Release Date Deliberations
When's the best time to release a book?
Trying to decide a release date for my book has been… interesting.
First of all, I need to, you know, make sure the book is finished and ready for publishing!
(And that includes way more than just finishing the draft of the book. It requires proofreading, formatting, artwork, licenses, making sure the eBook can be found online, figuring out paperback printing, etc., etc., etc.!)
But once I’ve figured out when the book will be ready to be consumed by readers, I got to find a time to release it!
Popular Books Being Published
The first deliberation is the timeline of popular authors publishing books. They’ve made a name for themselves, and when their books come out, their followers will make sure to purchase them. And even casual readers will see the author’s name on a table with a new book and find that more interesting than some new author trying to make a name for herself!
In the second half of this year, here are some authors that are publishing new books:
Emily Giffin
R.F. Kuang
Carissa Broadbent
Kate Atkinson
Jodi Picoult
Elin Hilderbrand
John Green
Rebecca Yarros
Veronica Roth
and… of course… Sarah J. Maas
These are spread out all around August, September, and October.
Author Friends Publishing Books
I have friends who are publishing books, and I want to support them as much as I can. Who am I to pick my publishing date on the same date as their book? I want to give them as much time as possible to enjoy the fruits of their labors, and I also want to make sure to give time to promote their book.
For example, one of the first stories I ever ARC read was written by Sara Miller, an author who is self-publishing her romance trilogy. It also was one of the first romance novels I read, and I think it is just as good as the ones published by the big companies.
Her second book in the series, Now and Then, just dropped last week. Even though our genres are different, I wouldn’t want to waste my time promoting my book when I need to read, review, and lift up hers!
Another author I wouldn’t do that to is Marie Violet. I liked her first book, The Archer & The Flame, and followed her as she was working on the second book, The Heir & The Promise. It released back in March, and I would try to avoid her release dates, as well!
Holidays
This is probably the least important, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind.
Summer is a great time to release books, because people generally have a little more time to read for enjoyment. They might even do the standard “beach read” and take a book on vacation with them.
More and more, though (as you can see from above) many of the popular books get released in the early fall. I’m sure there’s a reason for this, but I find that very interesting.
While some might want to avoid releasing books over the November-December holiday season, I’m actually zeroing in on a December release date.
Why December?
I can hear you right now. “Why December?” “It’s Christmas!” “People are spending time with family, not with books!”
Yes, all of those things are true. But I have several reasons:
I need a little more time to finish the publishing/marketing side of things. I made it a goal to publish by the end of 2026, and that is definitely doable. But between getting married and going on a honeymoon and regular work, I have a lot to do before then!
People will need breaks from family during that week between Christmas and New Year’s. Maybe they’d like a break from this side of reality. Good news! My book is fantasy, and a pretty easy read!
I’m not obsessed with making money on this book. I’m releasing the eBook at a very cheap price, because all I want to do is get people to read the book. So if the book release starts slowly, I’m okay with that. I’ll keep marketing it through January, when people in the Northern Hemisphere will need something to read during the harsh winter months!
I also need time for ARCs! ARC stands for Advance Reader Copy, and in the coming weeks I’ll be arranging to get as many ARC readers as possible to preview Sword of the Ancient and spread the word! Is that something you’d like to do? Follow me on Substack or Threads and I’ll make the ARC announcements there!
When Do You Read the Most?
I’m curious: when you read books, what time of the year do you find yourself reading the most? Do you ever pick up a book during the holiday season? Do you just read books as soon as your favorite author drops a new story? Comment below and let me know!
BONUS: Find me at GenCon!
I’m going to GenCon in Indianapolis this weekend! I’ll be previewing a portion of my book, Sword of the Ancient, at an event called Network: The Gathering on Thursday night. I’ll be passing out business cards as well, and would love to meet fantasy readers!