Spot on! As an independent publisher, we choose not to schedule releases between mid-September to end of December during presidential election years. We made this decision after the 2016 elections. It's predicated on the same things you note above combined with the wisdom of GenX classic, "War Games." The only way to win is to not play the game! We can't execute at the level requried to break through the noise, so our resources are better allocated to how and when and where we CAN execute well.
We've found knowing our strengths and weaknesses helps us make smart(er) decisions about our marketing and PR strategies for each title instead of trying to mimic the Bigs.
A fascinating and timely analysis, Kathleen. I have a new nonfiction book coming out and the publisher and I discussed at length whether to come out ahead of the election or wait until it's all blown through. He opted to wait, so the book will be out in January 2025. Of course, who knows where the media coverage will be fixated then!
Wow, never even considered your point about the coverage from liberal media turning to clickbait (essentially) and how that impacts publishing. Really insightful piece.
Oh man, yeah. Putting a kids book out later this year feels a bit like I'm a mouse trying to shout above a thunderstorm. Any tips for authors with a book releasing in an election year would be greatly appreciated!
Terrific article. Thank you. I have the same opinion as the Threads consensus that the focus on Biden's age and complete absence of equal attention to Trump's egregious lies was ridiculous. I haven't watched broadcast news since during the pandemic when I saw farmily over-skewing right. I read all my coverage. And now - the same unbalanced reactions are being played out on news media sites. I will not turn to social media news. So where do I go for news? Carefully. I hope SOMEONE in the pub industry is reading your column.
Spot on! As an independent publisher, we choose not to schedule releases between mid-September to end of December during presidential election years. We made this decision after the 2016 elections. It's predicated on the same things you note above combined with the wisdom of GenX classic, "War Games." The only way to win is to not play the game! We can't execute at the level requried to break through the noise, so our resources are better allocated to how and when and where we CAN execute well.
We've found knowing our strengths and weaknesses helps us make smart(er) decisions about our marketing and PR strategies for each title instead of trying to mimic the Bigs.
Christina, that is so smart. It is a hot mess out there.
A fascinating and timely analysis, Kathleen. I have a new nonfiction book coming out and the publisher and I discussed at length whether to come out ahead of the election or wait until it's all blown through. He opted to wait, so the book will be out in January 2025. Of course, who knows where the media coverage will be fixated then!
Thank you! I think a January pub date is better than fall.
I'm relieved to hear you say that!
Yes, my publisher was saying this a year ago. They pushed my book to Feb 2025.
Wow, never even considered your point about the coverage from liberal media turning to clickbait (essentially) and how that impacts publishing. Really insightful piece.
Oh man, yeah. Putting a kids book out later this year feels a bit like I'm a mouse trying to shout above a thunderstorm. Any tips for authors with a book releasing in an election year would be greatly appreciated!
Terrific article. Thank you. I have the same opinion as the Threads consensus that the focus on Biden's age and complete absence of equal attention to Trump's egregious lies was ridiculous. I haven't watched broadcast news since during the pandemic when I saw farmily over-skewing right. I read all my coverage. And now - the same unbalanced reactions are being played out on news media sites. I will not turn to social media news. So where do I go for news? Carefully. I hope SOMEONE in the pub industry is reading your column.
ALWAYS interesting! Thank you!