Does titling your book with a word indicating Christmas or holiday, etc., limit its sales to Christmas? My latest book Nobody's Cinderella
is set at Christmas and even has a Santa element.That's all I'll say about that because it's up to the reader as to how to interpret that element. When I titled it though, I started thinking about the whole "Christmas book only sells at Christmas theory."
I wanted to title the romantic comedy Christmas Cinderella, but I figured after December no one would buy it.
A friend suggested I just publish it again in January with a new title, but I don't want to anger readers who might buy each without reading the Product Description, only to discover that they had already read the book.
So I erred on the side of conservatism, and named it Nobody's Cinderella
. I thought I'd throw the question out there for anyone who wants to weigh in.Takeaway Truth
Please comment if you have an opinion, educated guess, or any kind of answer based on experience with similar type books.
An interesting question, and one I'd love to know the answer to. I also have a Christmas title. Mine is called Christmas is Coming and is part of a series. I guess I'll be able to give you a better answer in the coming months. BTW I like your title.
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ReplyDeleteSince I'm not one to buy true 'holiday' books, I would say it is limiting.
ReplyDeleteThat said, there are scads of people who adore holiday reads and the only way they'll hunt them out is by title or cover art.
To straddle both realms, you might try modifying the cover art so it includes something that suggests holiday. It's a little hard to see what's in the background, but you could add glitter on the floor, a champagne flute or a piece of ribbon.
Shelley Munro... Shelley, please come back and give us some insight when you have some stats. I think a lot of writers would like to know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad you liked the title. I like it much better than the old title assigned by the publisher.
Happy Holidays!
Maria Zannini ...
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Maria! That's a good suggestion about using an element in the cover art. Next year, to refresh sales, I think I'll do that.
Happy Holidays!
I suspect once Christmas is over, sales go zilch on holiday books. I'll have to see. I brought out a Regency Christmas novella (ebook) toward the end of November, and this week it became the No. 1 bestselling Regency romance on Amazon, No. 6 in historical romance.
ReplyDeleteIf I hadn't been so busy with my contracted print book, I would like to have put it out in October. That's the month NY publishers like to put out their Christmas titles to get maximum sales.
At the PASIC conference one year the author who writes for Avon as Victoria Alexander said those Christmas titles sell amazingly well. She first made the NY Times list on one.
I was flattered when Kensington/Zebra asked me to do a Christmas novel because I was hoping for great things. The novel, an OCtober release, got great reviews before publication and great preorders. Unfortunately it had completely sold out its print run on its release day (making the B&N top 10 bestsellers), but Kensington chose not to go back and reprint. That's why I no longer write for them.
They titled my book ONE GOLDEN RING and gave it a mildly Christmas cover, but I think with a title like that, it could have sold all year long.
Cheryl Bolen...
ReplyDeleteI just learned something. I never realized One Golden Ring was supposed to be a Christmas book!
It will be interesting to see what happens after Christmas with your novella.
Happy Holidays!