While you're probaby still enjoying time on the beach, or just starting to think about shopping for school supplies, there's something that might not be on your radar right now, but should be - planning for holiday product sales!
Honestly, the BEST time to start planning for holiday sales is RIGHT NOW. You've got plenty of time to envision, create and plan your marketing and sales campaigns, and this little head start will help you create a stress-free, successful experience.
Ready? If you haven’t started planning yet but want to give your income and your business an end-of-the-year boost, now is the time for action.
First, let’s talk products. Here’s a few crowd-pleasing ones perfect for holiday sales:
Planners: Wow, planners are the superstars of self-publishing right now and we've got everything you need to create the perfect planner for your audience.
Journals: Timeless treasures perfect for just about anyone.
Books: Small books that can be sold or used for free-plus-shipping offers are very popular during the holidays.
Calendars: Calendars are also a great option for client and customer appreciation gifts and to use as lead generation freebies.
Adult coloring books: Create your own using holiday themes, New Year themes, or branded content that supports your products and programs.
Cards of all kinds: These are great sellers, make great gifts, and can be easily customized and configured to fit your business and audience needs. Card decks, note cards, and postcards are popular, or get creative and try tarot cards, affirmation cards, or health and wellness program cards.
Planning a Holiday Sales Timeline
Once you’ve picked your products, it’s time for action:
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER
Decide on products to sell. Make a list of ideas for how you will make them unique and start writing or designing. Contact Vervante at [email protected] and request free quotes for printing, shipping timelines, etc.
If you’re just adding your logo to one of our ready-made products, upload a print-ready file to your Vervante account, then order a sample copy.
For customized products, finalize graphic design files and upload to Vervante account. Order sample copies for quality and proofreading checks. Have Vervante list your books and products for sale. We can list on Amazon and add it to the Vervante Bookstore online (free for Vervante authors). If you sell from your own website, start working on your landing and sales pages, set up shopping cart, plan marketing strategies.
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER
Put marketing plans into action. Announce special promotions, early bird sales and specials. Promote, promote, promote!
Procrastinate much? For last-minute ideas in time for Black Friday, our ready-made planners, card decks, books, journals and calendars are easy and quick to set up and sell.
DECEMBER
Confirm Vervante holiday shipping deadlines.
Attend book signings. Continue promotions, especially for New Year / 2020 products.
Announce surprise last-minute deals.
JANUARY
Continue to promote New Year products.
If 2020 planners were a hit, think about removing dates from planner and sell "undated" versions that can be sold all year long.
Look back at your holiday sales experience, making notes about what worked (and what didn’t) to help with next year’s plans.
Once you’re written a book, or created a new product, the next part is something a lot of people really struggle with – setting a price. It’s like a scary math problem where the answer isn’t always clear. Price it too high and no one will buy. Price it too low and you devalue your work and your profits. Finding the right price doesn’t have to feel like a guessing game, though, especially if you follow these tips.
#1: Research similar books or products in your niche and take note of their prices. That will give you an idea of what’s working and a price range to start with. This doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to that range, but it’s a good starting point.
#2: Calculate your costs including printing, production, and fulfillment to get a break-even baseline. Add in extras that retail sites will charge you. If you sell from your own site, those costs will be minimal. Selling from online stores such as Amazon, however, will incur higher costs to deduct from your bottom line. If you have a certain profit margin you’d like to attain, this number will help you to set your retail price.
#3: Consider the value your book, planner or product is offering to your customer. Will they save time, money, stress? If you are delivering a lot of value to their business or life, that raises the value of your product and the price you can charge.
#4: Decide on a price that feels right to you. If you think you’re charging too little, then you’ll feel resentful and that will come through. If you think you’re charging too much, you might feel nervous, unsure or scared to put it out there.
#5: Poll your beta testers. Ask them to suggest a price range. Or run your price idea by them for their feedback. These are people who have read your book or used your program, so they have personal knowledge of the value of what you’re selling.
#6: If you’re selling from your own website, the price you set isn’t permanent. Pricing can be nerve-racking, we know, but you can always adjust. You might start out with an introductory price to test the waters and then adjust it to fit demand. Coupon codes, special packaged deals, and other similar methods can be used until you’ve got it just right.
#7: Add value to support your price: Make the price you set a no-brainer by adding so much value that your customer is excited to buy! Create packages out of your book or product to make it unique and different than anything else - and add value with extra products that add value to it.
For example, if you have a children's book, include stickers, coloring pages, crayons or colored pencils. For planners you could include extras like pens, clips, bookmarks, notepads, stickers, or even experiences like an introductory coaching session or limited-time membership in a mastermind or online program.
Adding a little something extra like this will elevate your book or product's value in your customer's eyes. Yes, there might be similar products with lower prices (that are most likely bulk-produced in China), but you have the ability with self-publishing services to create something unique, elevate your customer's experience, and make yours the choice they want.
Once in awhile someone catches our attention for a number of reasons: their story, unique sales and marketing strategies, personality, or product. Today’s spotlight shines on this Vervante author who checks off all those categories and more. Dulce Johnson dreamed of creating a planner and set out to accomplish that dream with no experience at all – and with a baby on the way. We’re excited to share her story here (and you won’t believe what happened on the day she launched her planner!).
Dulce's story
Q: Tell us the story of your planner
I had been using goal-setting vision boards at home for a few years, but couldn’t find a planner that had everything I wanted, like an accountability section, to go with them. So I decided to make my own.
I had no idea how to do this when I started. I just started Googling like crazy, reading everything I could, with a lot of trial and error along the way. That’s how I found resources I used for my planner, like Canva and Vervante.
Every step of creating this planner I’ve done on my own. I’m not a graphic designer, so that was a big learning curve for me. I reached out to Vervante and asked a lot of questions. I had no shame, figured I was just going to keep asking questions until I figured this thing out.
There was a lot of trial and error doing it this way. I had piles of printouts everywhere as I was developing it. I had to dig deep for creativity. I really had to step out of my comfort zone and push through.
Q: What else was going on in your life at that time?
When I began developing my planner, I found out I was pregnant. I’d already set a timeline/deadline, but now I had to speed that timeline up to get the planner done before my due date. In addition to that, I had a full-time job, active in church, husband and a busy toddler getting into everything. I had to set my priorities, decline a lot of social invitations and really focus.
When I finally launched the planner, I opened preorders on a Friday and gave birth to my son two days later – 3 weeks earlier than my due date!
Q: What advice would you give to someone else wanting to create a planner or product like this?
Ask lots of questions! Make a product that you’d be comfortable using yourself and you’re proud to put out there.
Also, don’t be afraid to go with your gut. In the process of making my planner I’d get feedback that just didn’t work for my vision. I’d thank them but did what felt right to me.
Q: What are your plans for this planner?
It’s an undated planner, so I can promote it all year long. I share images from the planner on my Instagram a lot, with ideas and motivation for using it. I’m having a live launch party in August at a local coffee shop and plans for workshops using the planners starting October. I also plan on creating a men’s version next. I’ve had men interested in goal setting and wanting to use something like this, but mine is too pink and girly!
About the Designed for Vision planner
The Designed for Vision Planner is for the dreamer, the visionary, the goal getter who is ready to build great habits while also being able to plan out their days! Each page was created with the intention to help you create lasting habits and a lifestyle that will help you conquer the goals in your life. This full color planner is not only pretty in color but made to inspire you to live your best life.
While you're probaby still enjoying time on the beach, or just starting to think about shopping for school supplies, there's something that might not be on your radar right now, but should be - planning for holiday product sales! 
Once you’re written a book, or created a new product, the next part is something a lot of people really struggle with – setting a price. It’s like a scary math problem where the answer isn’t always clear. Price it too high and no one will buy. Price it too low and you devalue your work and your profits. Finding the right price doesn’t have to feel like a guessing game, though, especially if you follow these tips.
Once in awhile someone catches our attention for a number of reasons: their story, unique sales and marketing strategies, personality, or product. Today’s spotlight shines on this Vervante author who checks off all those categories and more. Dulce Johnson dreamed of creating a planner and set out to accomplish that dream with no experience at all – and with a baby on the way. We’re excited to share her story here (and you won’t believe what happened on the day she launched her planner!).
Q: What else was going on in your life at that time?