Christmas is my favorite. I adore everything about it. I love the decorating, the baking, gathering with friends and family, but I especially love reflecting on the mystery and wonder that is the birth of Christ.
I’ve often thought about writing a Christmas middle grade book, but every time I think about it, I recall the advice an editor shared at a writing conference several years ago: the first book you sell won’t be a seasonal book.
It sounds harsh, but it’s true. Debut authors are no match for established names when it comes to selling holiday books.
That doesn’t mean we debut and pre-published authors can’t have a little fun, though.
Get out the hot cocoa (or eggnog, your choice), turn on your favorite Christmas playlist, and let’s create some Christmas book titles. Pick your favorite formula:
1. Ye Olde School Christmas Words
This technique is straightforward – combine your favorite Christmas-y or Wintery adjective with a Christmas-y or Wintery Noun and voila!
Example: The (Christmas-y Adjective) (Christmas-y Noun)->The Sparkly Mistletoe
2. Music-Palooza
Put your own twist on your favorite Christmas carol lyric or Christmas song title and see what happens.
Example – lyric
(From Let it Snow!) Oh, the weather outside is frightful ->Hey, Look at the Blizzard!
Example – title
Carol of the Bells -> Tune of the Tinsel
3. Furry and Feathered Friends to the Rescue
Have you noticed that in popular culture Christmas always requires saving? Maybe these stories are intended to be allegoric – Christ was born to save us, after all. Anyway. There’s a certain sweetness to the “fluffy woodland creature saves the day” tale, so here’s another way to generate a Christmas title.
Example: (Adjective) (Animal) (Verb) (Noun)-> Jingly Hamster Salvages the Cocoa
Play around with these and see what sparks your imagination. Write your favorites and file them away for the day when you’ve got a few books published. Then eager publishers will be happy to share your holiday gems with the world.
Until then, Merry Christmas to you and yours, and a blessed 2023!
When Kelli McKinney and her family aren’t exploring national parks, she can be found sipping cinnamon tea, struggling to keep houseplants alive, or chucking a toy across the backyard for her English Mastiff. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and her graduate degree in radio/tv/film from the University of North Texas. She enjoyed an eclectic-yet-fulfilling career in corporate marketing before wandering off to be a writer. Now, she is a part-time copywriter and blogger, a full-time mom, and a children’s author. JEFF PENNANT’S FIELD GUIDE TO RAISING HAPPY PARENTS is her debut novel. She can be reached through her website for events, visits, and questions at www.kellimckinney.com.
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