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Self-Publishing and Promoting a Children’s Picture Book
Publishing, especially self-publishing, and promoting a children’s picture book go hand in hand. Although today’s traditional publishers leave much of the promotion to their authors. And a children’s picture book has its own niche audience. Actually several niche audiences, which I will get into. Some aspects of promoting a children’s book are different from promoting adult fiction.
Learning about Self-Publishing and Promoting a Children’s Picture Book
Whether you self-publish on Amazon or Lulu, or one on the other self-publishing sites, it’s on you to get the word out. Or, to hire someone to do that for you.
There are several book gurus that offer advice and others that offer paid advice and help. I learned from several of them during online summits or webinars. Once you sign up for one, you will probably hear about others, or from some of the speakers at the summits.
Then there’s the various book e-newsletters. You can sign up to have your book promoted in their newsletters that they say have 1000’s of subscribers. And you can pay to have your book highlighted, or listed among the first to be seen. Be choosy and do some research. I have had a lot of supposed book newsletter promoters contact me, but they are scammers. They have odd email addresses or just use a gmail account which isn’t professional.
If your book is on Amazon, sign up for GoodReads as an author and fill out your author profile and list your book with an Amazon link. Amazon offers various ways that you can advertise your book.
There are several Facebook groups for children’s book authors. Be choosy and engage with other authors if you sign up. Be aware that scammers lurk on those sites. Do your homework before paying anyone.
Promoting a Children’s Picture Book to and through Barnes and Noble and libraries
If you want to have your book in Barnes and Noble and have libraries order it, you need to publish it on IngramSpark. You can have your book on Amazon, too, but they won’t order it from Amazon. Self-publishers usually have to physically contact the manager of the local Barnes and Noble and make a pitch. Some are more willing than others to work with local authors. Some will schedule a book reading and signing and others may even let you set up a table and display for a day. From feedback from those who have had success with Barnes and Noble, they physically go in with a copy of the book and ask to speak to the manager. (Call ahead to verify they are there.)
You also pretty much have to contact libraries on your own. You may end up giving them a book, but it may result in an invitation to read and do a book signing, maybe giving a portion of the sales to the Friends of the Library or however the library directs. The publicity is priceless and you may also send a notice to the local paper or post on the local Facebook page that you will be featured at the library.
This goes for being at Barnes and Noble, too.
Promoting a Children’s Picture Book to Niches or Categories
It’s obvious that children don’t buy books, adults do. So you have to attract the attention of adults in several categories: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, teachers, etc. and promote to gift niches: birthdays, Christmas, Hannukah, other seasonal celebrations, and interest niches such as dogs, cats, cars and trucks, sports, fairies, princesses, dinosaurs, etc.
Promoting a Children’s Picture Book to and through Schools
Some preschools and elementary schools do allow children’s book authors to read their books and do presentations and sell books. Some schools, or their PTA’s even pay for the presentations. You need to come up with a plan, a presentation, a display, and a contract. You may also want to prepare book order forms for pre-orders so you can bring in already sold books with your autograph.
It’s not recommended to go to a school without a contract. Having a contract ensures that everyone knows what the expectations are and parameters. Some schools may want several presentations to several classes. Others may have one large presentation in the auditorium. One like that may require you to prepare a slide or flipbook presentation for a screen.
Some may or may not allow you to sell your books onsite, but will allow order forms and pre-orders.
Promoting a Children’s Picture Book through Your Website and Social Media
If you don’t have a website, create one. Or hire someone. And capture emails through it so you can promote future books to your readers. Add a media kit and/or About the Author/Publisher to your website. Also include a blog or use one you have to update your readers on any book signings or other news. Use your current social media or sign up for them specifically for promoting your book(s.)
Promoting a Children’s Picture Book with Handouts
Handouts include: business cards, postcards, flyers, bookmarks, stickers, and coloring pages. It’s important to have your website and/or a link or QR code to where people can buy your book on any handout.
The larger items such as the flyers, bookmarks and coloring book pages can catch people’s attention when you set up a table at a bookstore or fair or community event. Some children’s authors offer free crayons with the coloring pages at their table.
Whenever I’m out and about I carry a business card with my name, company name, website on one side, and an image of my children’s book, and a QR code to the book on Amazon. If/when someone asks me what’s new, I mention my book as I pull out a business card. I am working on a coloring book and will soon have coloring pages available. To date I’ve mostly done one on one promoting rather than participating in an event.
Some of the local stores and businesses that I buy from allow me to leave my business cards for their clientele to pick up.
Promoting a Children’s Picture Book through affiliations
I volunteer for several organizations. Before one committee meeting was called to order, I announced that I had just published my book and handed out my business cards. I also had a copy of the book for people to look at. That generated some orders.
I sent notifications to my college alumni association and to my alma mater, and each published a notice, one in their newsletter, the other in their magazine. At an alumni luncheon, I offered a copy as a door prize and sold autographed copies, giving a portion of the proceeds to the alumni club.
My neighborhood association that offers business memberships and publishes a newsletter included an article about me, and my book, and the ties that book and I have to the neighborhood. I can promote my book at the association’s business mixers.
Self-Publishing and Promoting a Children’s Book takes Time and Patience
Expect a lot of drafts and rewrites. It’s not only getting the story down, but pacing it and fitting it into 32 pages in a way that makes sense. Many times I thought I was finished only to realize something was off. Or a Beta reader caught and error or made a suggestion which improved the story.
One issue was about having the background colors always the same on the spread, or left and right pages, while flipping through the book. For the ebook, it didn’t matter, but for the print, it did. I discovered a grey background (for nighttime) on a left hand page opposite one with a blue background (daytime.) It was a little jarring. Luckily I discovered and corrected the color before approving the final proof. I also discovered that the type of paper that you choose makes a difference and upgraded my orders from IngramSpark.
Then when I was going through a writing summit, one presenter offered suggestion to improve my cover. Well, that spilled over into changing the color scheme of the interior, which involved more revising and more hours.
As you are finishing your book, and readily for launching, ideally you are also setting up your promotions. So you are doing a lot in tandem. There’s a pre-launch, launch, and then continuing to promote. Having early success doesn’t ensure continued sales. Other books come along and take away any momentum. Promoting doesn’t stop. Learning doesn’t stop.
I hired someone to help with launching my book about six months out, and about seven months out, as I’m writing this, I’m still working on building sales on Amazon and other online outlets as well as in-person venues. It’s not “set it and forget it.”
Self-Publishing and Promoting a Children’s Picture Book: Don’t Do It Alone!
Lastly, it takes a village to birth, publish, and promote your book. Recruit friends and allies to read and give feedback. Join at least one author’s group, whether in person or online.
Find trustworthy experts or companies to assist you. There are several tiers: those that can help you with workshops that vary in price, and those that offer a variety of assistance from soup to nuts, depending upon your inclination and budget.
However, it’s best NOT to pay someone a lot of money to publish your book for you. Odds of it being a bestseller and recouping your investment are poor. And you may end up with boxes of books that you have to hawk yourself.
There’s lots of free information out there and modestly priced programs available. Amazon itself offers guidance on setting up your book and publishing it. You can upload your documents to Amazon and IngramSpark yourself. And you can order however many copies you want from either of them, and not be forced to buy large quantities.
All for now…check back for more information about my journey to self-publishing and tips and pitfalls.
