Every year around this time, we get the same question from authors: "Should I just turn my ads off until January?"
It's a fair question. From late October through December, ads tend to get more expensive. Big retailers pour money into holiday campaigns, and since most ad platforms run on auctions, more advertisers means more competition for the same eyeballs. Your book ad is suddenly bidding against toy companies, fashion brands and every store with a Black Friday sale.
But the holidays are also when a lot of people have time off, are reading more and are buying gifts (including e-readers and gift cards). So switching everything off isn't automatically the smart move either.
The honest answer is: it depends on your book, your numbers and your goals. Here's how we'd think it through.
First, look at your own numbers
Before you change anything, check what your ads are actually doing right now. You're looking for a few things:
- Cost per click: Is it creeping up compared with September or early October?
- Conversion: Are clicks still turning into sales or page reads at about the same rate?
- Read-through: If you're advertising book one of a series, how many readers go on to book two, three and beyond?
Read-through matters most. An ad that barely breaks even on book one can still be well worth running if a good share of those readers go on to buy the rest of the series. An ad on a standalone with no follow-up doesn't have that cushion.
If you don't track these yet, start now. Even a simple spreadsheet with weekly spend, clicks and sales by book will tell you far more than gut feeling.
When pausing (or scaling back) makes sense
Pulling back for a few weeks is often reasonable if:
- Your ads were only just breaking even before the season started. If costs rise and your margins were already thin, the holidays can push you into losing money.
- You're advertising a standalone or a short series. Less read-through means less room for higher costs.
- Your book isn't seasonal and isn't in a trope readers search for in December. A summer beach romance is a harder sell in the middle of the holiday rush.
- You don't have time to watch your ads closely. Holiday costs can move quickly. If you're travelling or busy with family, it's safer to scale down than to leave a big budget running unattended.
Scaling back doesn't have to mean switching off. Often the smarter move is to keep your best-performing ads running on a smaller budget and pause the rest.
When it can make sense to keep going
On the other hand, there are good reasons to stay in the game:
- You have a holiday book. This is its moment. Christmas and holiday romance searches spike sharply in December. In our own research into reader search trends, December searches for Christmas romance run at nearly five times a typical month. If you've got a festive book, this is when readers are looking for it.
- You write in a trope that peaks in winter. Our research shows hockey, cowboy and romantasy searches all peak in December too, and single dad and firefighter romance peak in January.
- You have a long series with strong read-through. A long series can absorb higher costs because each new reader is worth more.
- You're launching or have a promotion running. If you've got a sale or a new release, ads can amplify the visibility you've already built.
The weeks to watch
Not every week in Q4 is the same.
- Late November (around Black Friday and Cyber Monday) is usually the most crowded and expensive stretch. If you're going to pull back for any single week, this is a sensible one.
- Early to mid December is busy, but readers are actively looking for holiday books. Keep an eye on costs and adjust daily rather than weekly if you can.
- The days after Christmas are often a good time to be visible. Lots of people unwrap new e-readers and gift cards and go looking for their next book, and much of the big retail spending has stopped.
How to run holiday ads without burning money
If you decide to keep ads running, a few habits help:
- Set a hard daily budget. Decide up front what you're willing to spend per day and stick to it.
- Check in more often. Weekly check-ins are usually fine during quieter months. In November and December, look every day or two.
- Cut what isn't working quickly. If an ad's cost per click jumps and sales don't follow, pause it. Don't wait for it to "settle".
- Lead with seasonal creative. Snow, lights, cozy vibes and festive hooks stand out in a feed full of gift guides. Even a non-holiday book can lean into "your next cozy weekend read".
- Point ads at your best entry point. That's usually book one of your strongest series, with a clear path to the next book in the back matter.
- Keep ad spend on your own card, with a set budget. If someone manages your ads for you, agree on a monthly cap up front so there are no surprises.
What to do instead of ads
If you do pause, don't go quiet. There's plenty you can do to stay visible without paying for clicks:
- Email your newsletter. Your list is free to reach, and readers have time to read over the holidays.
- Post on social media. Organic reels and teasers cost you time, not money, and readers are on their phones more over the holidays, not less.
- Set up your January. Get your next release, ad creative and newsletter sequence ready so you can switch ads back on in the new year with everything in place.
- Refresh your book pages. Update descriptions, check categories and keywords, and make sure your back matter links to your next book and your newsletter.
The bottom line
There isn't a single right answer. If your ads were barely profitable before the season, pulling back through late November is usually a safe call. If you have a holiday book, a winter trope or a long series with great read-through, the season can be worth the higher costs, as long as you're watching closely.
Either way, decide based on your own numbers, not on panic in an author group.
Want someone to watch your ads for you?
We run Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest ads for authors, from campaign strategy and ad design through to targeting and daily optimization. Ad spend goes on your own card with a budget you set, and you only pay us for our time. Take a look at our ads management service, or tell us about your books and we'll talk through whether ads make sense for you this season.