired of the bleak and gray of winter and looking for escape, travelers need something to do in airports… books sell in February.
March through May sales tend to be good. The early applicants for Best Book Of The Year are heralded with a flurry of banners, book reviews, and Bookstgram posts.
The northern summer sees a slow. North American publishing has a beautiful tradition called Summer Fridays where everyone takes off early. Books are still acquired though. Good deals are made. Sales shift to vacation reads on both hemispheres.
And then there’s another slump in September.
Blame the back-to-school expenses, the rush to pay college fees, or the general morass of the returning chill but coffee sells better than books in September (and probably all year long, but let’s not dwell on that).
There’s a breathless rush of sales in October, especially if you publish horror. The first Christmas Romances hit the shelves, and we start all over again.
So when is the best season to do your publishing thing?
Best Time To Query –
January through November but expect slower responses during convention season (April through September).
Best Time To Shop –
You have very little control over this but don’t be surprised if your agent says they won’t send a book out between mid-November and late January.
Best Time To Publish –
This is genre dependent but, if you’re an indie author, take a look at what the big houses and big names in your genre and save yourself the heartbreak of scheduling your new release the same week as a major hit. Readers have limited income and releasing the same day as Harper Lee is not going to improve your numbers (ask me how I know).
Best Time To Write –
Today! But only if you feel like it. Because, yes dear reader, even authors have seasons. Sometimes we edit. Sometimes we right. Sometimes we let the page lay fallow as we rest. The sooner your recognize your own habits – your best writing times and the times you need to slow down – the happier you’ll be.
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