Although it’s not hard to find books about the holidays, trust us, there is always room for more. The winter holidays are warm time for gathering with family and creating memories, and so many people enjoy getting a new book to share at this time. Are you thinking of self-publishing a book about the holidays? Izzard Ink has a few tips for you to get you started.
1. Children’s Books
Children always remember their favorite books about the holidays. You probably remember yours! Whether it was about waiting for Santa Claus to come, making a snowman, lighting the menorah or another favorite memory, your favorite book has likely become a treasure to you.
Remember these classics?
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- The Mitten by Jan Brett
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Now is the time to create your own classic. Especially if you want to venture into an area of the market that’s not already over-saturated — such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, Boxing Day, the Festival of Lights or Las Posadas — your chances of getting noticed are higher.
Although the tradition of Thanksgiving is hundreds of years old, no children’s books about this holiday have come out that are really definitive classics. Self-publishing a children’s book about winter holidays is a ripe, wide-open field.
2. Cookbooks
There will never be too many cookbooks in the world. The public loves cookbooks. Many buy them for the pictures, intending to make the amazing dishes inside but never getting around to it. That’s OK — they look nice on the shelf!
A holiday cookbook is always welcome. You could self-publish a cookbook with your amazing family recipes, some recipes you invented yourself or some recipes from a particular culture, such as holiday foods from Ireland, Mexico or the Middle East. You could write a book about Southern cooking for the holidays, recipes from New England, coastal favorites full of shellfish or Midwestern selections heavy with cheese and meat.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that is centered around food and eating, so it’s a great time to self-publish a cookbook.
3. Decorating
No holiday requires more decorating than Christmas. From trees and wreaths to rooftop lights and elaborate inflatable outdoor scenes, decorating for Christmas is a major endeavor.
What’s great about self-publishing a book about holiday decorating is how wide the topic is. You can self-publish a book about decorating your holiday dining table, tree, front yard, mantel, office, car or any room in your house. The possibilities are endless.
Less creative types love buying books like this with step-by-step instructions for how to get their home to look as beautiful as yours.
4. Crafts
Crafting is another topic that enjoys endless popularity. People love crafting 365 a year, but they are especially inspired at holiday times.
If you’re a talented crafter, you may be able to self-publish more than one book about holiday crafting. For instance, if you could write a book about paper crafting and include projects for snowflakes, Christmas ornaments, holiday cards, turkey frills, wrapping paper and dozens of other clever crafts.
Alternatively, you could include paper crafts as a chapter in your book with other chapters covering subjects such as crafts to do with children, needle crafting, and nature crafting with items such as boughs and pinecones.
Consider whether you want to self-publish a book for beginning crafters, intermediate crafters, experienced crafters or all of the above.
5. Pets
Self-publishing a book about pets and the holidays doubles your audience. You’ve undoubtedly seen adorable pictures of beribboned cats, dogs in Santa outfits and videos of children unwrapping a box containing a new puppy.
If you’re a talented seamstress, you may want to self-publish a book of patterns for pet outfits for Christmas. If you’re an aspiring photographer, consider a book of fun holiday pet photos. Are you a cook? How about a book about special holiday treats for pets you can make at home?
6. Fashion
Do you live for your office’s annual ugly sweater party? If you love sewing or crafting, you may be thinking of self-publishing a book about how to make your own ugly sweater with knitting needles, a Sharpie or a Cricut machine.
Maybe jewelry is more your thing. If you’re legendary for being able to scout out a bargain, you could pull together New Year’s Eve-worthy outfits with finds from thrift stores and Goodwill. This is a book you could update every five to 10 years as styles change.
Remember Pictures
When you’re forming your idea for self-publishing a book about the holidays, remember to include pictures. In some genres, pictures aren’t important, but that’s not the case with books about the holidays. Think of all the mouthwatering pictures you’ve seen of nice brown turkeys, bowls of steaming mashed potatoes, twinkling Christmas lights and winter scenes with soft, powdery snow.
Depending on what your book is about, you may want to purchase stock photos from a photographer, contract with a photographer or take your own pictures. Or, your book may be better suited for illustrations. With books about the holidays, a picture is worth 1,000 words.
A Self-Publishing Company You Can Trust
The team at Izzard Ink is excited to see our potential clients’ new ideas for self-publishing a book for the holidays. Whether you’ve self-published a book before or you’re new to the field, Izzard Ink is your best choice. We have been in the self-publishing business for more than seven years and in that time, we’ve built a reputation for excellence, reliability and trustworthiness.
We offer our authors services to help make their self-published books more successful, such as editing, marketing and distribution. We’re here for you, every step of the way.
Make your appointment for a free consultation at Izzard Ink today.
