Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Marketing a Picture Book in a Pandemic ~ by Patricia Toht

Authors and illustrators dream of the big day that their new book launches. They plan bookstore and school visits. They invest in swag and educational materials. Excitement builds as the day nears.

But this year? BAM! A pandemic hits!



So, what can you do to market a book in the time of Covid-19? 

With schools out and bookstores closed, social media is a lifesaver.
Meet Lisa Katzenberger, SCBWI-Illinois' Social Media Coordinator:

Lisa is a former freelance technical writer and social media manager, who now writes for children. She lives near Chicago with her husband and two children.

Her new picture book, NATIONAL REGULAR AVERAGE ORDINARY DAY, illustrated by Barbara Bakos, is released by Penguin Workshop on June 23rd. With Lisa's background, I knew she'd have some ideas about marketing a book in the time of a pandemic.


Q: It's pretty overwhelming to think about launching a book right now. What's the first thing you did when you found yourself in this situation?

Lisa: Honestly, I held a little pity party for myself. I moped. I whined. But after a few days, I put on my big girl pants and started to brainstorm ways to promote my book online. I reached out to friends for help, and people replied with support. I now have three virtual events planned for my release, and a few more in the works.


Q: Are there any ideas that are still feasible for working with bookstores and schools?

Lisa: I read my book to both of my kids' classrooms via Zoom. I did an intro, then shared my screen to display a pdf of the book so they could see it better, and read it to them. Afterward, we did a Q&A. It was a good reminder that you can do school visits, and on a smaller scale (class-sized), so you can give the kids more attention. I'm also working with a publicist to do virtual story-times through independent bookstores.
Lisa, meeting with a class, in pre-pandemic times.
Q: With the various possibilities for promotion, which are ones that you feel will give you more "bang-for-your-buck" (and time)?

Lisa: I'm doing a virtual book launch through The Writing Barn, and they are partnering with an independent bookstore in Austin, Book People. It's a fun way to celebrate and gives people an easy way to order. I can do everything I would do in a live event (except hand out treats!), and I can bring in more people virtually.

Q: Are book giveaways worth it?

Lisa: I don't have enough data to know if they're worth it yet, but they sure do make me feel good! I'm doing them through #PBChat on Twitter and the Debut Review Challenge. It's easiest to partner with someone else who already has a good system in place for handling the giveaway.

Q: What's your preference - Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram?

Lisa: I've been marketing my book on both Twitter and Facebook. I have a wider audience on Twitter, and have the support of author friends who retweet my posts. I try to always include a cover image and a link to buy my book. I use Canva to make a graphic that is properly sized for Twitter. The example below is how I shared a review for my book. 


Thank you, Lisa, for this wonderful information!

Here are a few more ideas:

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all ways of connecting with your audience. 
  • Try an attention-grabbing trailer, like this one by Michelle Schaub, or this one by Suzanne Slade.
  • Do a special countdown or series of focused posts. Eileen Meyer continues to focus on Abraham Lincoln facts to promote her book, THE SUPERLATIVE A. LINCOLN.
  • Add links to activities and/or educational materials. Check out Jarret Lerner's offerings. 
  • Always tag your publisher, illustrator, and key groups!

Magnify your message.
  • Form a group of others with new books, either a formal one like @Perfect2020PBs (Lisa is in this group), an ad hoc mix of friends with similar titles, or join forces with others in your publishing family.
  • Check in with your publisher to see what they are doing. If they are sharing content on their websites, too, that doubles your message. 
  • Offer a giveaway, and add a condition to your draw - ask people to follow you, retweet/share, and/or tag a friend to enter. This will build your audience.

Look for Lisa's book, NATIONAL REGULAR AVERAGE ORDINARY DAY, on June 23rd. You can pre-order it through your local bookseller, IndieBound, Amazon, and B&N. Her next book, IT WILL BE OKAY, publishes on February 1, 2021.




Find out more about Lisa here:
Website - www.lisakatzenberger.com
Twitter - @FictionCity
Facebook - Lisa Katzenberger Author
Instagram - @lisakatz17

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


WINNER ALERT!


The winners of the May 13th GROG post by Garden Girl are
KIM P. and ELIZABETH SABA!

If you haven't already been in touch, you can reach Suzy at sleopold (at) gmail (dot) com.

Congratulations!

27 comments:

  1. Great tips! We need to be especially creative these days! Thanks.

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    1. Thanks, Tina! I hope they'll be of use for your launch of THE OCEAN CALLS and MY BREAKFAST WITH JESUS. Best wishes for your new books!

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  2. Hi Patty and Lisa, a timely post that will really help authors w/new books. Thanks for all the tips.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy! I hope your writing is going well!

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  3. Love to see how creative these tips are and thrilled to be picked for one of those gorgeous bookmarks!

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  4. Thanks for the post. We certainly have to be creative to launch a book this year❤️

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    1. So true, Janie! By writers and illustrators are creative by nature, so we've got this!

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  5. Great post, Patty and Lisa! Such helpful information about switching gears and fully utilizing social media. Bravo!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen! You are definitely one of the adaptors. I've fixed the link to your Twitter account so that people can see your great Lincoln tweets.

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  6. Thanks for reading everyone. Wishing great success to all!

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    1. Thanks for all of the terrific ideas, Lisa. Fingers crossed for a super virtual book launch with the Writing Barn and Book People!

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  7. Thank you, Patty, for this timely information! What's more, these tips will still be helpful when things become (more) normal again.

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    1. So true, Julie! We could all use great ideas for marketing, no matter the circumstances.

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  8. This is good info and seems quite doable for book launches. Thanks for all the creative ideas for marketing. Way to go, Patty and Lisa.

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  9. Lisa, you are always so full of great marketing tips and so generous with sharing them. Thank you! Patty, thanks for sharing my trailer for DREAM BIG, LITTLE SCIENTISTS too!

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    1. Great trailer, Michelle! And proof that authors can make their own trailers - you did a terrific job!

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  10. Congrats, Lisa, on rising to the challenge! And thank you for sharing your tips. I think that we're going to be doing virtual events for a long time. See you round the barn!

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  11. Great post, Patricia and Lisa! Good list of things to thing about.

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  12. Thank you, Patty and Lisa, for these terrific tips and links! Timeless information!

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  13. Thank you for all of these resources Patricia and Lisa!

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  14. Thank you Lisa and Patti for sharing many creative ideas for picture book marketing.

    Suzy

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  15. "NATIONAL REGULAR AVERAGE ORDINARY DAY". What a wonderful, clever and funny title :)

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  16. Great and helpful post, Patti. My book came out in March, and I've been scrambling to reach readers -- you've offered some good ideas!

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  17. Thanks for these tips and congrats on your release!

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