CHRISTMAS IN JULY?

For many of us who live in the Northern hemisphere, the month of July
means vacation, swimming, boating, picnics and camping. Long hot
days entice us to slow down, turn off computers and televisions, and
grab a spot in the shade of a leafy tree with a good book and a glass
of cold lemonade. The very last thing most of us are thinking about
is Christmas.

But writers should be. Thinking about Christmas, that is. Sure,
it's still nearly six months away, but if you plan for it now, you'll
be ready when the holiday season arrives.

And I'm not talking about doing your holiday shopping. July is the
month to begin your holiday *writing*. Because those very same
people who are frolicking outside today will start heading back
indoors come September or October. They'll start making their own
holiday plans. And, if you start now, you'll be ready for them.

You probably already know that you need to submit seasonal short
stories, essays and article queries to print periodicals months in
advance. But here are some other ideas you can begin to work on in
July that can earn you some excellent income in December:

1. Offer a family holiday newsletter service. Holiday newsletters
have become a popular way for people to catch each other up on family
news that happened during the past year. Sometimes they are merely
letters; others are more elaborate, with photos to accompany the
news. You can set up a few templates, plan your advertising blitz
now, and be ready to go before autumn nips the air. A little
preplanning can bring you a lot of business.

2. Write a Christmas memories book about your hometown. This could
make a great stocking stuffer or a gift for those who love reading
about history and holiday traditions. Have a press release ready for
your local newspaper to promote your book, and start getting to know
your local book dealers. An excellent guide for creating and selling
your own Christmas memories book can be found here:
http:/ inyurl.com/ixc .

3. Develop your own ezine on your favorite topic. Once summer begins
to wane and people head back indoors, many of them will return to
their computers in search of information. Now is the perfect time to
plan an ezine, create your first few issues and begin to solicit
subscriber sign ups. Not sure how to generate income with an ezine?
Here's a step-by-step guide to show you how: http:/ inyurl.com/ixi .

4. Or maybe you prefer to write and sell books on your favorite
topics instead, rather than maintain a regular ezine schedule.
Again, sales for information products rise dramatically once the days
grow short and the nights grow long. Will you have yours ready by
then? You can, if you start *today*. Although the very best guide
for creating and selling your own ebooks is undoubtedly Ken
Evoy's "Make Your Knowledge Sell!"
(http://myks.sitesell.com/writeangles.html), you can also find the
information you need, inexpensively, in "Your Guide to Ebook
Publishing Success" (http:/ inyurl.com/ixt).

These are simply just a few of the ways that resourceful writers can
get a head start on the holiday season. For although it's true that
the very last thing on most people's mind in July is Christmas, you
can have your writing product or service ready for them when they do.

About the Author

Mary Anne Hahn is editor and publisher of WriteSuccess, THE free
biweekly ezine of ideas, information and inspiration for writers.
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