The sweet spot between too early and too late?

Rockaway, March 21st, 2025

I’ve been booking gigs for myself and others since the mid 90s AND STILL I am frequently bamboozled as to the the right amount of lead time to request a gig. The sweet spot between, “You’re too late” and “We’re not booking that far ahead yet. ” Obviously, it varies from territory to territory/ venue to venue. Europe largely at least 6 months? US though often somewhere in between 3 -6 months? Just different for everyone?Thoughts on best practice?  I’m working on booking some new to me places right now, hence the question.