Conferences, Festivals, Bookfairs and Other Opportunities for Writers to Eat

Our MFA in Writing and Literature team spent the week in Denver at the annual AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference. This got me thinking about the value of conferences to writers, and – a blog post is born!
There are essentially two different types of conferences that children’s book authors should be aware [...]

Marketing Mondays #10 – Social Networking 101 for Children’s Book Authors

This topic is WAAAYYY too big for one little blog post (which is why it’s a 101 as opposed to a 500).  That said, for those of you who are wondering if social networking applies to children’s book authors, the answer is a resounding YES.  These days, if you’re not leveraging the power of social [...]

Marketing Mondays #9: Re-Purposing

Question: How can you turn one book into multiple sources of income, and continue to promote the original book at the same time?
Answer: Re-purpose it!
Re-purposing means converting the content from your book(s) into as many other formats as you can. Could your book make an audio book? An E-book? A web game?  Is there [...]

Marketing Mondays #8: Agents and Publishers

Two of the most frequently asked questions I hear from aspiring authors are: “Do I really need an agent?” and “How do I get one?”
The answer to the first question is: Ideally, yes. Agents handle everything from submitting your manuscripts to publishers, to negotiating contracts  and overseeing royalty statements, in exchange for which they take [...]

Marketing Mondays #5: Gotta Getta Website!

You knew this was coming (and hopefully most of you have already done this): You must have your own website.
Even better is to have a website for yourself as an author, and one for each of your book projects. The URL (web address) for your own site should ideally be your name with “.com” after [...]

Marketing Mondays #4: Products and Promotional Materials

Last week we talked about identifying and reaching out to your niche, or your target audience, and not relying on your publisher to do so for you. Another thing you should not rely on your publisher to do is create promotional materials.
Over the years, we have designed and/or made our own bookmarks, postcards, posters, [...]

Marketing Mondays #3: What’s Your Niche?

OK, it’s not Monday, but the holidays have intervened. That said, let’s talk about niches.
Having a niche means being known as “The Person Who Writes X,” as in “Oh, that’s the person who writes those talking truck books” or “That’s the person who writes those steamy vampire novels.”  When you have a niche, you can [...]

Marketing Mondays #2: Put Your Best Foot Forward

Most publishing houses make acquisitions decisions by committee.  Having been a fly on the wall at a lot of those meetings, as well as having made acquisitions decisions myself, I know that agents, editors and publishers often won’t read past the third page if a manuscript feels overwritten, under-developed, overly derivative or out of touch [...]

“Marketing Mondays” #1: Know the Market!

It’s been said that we all run at least two businesses – the business we’re in, and the business of marketing the business we’re in.  Writers are often daunted by this.  “I’m an artist!” we think, “I don’t know anything about marketing, or sales, or business!”  Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work.
Step [...]

“But I’m a Writer, Not a Salesperson!” or, Intro to Marketing for Authors

The role of a children’s book author in the marketplace is dramatically different today from what it was even ten years ago. Books are now acquired based as much on an author’s perceived “platform” as on the merits of the book itself.  In other words, authors are now expected to take equal responsibility for the [...]