Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Book Promotion: Show Genuine Interest in People - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip # 13: Volunteer to read your book and talk about writing at your local library or writers' organization or a local non-profit that serves children and families. Your interest in writing, kids and families makes you more than a salesperson for your book—it makes you a salesperson for literacy, creativity and fun!

Picture: Sharing the platform at a local writers' organization with children's book authors Lois Harris, center, and Amber Keyser, right.

Going hand in hand with volunteering is my final promotional tip. Book Promotion Tip #15: Show genuine interest in people. Listen to their stories. Accept their invitations to lunch. Share your journey. Acknowledge theirs. Make new friends. Your friends will be your biggest promoters!

Book Promotion: Book a Partner - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tips #12 and #14. Partner with local businesses that sell products or offer services related to your book. If you are allowed to promote but not sell your book on their premises, create and sign bookplates to personalize and hand out as an incentive for future purchase.

Two of my most successful book events in the last few months didn't happen at a bookstore, though I did partner with local booksellers to make them happen. One took place at a movie theater and the other at a cupcake store, and in one of those places no money even exchanged hands--yet I count it as wildly successful.

Book Promotion: Facebook Is Your Friend - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip #11: Multiply your Facebook exposure by encouraging book buyers to post pictures of and comments about you and your book.

I stumbled onto this creative employment of my Facebook account, which I use as both a personal and professional page, when someone at one of my early book signings for A SISTER MORE LIKE ME asked if they could take a picture with me (dressed in my Story Queen regalia and holding my book, of course!) and post it on their Facebook page.

That was an easy question to answer! Through one post on someone else's page, I would reach an entire network of people I otherwise had no access to. These people, who had most likely never heard of me, would see their friend posing with "a real author." They would also see my book, and me having fun promoting it.

Book Promotion: Offer "Something More" - Barbara Jean Hicks

Provide take-aways at your book signings, including interesting marketing materials (Book Promotion Tip # 8) and inexpensive promotional items (Book Promotion Tip # 10).

Even if customers decide not to purchase your book, don't let them go away  empty-handed. First, display your business cards and postcards at your book signings. Make sure these important items are graphic, colorful and informative. Include information about other books you've written and services you provide.

Book Promotion: Getting People to Your Event - Barbara Jean Hicks

Today's promotion tip wasn't on my original list. I find that I'm learning a great deal as I move forward on this journey as a promoter as well as an author of children's books.

For some reason I've always been reluctant about contacting local media to promote my books or appearances. I've stopped being reluctant. It works!

When my local independent bookstore informed me that I was in charge of planning my own book signing/event--as well as promoting it--I was a little taken aback. I'd had those two great Princess Parties I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, both of them planned and advertised entirely by the booksellers, and I'd thought that's how it was done. I'm so glad now that I had to spend some time planning an event of my own--and especially glad for the ideas those two excellent booksellers gave me.

Book Promotion: Taking Center Stage 2 - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip #9: Make your book signing a capital-letter EVENT!

Last week we looked at the placement of your book signing table and the way you approach customers as important factors in taking center stage at your book signings.

But the real key to making sure your book signing is a success is to make it an EVENT, not just a signing.

Although I can't depend on booksellers to make an event happen for me, I've had some incredible mentors in a few great bookstores whose lessons I've been able to transfer to stores in which the booksellers didn't have the same kind of marketing savvy or simply didn't have the time to plan and execute an event for me.

Book Promotion: Taking Center Stage 1 - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip #7: Make the most of your in-store book signings.

I had one book signing, early in my children's book career, at which not a single person showed up. Been there, done that? Nothing can burst the balloon of excitement after the release of your first (or second or third or fourth) book like throwing a party and having no one show up. Not fun!

I've learned since that ill-fated day that I can't depend on booksellers to make an event happen for me--I must take responsibility. Fortunately, I've had some amazing mentors in a few great bookstores, and I've been able to carry the lessons I learned to stores in which the booksellers didn't have the same kind of marketing savvy or simply didn't have the time to plan and execute an event for me.

Book Promotion: Local Booksellers - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip #6: Make friends with your local bookseller(s).

I've made several out-of-state trips to promote my latest books, but I've also had a great time promoting them locally. A few tips based on my experiences:

Find out who owns your local independent bookstore, who handles book signings and events or who manages the department in which your book will sell. A website search should do the trick, or you can simply walk in and ask. Also find out who the manager and/or CRM (Community Relations Manager) is at your local Barnes & Noble bookstore. You might need to check with other authors you know who've had events in the store, or, again you can simply walk in and ask.

AN AMAZING SNOWMAN - Barbara Jean Hicks

I'm taking another break today from tips on book promotion--to promote my newest book!  My second FROZEN related picture book, AN AMAZING SNOWMAN, was released last week while I was on a book and school visit tour to Southern California. Here's a video a friend filmed at a book signing/FROZEN party at the Redlands Barnes & Noble. And though I'm using this post as a new book announcement, there's a tip embedded here--not one on my original list: Have someone videotape you in action!

AN AMAZING SNOWMAN: READING

Book Promotion: Say Thank You! - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip #4: Once you've announced your new book to the world via Facebook and email and start to receive congratulations, make sure to say thank you! Respond to Facebook posts; answer emails; make phone calls. Let everyone know how much you appreciate their support.

Of course you have friends you keep up with on a regular basis, but we all have lots of people with whom we don't stay in constant contact who nevertheless are people we like and enjoy. If those people like and enjoy you as well, they will respond to your book announcement. Take the opportuntity to check out their Facebook pages and make comments. Check in with old friends you hear from via email or phone. Find out what they are up to.

Because I've lived in many places over the last forty years and because geographic mobility is so common, I have friends all over the country I was happy to catch up with after I announced the release of my latest picture book, A SISTER MORE LIKE ME (Disney Press 2013).

Book Promotion: Seize the Moment - Barbara Jean Hicks

Book Promotion Tip #5: Seize the moment! Follow up immediately when booksellers and school/PTA contacts in your address book respond to your new book announcement. Are they interested in book signings or school visits? Better yet, when would they like you to come for book signings and school visits?

For my current book, A SISTER MORE LIKE ME (Disney Press 2013), I was able to coordinate enough school visits, library visits and bookstore signings for two trips to Southern California from my home in Washington State, and negotiated enough in speaker's fees to cover travel expenses plus some of the costs for promotional materials I'd already paid for.

Book Promotion Tips - Barbara Jean Hicks

Last week I posted pictures and a description of the party I threw to celebrate the release of my latest picture book, A SISTER MORE LIKE ME (Disney Press, October 2013). Every author knows a book launch party isn't just for fun--although that would be good enough reason for throwing one! It's also a great way to promote a new book.

Having a book that you've worked long and hard to see in print is celebration-worthy--and exciting! Don't be shy about your "baby." As you talk about it, your excitement will be contagious, and you'll find that many people will want to celebrate with you. Have a party. Invite everyone you know--old friends, new friends, people you do business with. Even those who are far away and can't be with you physically will want to be with you in spirit. Tell far-flung friends and family what time you'll be raising your glass and ask them to lift their glasses with you wherever they are.

Throw yourself a fabulous party--but don't stop there! Here's a list of my top fifteen tips for promoting and celebrating a new book.

A SISTER MORE LIKE ME - Barbara Jean Hicks

It’s been almost three months since the release of my sixth picture book, A SISTER MORE LIKE ME, from Disney Press. It was an exciting book for me, a project I was invited to do out of the blue by an editor from Disney who was a fan of another of my books, THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER KITTY. Disney’s animated feature FROZEN was in development, and they wanted a trade picture book featuring the characters in the movie. I was thrilled to be asked. (And yes, it’s a princess book. For a girl whose previous books featured monsters and a cat who dreams he’s King Kong, among other things, a princess book is truly a departure!)

The book’s release sort of sneaked up on me, perhaps because, due to the impending release of the movie, production time was half what it normally is for a picture book. The time from the invitation to write the story to the book’s release was less than twelve months—unheard of in my experience.