Sonia M. Rompoti, MSc, bsc

The Season of Cheer… and Panic

Every December, readers want cozy love stories, holiday miracles, and snow-kissed happily-ever-afters. Writers, meanwhile, are over-caffeinated goblins muttering about metadata and ad budgets while pretending to enjoy cinnamon cookies.

The holiday rush is both a gift and a trap for indie authors. It’s your golden marketing window — and your quickest path to burnout. Between newsletters, book promos, sales, giveaways, and the crushing guilt of not baking enough festive snacks, you’re expected to be both a marketing genius and a functioning human.

Let’s fix that.

Because surviving the holidays as an author isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing what matters — and protecting your creative energy from being turned into tinsel.

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The Myth of “The Perfect Holiday Launch”

Everyone dreams of it: the perfect holiday release, complete with snowflake graphics, flawless blurbs, and an audience ready to swoon. But here’s the secret: no launch is perfect. Not in December. Not ever.

Readers are distracted, ad costs are high, and inboxes are fuller than Santa’s sleigh. If you try to compete with major publishers’ glossy Christmas campaigns, you’ll burn out faster than a cheap candle.

Instead of chasing perfection, aim for presence. Focus on visibility and connection — showing up consistently, sharing your process, your heart, and your chaos. Readers respond to warmth, not polish.

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Marketing Like a Human (Not a Billboard)

Holiday readers crave emotional connection. They want stories that comfort, heal, or distract them from the family dinner they’re dreading. That’s where indie authors win — authenticity is our native language.

Forget constant sales pitches. Tell stories around your books:

• What inspired your winter romance (Love, Curves, and Mistletoe)?
• How did writing about self-love and body positivity shift your own mindset?
• What’s your favorite holiday ritual that connects to your story’s themes?

Readers don’t just buy books. They buy belonging.

And when they feel part of your world, they’ll stick around long after the decorations come down.

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Boundaries: Your Holiday Survival Shield

Let’s talk about the one word that saves every creative during the season: boundaries.

You don’t owe every marketing opportunity your soul. You don’t have to join every promo, answer every email, or post on social media every day. You’re a writer, not an algorithm.

Protect your energy by planning your content early — or reusing old posts with new captions. Your readers won’t mind, especially if the message still feels like you.

If you need to take a few days off, say so. “I’ll be offline writing (and eating cookies). See you next week.” Your audience will admire you for it — mostly because they wish they could do the same.

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Keep the Writing Flame Alive

Between gift wrapping and grocery lists, writing time shrinks to microscopic levels. The trick isn’t to force productivity — it’s to protect the ritual.

Write small. A paragraph. A scene. Even one perfect sentence can keep you tethered to your creative self. Think of it as lighting a candle in the chaos.

And if the muse completely deserts you? Read. Fill your well instead of draining it. The stories you read now will feed the words you write later.

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Your Readers Need Comfort, Not Perfection

December is emotionally charged — nostalgia, loneliness, pressure. Books become escape routes. When you write or share during this season, remember that your words might be someone’s relief.

That’s why indie authors matter. We write stories that feel human — messy, warm, hopeful. So even when you’re tired, remember that your work is part of someone’s healing ritual. That’s worth more than any ad campaign.

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Planning Ahead for the New Year

Once the chaos passes, resist the urge to collapse entirely. Use the quiet days after Christmas to reflect. What worked this year? What didn’t? What do you want next year to feel like?

The publishing calendar resets every January, and planning early lets you start strong. Map your releases, email campaigns, or creative goals — but keep them flexible. You’re an indie author. Agility is your superpower.

And if 2026’s plan looks different from 2025’s? That’s growth, not failure.

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A Reminder for the Season

The holidays have a way of magnifying everything — joy, exhaustion, love, doubt. You don’t have to sparkle every day. Some days, surviving with a sense of humor is enough.

So light a candle, pour something warm, and give yourself permission to write badly, rest unapologetically, and dream outrageously. Because the only thing better than surviving the holiday rush — is doing it while still loving the stories that brought you here.