Compare Marketing of Two ECLIPSE books

Finding Your Own Path to Market

There’s No “Right” Way to Market

The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse prompted several children’s books, including my book, ECLIPSE: HOW THE 1919 SOLAR ECLIPSE PROVED EINSTEIN’S THEORY OF GENERAL RELATIVITY. Today, I’m joined by Jayme Sandberg, author of TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: A STELLAR FRIENDSHIP STORY.

I talked about marketing ECLIPSE here, and today, Jayme will talk about her marketing journey. I think the conclusion will be that there’s no RIGHT way to market; there are only options. Both of us were successful, just in different ways.

Jayme’s book reached an overall ranking of #6 on the Amazon store, an amazing feat. Mine climbed the charts, but not that high! However, I sold hundreds of books through grants, a more behind-the-scenes sort of feat that fits my introvert personality.

Compare the Solar Eclipse Books and Authors

AUTHORS: This was Jayme’s first book, Darcy’s 70th.

PUBLICATION DATE Jayme published just in time for the solar eclipse. Darcy’s book published four years ago as part of a series of science books for kids. Her marketing story is about taking a backlist book back into the light.

GENRE: Jayme anthropomorphizes the sun and moon, so her book is informational fiction. Darcy’s book is nonfiction about a historical event, research surrounding the 1919 total solar eclipse.

STRENGTHS: Jayme is outgoing and has a background in marketing; Darcy (as you know!) is an introvert who hides in her cave.

Re-read Darcy’s story and then read on to compare the experiences. When you decide how to market your book, take the parts that inspire you from each story and try to incorporate into your own marketing. There’s no “right” way to market; there’s only putting books into the hands of kids in whatever way makes sense.