Do you go to conferences that are focused on your audience,- i.e. kids and nature, or kids and space - that kind of thing? And if so, do you sell books there or give them away?
Yes! Since I have a book called ECLIPSE, and the solar eclipse will cross the US on April 8, I am doing several school visits. I charge a professional fee to speak, and they sell books. Some school districts don't allow book sales - fine. But I'm still paid to speak. Other schools are enthusiastic about putting books into kids' hands, knowing that it will benefit them. They use grants or special funds to purchase some books, and also offer individual sales for kids.
For one event, a university used grants and special funds to purchase 500 books to give away to kids. So, the kids are getting the books free, but the university bought the books from me.
Yes, you need to be with your audience when you can. But you should NEVER lose money on it. You're a professional writer and should be paid both for speaking and for book sales.
Excellent post, as always! I was just pondering the Edelweiss option because it reaches librarians. I'm trying to decide if my books--and new release--are at the right stage for the IndieReader coop. Do you have rules of thumb for making this call? Or is it basically always a good idea, i.e, groundwork that needs doing regardless? https://indiereader.com/product/ir-storeedelweiss-digital-review-copy/ I decided to go see "what Darcy Pattison wrote about this" and found this brand new post. Thanks!
For my books, Edelweiss has become less effective over the last year. And I hear rumors that NetGalley will get you more actual reviews. Shrug. Your mileage may vary! But I'm backing off of Edelweiss for now.
Series v. single books just means you have different things to talk about. In the series, you'll talk more about the big sweep of a story, or the themes that hold the series together, or the characters that struggle with some big issue throughout the series. In a single book, it may be more specific. But both could benefit from seeding conversations with the Author's struggles, inspirations, etc. Each book or series will demand its own set of discussions!
Hi Darcy,
Do you go to conferences that are focused on your audience,- i.e. kids and nature, or kids and space - that kind of thing? And if so, do you sell books there or give them away?
Yes! Since I have a book called ECLIPSE, and the solar eclipse will cross the US on April 8, I am doing several school visits. I charge a professional fee to speak, and they sell books. Some school districts don't allow book sales - fine. But I'm still paid to speak. Other schools are enthusiastic about putting books into kids' hands, knowing that it will benefit them. They use grants or special funds to purchase some books, and also offer individual sales for kids.
For one event, a university used grants and special funds to purchase 500 books to give away to kids. So, the kids are getting the books free, but the university bought the books from me.
Yes, you need to be with your audience when you can. But you should NEVER lose money on it. You're a professional writer and should be paid both for speaking and for book sales.
Darcy
Excellent post, as always! I was just pondering the Edelweiss option because it reaches librarians. I'm trying to decide if my books--and new release--are at the right stage for the IndieReader coop. Do you have rules of thumb for making this call? Or is it basically always a good idea, i.e, groundwork that needs doing regardless? https://indiereader.com/product/ir-storeedelweiss-digital-review-copy/ I decided to go see "what Darcy Pattison wrote about this" and found this brand new post. Thanks!
For my books, Edelweiss has become less effective over the last year. And I hear rumors that NetGalley will get you more actual reviews. Shrug. Your mileage may vary! But I'm backing off of Edelweiss for now.
Darcy
Thanks, Darcy! Good to know.
Love this so much!! Solid advice! Thank you! 😍📚🎉🙌
Thanks for all this. Would you use different strategies for series vs single books?
Series v. single books just means you have different things to talk about. In the series, you'll talk more about the big sweep of a story, or the themes that hold the series together, or the characters that struggle with some big issue throughout the series. In a single book, it may be more specific. But both could benefit from seeding conversations with the Author's struggles, inspirations, etc. Each book or series will demand its own set of discussions!
Darcy
Thank you!! Gearing up for a fall launch and not a little overwhelmed… appreciate it.
Good luck with the launch! Think WOM, WOM, WOM!
Darcy
Thank you!!!!