I was privileged to be at the Wisconsin SCBWI conference at Green Lakes, WI last weekend. It’s always a thrill to meet people who are working on children’s books, and especially those who want to bring books to market themselves.
The biggest question I’m asked is this: How do I market my books.
Um, I don’t know. It depends.
Depends on what?
Let’s talk about that in depth. The first question is, “Who is your audience?” That is the basis of everything else you do for your publishing program. I know: we want to start with a story that we want to tell and want to publish. But that’s focusing on you and your writing. OK, that’s easy to do! We hide in our caves for months and when we come out, we are shocked that we have READERS!
But those readers must be your focus when you move to publishing and marketing. WHO would buy your book? Grandparents, parents, teachers, librarians, kids? Where can you find them? At craft fairs, online stores, catalogs?
So, let’s build this.
What Do Others Publish?
Penguin has many imprints! A couple years ago, I went through the imprints and copied what they said about their publishing program. (They may vary today.) Here are some of these statements.
Nancy Paulson Books: Nancy Paulsen Books launched its first hardcover list in Fall 2011. The imprint publishes approximately thirty books a year and focuses on picture books that are eye-opening and empowering, and fiction from diverse and distinct voices, especially stories that are inventive and emotionally satisfying.
Razorbill: Dedicated to young adult and middle grade books. We are committed to taking risks and exploring new ways to tell stories.
Puffin: One of the most prestigious children’s paperback publishers in the United States, Puffin Books was founded on a strong literary tradition and a commitment to publishing a successful mix of classic children’s fiction and the best new literature. Over the years, Puffin has transformed from a small, yet distinguished paperback house, into one of the largest, most diverse, and successful children’s publishers in business, publishing everything from picture books to ground-breaking middle grade and teen fiction.
Philomel Books: Whatever the genre, Philomel strives to foster a love of reading in children and young adults. We aim to publish books that offer insight and new perspectives, and that show children what they can accomplish. It is an appreciation of story, of language, of books that can be read over and over and yet lose none of their magic that drives Philomel to make distinguished, meaningful books year after year.
Kokila: Kokila (pronounced KO-ki-la) brings together an inclusive community of authors and illustrators, publishing professionals, and readers to examine and celebrate stories that reflect the richness of our world. By centering stories from the margins and making space for storytellers to explore the full range of their experiences, we deliver books that inspire and entertain readers, and add nuance and depth to the way children and young adults see the world and their place in it. Kokila will publish work for children and young adults across all formats and genres.
Notice that they talk about 1) age levels or grade levels, 2) format - hardcover and/or paperback, 3) themes of books, 4) author demographics, and 5) inspirational descriptions of their books.
Here are descriptions from a couple indie publishers.
Blueberry Hill Books - Canadian publisher BlueberryHillBooks.com
Blueberry Hill Books was founded in the summer of 2004 with the purpose of creating leveled books for guided reading instruction. The Blueberry Hill catalog of books presently contains 105 titles from Level 1 (A) to Level 20 (L), plus our Level 30 book “What Does a Scientist Look Like?”; and two teachers’ guides containing blackline masters for center activities. Goal is to sell the full package of titles.
Notice that she is ONLY publishing guided reading instruction books!
Star Bright Books - StarBrightBooks.com
Star Bright Books is an independent publishing company dedicated to producing the highest quality books for children. Deborah Shine established the press in 1994 with the goal of making “Great Books for Great Kids.” (They are great for parents and other care givers too!) We recognize that to inspire a life-long love of books, it is important for children to begin building that relationship at the earliest possible age. We believe that all children should see themselves in print and we make a concerted effort to include children of all colors, nationalities, and abilities in our books. In addition to seeing themselves, children should also hear familiar language in the books they choose. In pursuit of that goal, we publish engaging books in twenty languages.
If Star Bright receives an order for 500+ books in a certain language, they’ll translate it into that language. This is a strong selling point!
Descriptions of your publishing program translate into sales! They focus your marketing efforts into strong, niche channels that you can reach easier and with a stronger message meant for that audience.
Writing Your Description of your Publishing Program
Write your description of your publishing program. Include 1) age levels or grade levels; 2) format - hardcover and/or paperback, ebooks, audiobooks; 3) themes of books, 4) author demographics; and 5) inspirational descriptions of your books.
Here are some suggested descriptive words:
boundless
daring
inspiring
eye-opening
funny
diverse and distinct voices
inventive
emotionally satisfying
literary classics
appealing commercial fiction
love of story
love of language that captivates
love of art that makes eyes open wide with delight
beckon to be read over and over and yet lose none of their magic
foster a love of reading
books and ideas that celebrate a child’s potential—indeed, human potential
high literary merit
fine design
kid-relevant
Fresh
transports young readers
Engaging
Entertaining
inspiring
lively
accessible
Strong voices
Unforgettable characters
Expands vision of the world
Sneakily explores the meaning of life
Celebrates the written word
Lasts for generations
taking risks and exploring new ways to tell stories
innovation
commitment to quality
You will need to come back to this about once a year to remind yourself of your commitments and goals. After publishing a few books, you may need to revise this.
Using your Publishing Program Description
One way I use the description of my publishing program is that I never publish for the preschool market. That is mostly parents or perhaps nursery schools. With parents, kids age out of an age-level reading bracket so fast. In 2-3 years, they have moved on to easy readers or chapter books. My program is better suited to marketing to elementary teachers and librarians, not parents. When I think about writing a new story, I won’t write that preschool idea because I don’t know how to reach those buyers.
I also use my publishing program description to answer questions like these, which help me focus my advertising efforts.
What awards are there for the type of books you want to publish? Do you focus on certain markets like book clubs or awards?
What else would make your books stand out in “today’s crowded market”?
If your books will appeal to teachers, what national curriculums would apply? Ex. Next Gen Science Standards (NGSS), Common Core Standards (CCS), etc.
KNOWN FOR? What kind of books/awards/comments/readers do you want your company to become known for?
Defining the Audience for Your Books
The statement also helps me answer questions about my audience.
WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?
The question of audience is crucial. Before you publish anything, you should have a clear understanding of your readers.
CHILD READER
Optional: Find a photo of someone who represents your best audience.
Age range:
Gender (if it matters):
Grade levels:
Reading levels:
Best subject area:
Family info:
Hobbies:
Five places they go online:
Social media preference?
Blogs, mags, review journals, etc:
List 5 other authors they’d love:
List other publishers they’d love:
List 3 books they may have read this year:
Favorite format – ebook (what platform), paperback, hardcover, audio:
Other information about your readers:
ADULT READER
NOTE: The average buyer’s age of children’s books is between 30 and 44. Females make up more than 70% of these buyers. Some of these questions will matter more than others to identifying your audience.
Optional: Find a photo of someone who represents your best audience.
Age range:
Gender (If it matters):
Income level:
Job(s):
Marital status:
Children?
Hobbies:
Five places they go online:
Social media preference?
Blogs, mags, review journals, etc:
List 5 other authors they’d love:
List other publishers they’d love:
List 3 books they may have read this year:
Favorite format – ebook (what platform), paperback, hardcover, audio:
Other information about your readers:
EDUCATIONAL MARKETS
What educational markets are right for your book(s)?
Common Core
NextGen Science/NSTA
Social Studies
NCTE
Math - Mathical Award
Music
Book Clubs
Other
NOW, write a statement about your audience. Include some demographic information, where they are online, and what concerns they have when choosing a book.
How do I sell my children’s book?
I can’t answer that until you do this work! Once you start to understand the type of books you want to publish, and identify your ideal readers, then you can start to identify the right places to market your book. The audience will also affect the formats you publish and sometimes, the type of printing.
For example, if you market to school librarians, you should go to state-level conferences of school librarians. If you market to elementary science teachers, you should go to the National Science Teaching Association confereences. And so on!
If you market to bookstores, you should consider offset printing your books to get the pricing right. Print-on-demand is harder to get the pricing right for bookstores. If you want to reach schools, you’ll probably want to put ebooks and audiobooks onto Overdrive/Sora.
Everything goes back to how you view your publishing program and your audience! Start there.