Most writers have heard that competition is steep in getting a novel published successfully. But not as many know about the ever-shrinking window of time when a novel can make the most impact.
Writing Tip for Today: Many publishers routinely declare out of print a nonfiction title that hasn’t sold enough copies by six months, even 3 months. For a novel, the magic window is going to the same: at 3 months the initial surge, brought on by author and publisher promos, interviews media appearances, blog tours, trailers and book events, will have peaked. By six months a publisher expects that the initial buzz should have grown into a “viral” or word of mouth phenomenon. If it hasn’t, the publisher gives up on the book. But although the publisher may feel a novel has climbed as high as it will go, the author never gives up. For a year or even longer, you can still book interviews, reviews or book club appearances, and if your next book appears with a year or so, you can run special offers on the first book as a way to get readers to buy the next one. Booking speaking engagements are another way to keep your book selling after the 3-6 month window has passed.