It’s that time of year again, the holiday season. What does this mean for you as a writer? All kinds of things if you write as a business. I did a similar post to this last year, but it never hurts to update the checklist. If you write for your business:
1. Your agent and editor are celebrating the holidays too. Everything slows down during this season, so now is not the time to be rattling cages. Add your agent and editor’s names to your holiday address list and send them a thank you for all that they’ve done for you. If you’re unagented and trying to find an agent, understand that this season sees the slowest reply times to submissions. Even non-Christians can’t avoid the insane disruptions of the Christmas season. Be kind, and be patient if people are slow to reply.
2. People are being blitzed by marketing campaigns. If you’re indie and control your prices, this is a popular time to jump onboard and hold a sale too. It’s not the worst idea. The first time I made the Amazon Top 100 was during my first holiday sale. My friend, Susan Ee’s Angelfall took off in a big way during her first holiday sale. I won’t be doing one this year. The market keeps on expanding at such a rate that I feel it won’t do much to boost my signal, but that’s just me and my gut. Definitely go with yours and know that despite the successes some people see in holiday sales, you don’t have to do one.
3. Sales shift. Whether you’re indie or traditional or both, know that stuff happens to sales curves this time of year. They sometimes spike, which is great, but don’t make your spending decisions for next year assuming this is the new normal. More often, sales slump and even come to a standstill. People are tapped out financially, buying presents, and it’s cold out there. All retail slows down when temperatures drop. This is, in fact, why they put Christmas near the winter solstice when Biblical accounts indicate Christ’s birth was actually in the spring. Don’t despair. Focus on the holidays and worry about sales later.
4. It’s time to settle up accounts. Fellow Latter-day Saints, this is when you need to figure out how much tithing you owe at the end of the year. All of us need to have our expenses and income delineated, ready for tax season next year. Now this you can put off, but don’t put it off too long. It’ll just get more painful the longer you wait.
5. Don’t get lost in the madness. Prioritize. It’s a crazy time of the year, so don’t spread yourself too thin trying to write all your Christmas cards, hold several marketing events, launch a new book, and tackle your accounts. All of us self-employed types need to pace ourselves, and this time of year we need to do so more than usual.
6. Take time for yourself and your loved ones. It’s easy, whatever our self-employment, to see everyone in traditional jobs winding down and think, “If I gear up, I’ll be so far ahead in this-or-that!” Look, everyone’s winding down, so you should too. Take time, enjoy the season, and have a very happy holidays.
Here’s wishing you a great start to 2015!
How right you are about those end-of-year, I-can-get-ahead-with-my-writing holiday plans. I have them too — but I think I need to give myself permission not to feel too bad about it when (not if) I fall short of my ambitions in that respect…
Me too. I may write it in a blog post, but it’s still so hard to put in practice!
Emily, thank you for writing this. A “right-brained writer” often doesn’t face your list with confidence and courage! Gone are the days when a “publisher” took care of the “writer” and his business needs. Bless you for your reminder and understanding! (Especially about the “tapped out” part!) Upward and onward! We’ve got to look at all of this like a real job! (Which it is!) Appreciate you!