How to Publicize Your Children’s Book
How do you publicize a children’s book? Many authors of children’s books don’t spend much time trying—but publicizing a children’s book can be easier than publicizing an adult novel. Here’s how to get started:
Offer a fan club
Initiate a fan club based on your children’s book. Do monthly or quarterly mailings of educational material related to your book topic, or ‘news’ about the book or characters. You can even consider offering t-shirts, totes, and hats as part of the club’s benefits; each of these can be imprinted with slogans or illustrations from the book. You can set this up easily with no monetary investment at Café Press; see www.CafePress.com/publishinggame to look at our example.
And don’t forget the online component: Even young children are using the World-Wide Web today. A website for your fans—with information about the book, its characters, side stories about characters from the book, prologues or epilogues, a place for your fans to chat about your book—can help boost interest in your book.
Figure out a reading alternative
Sadly, not that many people attend book readings, even of children’s books, unless the author is already famous. So what can you do if you’re a good, but not-yet-famous writer? Design an alternative to the traditional reading. Your target audience (and their parents) will be interested in a nonfiction presentation or event just as much (or maybe more) than a reading—and you’ll likely sell more books as a result.
Do an event. Do a bookstore demonstration instead of a reading. If your book features an acrobatic, design a gymnastics event.; maybe you could even organize a gymnastics marathon as a charity event. If your book involves a child who cooks, put together a kids’ cooking demonstration. If you have a book about animals, consider organizing a petting zoo.
Do a dramatization or a game. Children’s mystery writers can create children-participation mystery programs, featuring the book’s characters. Children’s science fiction writers could do a presentation on how the ‘fiction’ in kids’ science fiction is based on today’s scientific reality.
Offer cameo appearances
Offer walk-on parts in your children’s book. There are several ways you could do this, including:
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A lottery where the winner gets a cameo appearance (and everyone gets added to your mailing list)
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A charitable enterprise, to raise money for a cause related to the topic of your children’s book
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A donation of a ‘cameo’ in the book to a charity auction or membership drive in an organization related to the topic of the book
Every child would consider himself lucky to be featured by name in a children’s book!
Go in character
Try going on radio shows and talk shows in character – and see what kind of response you get. No one does this—but someone should. Or walk around a busy resort town dressed as a character from your children’s book. Better yet, get a few kids to accompany you. Hand out promotional postcards or bookmarks with cute words of wisdom from the book. Remember—in promoting children’s books, as in promoting anything else, put something useful on the back of any postcard, bookmark, or flyer you produce, so that people will keep your material.
Implement any one of these ideas—and watch your children’s book sales take off.
(Interested in learning more about publicizing your children’s book? Find out more at http://www.PublishingGame.com/childrenreport.htm)
Fern Reiss is CEO of PublishingGame.com (www.PublishingGame.com) and Expertizing.com (www.Expertizing.com) and the author of the books, The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days, and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days as well as several other award-winning books. She also runs The Expertizing® Publicity Forum where you can pitch your book or business directly to journalists; more information at www.Expertizing.com/forum.htm. Sign up for her complimentary newsletter at http://www.PublishingGame.com/signup.htm
Last 5 posts by Fern Reiss
- Publicize Your Novel - April 17th, 2008
- 19 Ways to Publicize Your Book - March 24th, 2008
- Publicize Via Social Networks - February 11th, 2008
- Get More Publicity For Your Book and Business - December 5th, 2007
- Sell More Books to Libraries - October 22nd, 2007
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September 21st, 2007 at 11:48 am
Fern,
I recently just came out with my first children’s book, Ned Visits New York.
I agree book signings are a hard gig to do, you have to do something to create interest.
I took my children’s book - 8×8 and blew it up to a 20×20 book. By doing this it makes it more interesting and easier for the kids to see the book. It has actually become a great opening magic trick. I have the big book hidden under a black cloth on a stand. I then take the small book and put it under the cloth. With my magic wand I turn the small book into a big book. When I pull the cloth off there is a big book with the small book hidden behind the big book. Every time kids are wowed and It has been a great way to get their attention.
Another thing I recently did at one of my children’s book signings was to have a book signing at Meece Mouse’s favorite place, Murray’s Cheese.
(Meece Mouse is one of the characters in my book)
We announced the event as a grape juice and cheese tasting event, followed by Kip Cosson reading from his new book.
I had a great turn out, sold 25 books!! I was happy, the store was happy, everyone was happy!!
I agree with you that you need to keep it fun and exciting to get people’s attention!!
Thanks,
Kip Cosson
http://www.KipKids.com
September 23rd, 2007 at 5:33 pm
I wrote and illustrated Billy Goes to the Moon, when I was between 15 and 16 years of age. It came out of hiding recently, and my son who loved it, suggested I self publish and go the distance so kids can enjoy my experience. I now need some help in finding out how to market the book. I would like to know what the next step is. I hope there is someone out there reading my message.
Thanks ,
Diana Epstein
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:14 pm
I self-published a children’s book for kids with life-threatening peanut allergies (”Peter Can’t Eat Peanuts”). While it’s been doing fairly well on Amazon.com, I’d love to get more publicity for it because there are millions of children with peanut allergies in the US and Canada who will benefit from having this book. My question is: When a niche is this targeted (which in turn results in a geographically scattered fan base that makes in-person appearance sales difficult), what is the best way to publicize? Thanks!!!
PS: I’ve contacted Associations relating to food allergies for possible joint ventures, but no return contact from any yet!
October 21st, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Hello Fern
I have several childrens stories that I have writen over the years.
This all started off when my Granddaughter first returned home to live with her father after a horrid time with a mother with a life of abuse. She was 6 years old.
She had nightmares every night, and to help her settle and go back to sleep I began to tell her stories.
The stories are for children from birth to about 6-7 years old and range from Fairies to Clown Fish and a Grandfathers Chest.
Over time my family and friends insisted that I write the stories down on paper.
The stories are stilll popular with any small child that stays with my family.
It would be a dream come true to publish any of these stories.
Can this happen for a 60 year old grandmother who now love to sit and write stories for children?
How can I start, and can this all happen in Western Australia, without costing me all my savings?
Any help would be wonderful.
Thank you and have a wonderful day
Valerie
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Dear Valerie
I am getting my book, ‘Ice Palace’, self-published by a company in Sydney named Little Steps Books. I have found them to be quite affordable and professional.
Good luck and kind regards,
Nora Jones
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Just like “Diana Epstein” said in one of the comments above, I too have written and illustrated a childrens book when I was 11. I too recently found it around the house and reading back on it, I think it was very well done and alot of children would enjoy reading the book. It’s already all made, written, illustrated and even bound with homemade tape and glue. I would love to revamp this model, edit it, re-illustrate the drawings and make it look perfect. I would like to start somewhere…any help would be appreciated.
Cheers.
January 21st, 2008 at 9:35 pm
It’s a LOT of work to get your illustrated children’s book out there, especially if you don’t have big advertising dollars out there backing you! It will be one year since my first book, “Maggie Seeks the Kingdom of God” was published, and I actually took “Pre-orders” for the book before it was even hot off the presses. You need all the momentum you can possibly get!!!
Mine was obviously a Christian book, so I contacted churches, children’s ministries, Christian preschools and schools, and actually walked the books into bookstores, quaint little craft and antique stores, etc. to get my book out there! I spent some upfront money on some fantastic posters and 1,000 bookmarks (which I ran out of!) and I even ran a writing contest where the winner in each age category won a gift card at a Christian bookstore and of course, their own personal signed copy of “Maggie!” GREAT PR!
I was invited to guest speak at churches and even a public school event. THESE are fantastic opportunities to get your book out there, and although people say that sales are so great at these and not to expect much, I’d say it’s actually a good thing, and I would have done more, had I not been so busy with my five small children! Maybe on the next book!
I also spent money on newspaper ads, a website (check it out: http://www.AngelaHaysMoore.com) and complimentary ads were provided me by a few church newsletters. Pastors were fantastic help and they became essential in book sales. I had 300 books when I started, and was out of stock in less than 2 months after I had the book in hand! It was a great experience and if you’re thinking of self-publishing, investigate and research it thoroughly; be realistic about how much time and money it really takes; and then live your dream! I’d do it again. Really.
I think the most interesting part was receiving emails and letters from all over the world (even Australia, Africa, and New Zealand) and hearing how people heard about “Maggie Seeks the Kingdom of God” and a little about them! Quite FUN!!!!
Hope this helps and encourages you!
Best of luck and many blessings,
Angela Hays Moore