With the heat of summer finally about to start winding down, it is time to think about spring! The AtlasBooks Spring 2011 catalog deadline is fast approaching (September 15). Now is the time to take the plunge and make the decision to publish your book. Now is the time to think about 2011.
The publishing industry works on long lead times, so publishers need to plan for books to come out 6+ months from now.
The book doesn’t have to be in final form. Books don’t need to be in stock until 4 weeks prior to the publication date. You need to have a pretty good product specs at this point, like trim, binding, ballpark page count, etc. And you do need to have an ISBN identified for the book. From there, AtlasBooks can begin to send out title information and build a catalog in time to prepare our reps to sell for the spring season.
In planning books for spring, here are a few ideas for seasonal themes to help with promotion and publicity:
First Quarter Promotional Book Bundle Ideas/Themes: New Year’s resolutions, weight loss, exercise, healthy cooking, goal-oriented exercises, football, hockey, sports, black history, black authors, marriage related issues (Valentine’s Day), presidential titles, American History, Christian titles, romance, calendars, appointment books, Irish titles, craft projects, and cabin fever reading lists.
January – New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. B-day and MLK national day
February – Groundhog Day, Ash Wednesday, Chinese New Year, Abe Lincoln B-day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, George Washington B-day, Mardi Gras, Superbowl, and Black History month
March – Palm Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Good Friday, First day of Spring, The Oscars, Easter
Second Quarter Promotional Book Bundle Ideas/Themes: Bathing suit season, exercise, vacations, diet, healthy cooking and eating, Mexican culture, gardening, earth issues/recycling/environment, parenting, mothers, sports, baseball, graduation, fathers, military history/issues, and craft projects.
April – April Fool’s Day, Passover, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Earth Day
May – Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day
June – Flag Day, Father’s Day, Summer begins
Planning promotions around events like these opens your book for tables displays and other promotional events. It gives us a good sales handle and opens up marketing and publicity ideas for publishers.
Check out BookMasters on 
Follow us on Twitter 
