On timing, timeliness, and time anxiety: will your book still be relevant when it comes out?

My response to one of the most common author fears: OH GOD, THINGS ARE MOVING TOO SLOWLY AND I'M LOSING MY ONE CHANCE AT SUCCESS, AREN'T I.

Last week, a Neon client asked me how much “timeliness” matters for book sales. He wanted to figure out how much authors like him should worry about publishing their books contemporaneously with relevant anniversaries, news cycles, trends, etc.

Oh, Mr. Client, I am so glad you asked! Here’s my blanket answer:

When it comes to book sales, “timeliness” is almost never important.

At least not per se.

If I could tenderly excise just one teeny tiny idée fixe from authors’ brains, it would be this. Authors’ timeliness fears are so common, so huge, and so irrelevant to most of their success. Including you, probably. Yes! You! For real.

OK, there are some cases in which a book’s publication timing matters. Publishers will likely agree with your sense of urgency and push for a “crash schedule”¹ if your book falls into one of these categories: