Crafting Holiday Books that Sell

Christmas comes every year. And so does Easter. And so does Thanksgiving. And so does the Fourth of July. Are you seeing a theme here? Writing holiday books for children is a great way to remain relevant for years to come in both the CBA and ABA markets.

When I first wrote “What Is Easter?” during my lunch hour while working for a Christian magazine back in 2000, I had no idea I’d sell it to Ideals Children’s Books (which is now WorthyKids/Hachette Book Group) in 2003. Nor did I have any idea that 16 years later, it’d still be selling thousands of copies every single Easter Season, making the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) Juvenile Bestsellers List most every year. In fact, it was in Wal-Mart again this year!

Of course, with the success of that little holiday board book, I decided a “What Is?” series might be a good idea.

It was.

Next came “What Is Christmas?” and then “What Is Thanksgiving?”—both of which still sell amazingly well every year. Just this past holiday season, “What Is Christmas?” was part of a collection of “Christmas Classics” board books exclusively sold in Costco! We tried “What Is Halloween?” but it didn’t sell as well in the CBA Market, however, it’s being re-released this year and we’re hopeful it will do much better this time around. In just a few weeks, “What Is America?” debuts, which will hopefully spike in sales around Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, President’s Day, Veteran’s Day, and around election time.

The beauty of writing holiday children’s books is two-fold—both the general and Christian book markets sell them, and publishers need new holiday picture and board books each year. Here’s more good news: successful holiday books have staying power. In other words, holiday books may only sell seasonally, but they tend to enjoy many selling seasons.

Okay, full disclaimer here. Over the years, I’ve also written “Memories of the Manger” “The Shepherds Shook in Their Shoes” “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” “Trunk Or Treat” “Sparrow’s Easter Song” “Little Colt’s Palm Sunday” “Hooray For Easter! A Baby Looney Tunes Book” “My Funny Valentine” and “Ha Halloween!” Some of those titles—though they had an initial good run—are now out of print. But, as mentioned above, many of my holiday titles keep doing well season after season, year after year. And, because I know a good thing when I see one, I have yet another Christmas picture book that just released called, “C Is for Christmas” (Little Lamb Books). I plan to keep on writing holiday children’s books as long as there are holidays on the calendar, and I suggest you follow my lead.

Here are seven tips to help you craft your own holiday children’s book:

1. Read all of the bestselling holiday books that your title will directly compete against, and be inspired by them, but don’t copy them.
2. Brainstorm ideas and come up with a theme that will make your holiday book unique. (For instance, in “Little Colt’s Palm Sunday” “Sparrow’s Easter Song” and “Memories of the Manger,” the story is told from an animal’s POV—a colt, a sparrow, and an old dove. The POV in this series made my holiday books unique and fun.)
3. Don’t try to rhyme your story unless you’re gifted at rhyme because “near rhyme” won’t fly with most editors. (I highly recommend taking Crystal Bowman’s “Rhythm, Rhyme, and Repetition: Mastering the Skill of Writing in Verse” class through Serious Writer Academy.)
4. Even though we know the ending of most holiday stories, you still need to create a sense of urgency and build suspense as you write.
5. Think about the illustrations that will go hand-in-hand with your words when writing board books and picture books. You don’t have to provide the artwork but you should create word pictures without saying everything. You want to leave something new for the picture to communicate.
6. Let the emotion drive your story. To get in the right state of mind, put on some holiday music and jot down all of the words that come to mind when you think about that particular holiday.
7. Ask God to help you share what He wants you to share. After all, He is the Master storyteller.

Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and book awards include top honors from the Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.  

When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.

 Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous & Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.