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!

Bring on the Swag! Marketing Your Picture Book ~ by Patricia Toht with Hazel Mitchell

The months to the release of my first picture book are ticking away, and the pre-pub panic continues. But of all the things I need to do, I may have the best handle on promotional materials, due in large part to advice from author/illustrator Hazel Mitchell.

Hazel Mitchell with the real Toby

Hazel has visited the GROG before, upon the release of WHERE DO FAIRIES GO WHEN IT SNOWS?, just one of the books she has illustrated. Today she drops by to tell us about TOBY, her first book as author and illustrator. Below, Hazel reveals the promotional efforts that helped propel TOBY's terrific sales. (Read through to the end to discover just how terrific...)

Hazel: TOBY, published by Candlewick Press, is my first book as both author and illustrator. 

I've illustrated many books as collaborator, but the first "solo" gig is pretty special. In this crowded marketplace and with publishers' marketing budgets somewhat limited, I wanted to do my best to give TOBY a good start in life.

I've always tried to do some promotional giveaways with previous books - posters, postcards, bookmarks, stickers. I'd give away a copy of the book and prints of artwork, and I'd make activity sheets and booklets to give at signings. But this time, I wanted to do more.

Toby's 'Hollywood' photo

Toby (the real dog - my book is based on him) already had a good following on social media, mostly Facebook. Several months before the book came out, I started up a Twitter account for him, too, tweeting about his life and his book, in readiness of the pub date. I live way out in the sticks of Northern Maine, so it made sense to utilize social media to spread the net wide.

Encouraging pre-orders was not something I had addressed with previous books. Folks need an incentive to pre-order, and I felt that a poster or something wasn't going to cut it. I wanted something special, but not cost-prohibitive.

So I planned a pre-order "swag bag" and started to think about what I could include that would be appealing, yet within budget. 

How cute is this?!

Here's the thing - for every swag bag I sent out to someone who pre-ordered the book, I knew I could ask them to share a post or photo.  The power of the visual is everything! With the swag bag, I included a note thanking them for pre-ordering and asking politely if they could post a review at Amazon or B&N or Goodreads, too.

In return for these favors, I wanted people to feel excited about the Toby swag. As an illustrator with a graphic design background, I could design many items myself and print them at home. I'd already decided on some items that I wanted for future book signings, so I ordered larger quantities which dropped the overall cost per item. 

Collector's edition TOBY stamps

I also wanted to include a few higher cost items that the recipient wouldn't be able to get at any other event. I decided on a 'collector's edition' USPS first class stamp of Toby and a fridge magnet.

Here's what I included in the package:

• Read to a friend poster (made/printed by me)

• Toby Treats recipe sheet (designed by Elle Jauffret/printed by me)

• How to draw Toby sheet (made/printed by me)

• Coloring sheet (made/printed by me)

• Toby bio sheet (made/printed by me)

• Postcard (7¢ each)

• Bookmark (7¢ each)

• 4 stickers (44¢ for the four)

• Button (23¢ each)

• Temporary tattoo (11¢ each)

• Fridge magnet (40¢ each)

• Collector's edition 1st class stamp ($1 each via Zazzle)

• Signed bookplate (made/printed by me)

• 'Hollywood' signed Toby postcard (made/printed by me)

• Postage ($1.52)

I put everything in a good quality polythene baggie, sealed with a paw sticker, and mailed it in a good quality envelope (with a Toby sticker and rubber stamp paw print on the front).

I estimate the cost of each to me was $4.50, including S&H.

Oliver with his Toby button

I had NO IDEA how many people might pre-order! But I knew from experience that only a small percentage of people who saw my post about it would actually order. But many more would read about TOBY. I could also have limited the deal to 'the first 50 people' or similar. I also had no idea if it would make a difference! 

I posted the swag bag deal online about 6 weeks prior to publication and people started ordering before I had even posted what would be in it! 

It may seem like a lot of money to spend on a giveaway that is in no way covered by royalties per book. But that's not the point. Here's what it did for me:

It made lots of people instantly aware 

that TOBY was on the way, 

and they shared their photos on social media. 

Ava and Toby postcard

I sent the swag bags out a couple weeks before the book published. People were already sharing their pictures online and helping to raise awareness of the book (dogs wearing buttons, children with swag, etc.) More people pre-ordered! When the books arrived, another slew of photographs were posted. It was wonderful to see!

In all, I sent out about 80 swag bags. It was a lot of work for sure - time spent stuffing bags, making envelopes, mailing. But I loved sending something to people who would be excited to receive and save the goodies.

The pre-order excitement really did help with the visibility of the book - with bloggers, librarians, bookstores, and media. I invested time and effort, and roughly the cost of a small advertisement in the press, and in return increased TOBY's visibility exponentially. I will never know the number of people the pre-order promo reached, or how many it influenced to buy TOBY. But here's a concrete computation: TOBY went into 2nd printing after only 2.5 weeks of publication! I like to think that all of the hard work I've done on promotion helped toward that, and I know my publisher thinks so.

Hazel's six quick tips on swag:

1) Decide on a budget.

2) Tie it in with your book. Is there a special hook or theme?

3) If you're not an artist, find a friend who is and barter with them.

4) Search for the best deals on printing and items. Look for vouchers on coupon sites.

5) Whatever your budget, try to find a meaningful item that the reader will covet. (It could even be something homemade!)

6) Google "swag bag" online or on Pinterest for lots of great ideas.

Thank you, Hazel! What a brilliant marketing effort!

Readers, you can find Hazel's website here.

Find her "website-within-a-website" for TOBY here.

Connect with Hazel on Facebook.

Follow Hazel on Twitter.

To see the Toby Treats recipe sheet, click here.

I'll leave you with a final photo of the Toby fan in our house:

Author Branding by Tina Cho

What’s Your Brand? 

This post originally appeared on my critique group's blog, Pens & Brushes. We, Groggers, felt that the Grog readers could also benefit from this information. I hope it's helpful!

Recently an agent asked me what my author brand would be. The problem is that I write in topics all over the place. I write whatever stirs a passion. It’s hard to nail down a brand.

So I decided to do some research on branding. When I hear the word brand, I think of my two kids who debate over which athletic brand is better: Nike or Adidas. When we go out, they like to look at the shoes people are wearing. Nike vs. Adidas. But the take-away for me is that the kids associate Nike and Adidas with athletic quality.

So what does this have to do with being a writer?

According to an article on Huffington Post, “Why Every Writer Needs an Author Brand,” it states that your brand is a promise you make to your readers. “You’re promising your audience a particular kind of reading experience, and you shouldn’t let them down. From project to project, maintaining continuity in your voice as a writer is vital to building a successful author brand and establishing a strong fan base…Genre typically comes first, and branding follows after. Your brand will exist within the genre you’re writing in.” 

When you hear the name Mo Willems, do you immediately think of Pigeon, Elephant & Piggy? Funny books for the very young? When you hear the name Grace Lin, do you think of children’s books with Chinese characters? These two authors have built a brand.

Grace's new book coming in October!

 So how does one build an author brand?

Kimberly Grabas, author of Quick Start Guide to Building Your Writer Platform, states, “Your brand stems from who you are, how you want to be known and who people perceive you to be.” 

So I sat at my computer and thought. What kind of stories do I write? I looked through my collection of picture book stories + one novel and work-for-hire products. What theme or topic stands out? (to be revealed at the end)

Nina Amir said in the article “6 Branding Tips for Writers and Authors,” to determine this, consider:

·         the types of writing you want to do

·         the subjects about which you want to write

·         the types of stories you want to tell

·         the themes you want to cover in your work

·         the ways in which you want to serve you readers

·         the clients or customers you want to attract

·         the spin-off books (sequels or series) you would like to publish

·         your values

·         your interests

·         your passion

·         your purpose

One of my critique groups was talking about branding this week. Writing friend Carrie Finison said, “In the musical world, I think of brand as the type of music I expect to hear when a band puts out a new album. Some bands/musicians have a very distinctive sound, while others are a bit more versatile, while still remaining in the realm of a certain musical style. I wouldn't expect Coldplay to produce a jazz or classical album, for example - that doesn't mean that they wouldn't use jazz or classical elements in a song.

In terms of companies, brand generally means what type of items I expect that company to produce. Apple makes computers. Would I be surprised if they started selling speakers? No. Would I be surprised if they branched out into a line of beverages? Yes. That's not their brand.”

Since I write a lot of nonfiction + fiction + Korean themed stories + American stories, another writer friend Hannah Holt helped me state it this way. DRUM ROLL…

My brand might be: an informational text and humorous fiction writer with an American/Korean fusion.

Let me know YOUR brand and what you think of this branding idea in the comments!

Twitter for Writers Part 1 by Tina Cho

Got tweets? If you're on Twitter, you know what I'm talking about. If not, I'll try to convince you to join. If you're already using Twitter, that's great, because I'm going to discuss how writers can use this social media in many ways.

For those of you who are new, Twitter is a social media program in which you connect with people, and it allows you to type a message of 140 characters to your followers, called a "tweet." When you make an account, you are given a Twitter handle, which is like your address for people to send messages to you. Author/illustrator Debbie Ohi has a wonderful "Twitter Guide for Authors and Illustrators." And author/illustrator Katie Davis has a podcast "A Beginner's Guide to Twitter."

Twitter has many benefits for writers:

• Connect with other writers, illustrators, and book reviewers. Once you connect with someone, your new friend's followers might also connect with you.
• Read great information about the craft of writing and be directed to blogs and web sites.
• Promote your blog posts. Once you tweet about your post, someone else can re-tweet (share) your post. Then your blog post tweet is automatically shared with their followers, which could be hundreds to thousands of people with one click! So Twitter is an extremely fast way to share information.
• Stalk Follow agents and editors. You can find out a lot of information by following agents and editors that you're interested in submitting to. Sometimes they'll tweet their wish list. You can read their likes, dislikes, whether they have kids or pets, even their religious preferences.
• Write to your favorite authors/illustrators. For example, I found out that Rosemary Wells was coming to Seoul, Korea. I signed up for her lecture, found her Twitter handle, and messaged her that I looked forward to meeting her. She tweeted back! The famous author of my children's Max & Ruby books! Messaging a person on Twitter is easier than messaging someone you're not "friends" with on Facebook. Here's another example of a class that tweeted to an author.
• Practice pitch writing. There are pitch contests on Twitter for writers to type their 140 character pitch for agents and editors to see. It teaches writers to explain their premise in few words!
• Participate in Twitter chats with publishers and agents. They'll usually announce the date, time, and hash tag for the chat. One recent Twitter chat/party is #WeNeedDiverseBooks.
• Check these hash tags. (#) A hash tag will tag a tweet to categorize it. If you search under #MSWL, you will see posts that show the "Manuscript Wish Lists" of agents and editors. Try these others: #querytip, #pubtip

I hope those benefits convinced you to use Twitter or to tweet more! I hope to see you online. My Twitter handle is @TinaMCho.

Join me Friday, May 9th, as I interview Corey Rosen Schwartz about how she uses Twitter to promote her books and communicate with readers.