This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, andif done rightwill make the rest of the process infinitely easier. This is a book about better thinking, better doing, and better measuring when it comes to marketing your business. For children s book marketing whether print or ebook marketing services its almost always best to start locally. The book is educational in that it exposes young children between. Explore your future through our page dedicated to the indie publishing life, or find out. Book on marketing 2020 the marketing book jm internet. Marketing books for children katie shares a lot of tips in her new book for adults how to promote your children s book. I would be happy to hear your suggestions for other resources. A sample marketing plan small publishers have a limited budget for marketing, and every dollar has to have impact. Rick works closely with authors to create custom, robust book marketing.
Determine who will be interested in your subject and why. Writing, illustrating and marketing books for kids with. In the second of three posts in this series, allis childrens author advisor karen inglis shares valuable advice gained from the booksellers childrens conference on how to sell books within the challenging market of children aged under, notoriously difficult to reach. Six powerful ways to market childrens books 30 day books. Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. Because there are many different ways to promote a book, and authors have limited time and budgets, its important to put together a written book marketing plan and prioritize your book promotion tasks. Sample book marketing plan outline a book marketing plan is a blueprint for selling your book. Creating a hospital marketing plan that meets hospitals business objectives. By following in the footsteps of those who have succeeded before you, you can create a focused and effective book marketing plan that will get people snatching up your masterpiece. Its an innovative marketing concept, one wholly appropriate for childrens picture books. Create a coloring book coloring books are more popular than ever. Children are different from adults, and marketing childrens books is quite different from marketing any other book genre. Creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to selfpublish.
Your book marketing plan for distribution setup guide. How to market a children s book effectively requires a specialized approach. Think outside of the box when considering a possible target market. Children will enjoy reading my book while learning valuable lessons about stranger danger. Thats why weve collected this years best marketing books to help you grow your business and gain the edge over the competition. If you only had 21 days left to live, what would you want to accomplish before you go. Dont let all of the work on a marketing plan go to waste because you didnt hire a competent editor. Rick lite of stress free book marketing, is a seasoned book marketing professional with over years of experience in the industry. Authors of selfpublished children s books, in particular, have their marketing work cut out for them. Three keys to marketing childrens books ingramspark. You, the author, should assist in the marketing of your book in some way.
However, its not usually the children who buy your books its their parents. Or, use the contact form below and well help you devise a book marketing plan all of your own. A simple plan generally contains your approach for the following. After youve read this article, youll be ready to release your beautifully crafted story book to the world, to your loved ones, and most importantly, to those special little ones in your life. How to create a book marketing and publicity campaign. Ricks expertise comes from tirelessly working on new and innovative ways to market his own books and cds with his company and parent company, stress free kids. Crafting any hospital marketing plan is a nearimpossible task. Promoting your book takes careful planning so you get the most out of your time and effort. Online and offline promotion strategies to build your audience and sell more books stephanie chandler on. The problem is that the majority of the book marketing strategies online focus nearly entirely on the adult market. Looking for a creative marketeer with experience in marketing books to help develop a marketing plan for a new childrens book the idea is to self publish and market mostly online using seo,ppc, facebook advertising etc to drive traffic to the website to encourage customers to buy for their children target market mainly mums of children aged 2 5 need an innovative plan that. First, children s books are the only type of book where you arent marketing to your ideal reader. Keeping up with industry news and blogs is helpful, but if you really want to get indepth information, reading the top marketing books is still one of the best ways to do it.
When you are marketing a childrens book, the book itself must do the heavy lifting. Authors looking to make events part of their marketing plans. Tailor your marketing plan to attract those individuals. Authors of selfpublished children s books, in particular, have their marketing work cut out for them, as promotions for these titles have to essentially appeal to two distinct groups. To sign up for the hustle smarter, not harder webinar series, go here. Marketing childrens books is quite different from marketing any other book genre, but by watching others and planning, you can do it. Marketing selfpublished children s books is an interesting task, different from the marketing of a regular book for one sole reason. Since children dont buy books, you have to market to adults. Children rarely enjoy listening to smooth jazz, reading the newspaper, and going out for coffee with friends. But i firmly believe that no one will find the best way to market childrens books without experimenting. The book is educational in that it exposes young children between ages four and seven to different cultural communities in canada. Marketing plan summary the summary is written last and may include the following key items. Its not necessarily more difficult, but more diverse and customized in approach.
You dont have to spend a lot of money, and a reputable publisher wont ask you to pay them to market your. Authors who set up some personal market tactics to execute, whether standalone efforts or those in tandem with their publisher, sell more copies. Selfpublishing and marketing books for children with. As previously mentioned, marketing children s books can be difficult. Childrens books have some unique opportunities when it comes to marketing and pr.
So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when i receive a small percentage of sales if you. As with any marketing program, children s books need exposure in media where target audiences are present. Teachers like having authors visit in person or through skype. In this post, we offer up dozens of book marketing ideas that you can steal for your own promotional efforts. Ways to market your childrens book my book illustrator. Susan raabs column on marketing children s books in the scbwi bulletin, which you will find archived at the website of her children s book marketing company, raab associates. Childrens books require specific book marketing skills. It may be just a few extra steps to get a version of your book in coloring book. After finally getting a book published, many authors find that the hardest part wasnt actually writing the book or getting it into print. If youve dreamed of having your book in bookstores, enrolling in the traditional distribution program at mill city press, where your book marketing plan for distribution will be presented to book retailers and wholesalers, is a great first step but enrollment in traditional distribution doesnt guarantee your book will be picked up. You dont have to spend a lot of money, and a reputable publisher wont ask. Children s book marketing is unique when compared to other genres. Having seen and been involved in so many book launches ourselves, we know what works and what doesnt when it comes to book marketing well walk you through a playbyplay of exactly what you need to do so that your readers can find your book and buy it.
The following is a marketing plan developed for a new collection of childrens bedtime stories called goodnight canada. Each chapter teaches a marketing task by, first, explaining. On marketing, karen talks about copywriting, optimizing keywords on her blog, about her author website. Multipublished author and journalist shares the stepbystep process to write nonfiction book like a pro. Developing a marketing plan for your family child care. How to prepare and implement it luther, william on. This, in my experience, is the most problematic aspect of childrens book marketing and something ive yet to nail or test properly. In this article, well craft and plan an igniting and highpowered marketing strategy that will set you and your book up for success once its time to launch it into the.
Children dont have much to spend on books but if they like one of your free books, its most likely they will buy others. Once again, social media is not used often enough when it comes to marketing childrens books. In this case, it means moms, dads, grandmothers, and grandfathers. The ultimate book marketing timeline for indie authors. If you sell childrens books, you are actually targeting parents and not children, if you sell legal publications you. Small, independent publishers sometimes ask for a marketing plan as part of the submissions package. Childrens book authorsillustrators great childrens. Promotions for these titles have to appeal to two distinct groups. Prepare your book marketing plan and you will realize your book sell like gold. That is the first, most essential step to marketing your book.
Everything i know about book marketing is now available in the amazon bestselling book. This book will lead you stepbystep to a practical marketing plan for your business, both online and off. Read about our childrens book marketing strategies that can help separate your book. Childrens books lend themselves to highenergy interactions with young readers. Find out who your book appeals to, get to know those people well, and be where they are, both online and off. What you should know and think about before beginning your marketing efforts. She has targeted specific book bloggers but this is a longterm and longtail strategy, as you cant control the timing of their. The best way to market a childrens book is to get it in front of children and. Reach out to bookstores, both chain and independent, and inquire about opportunities for events and signings. Purpose of the marketing plan brief description of the business. Children s book marketing programs are often developed for parents and grandparents the people who buy books for younger members of their families. In this fivemodule virtual training program, youll get a handson learning experience and create your own customized marketing plan. Childrens book marketing is the most important element there is after you write a childrens book so, there you are, drained from giving your blood, sweat and tears to write the next great american bestselling childrens book, but whats this.
A marketing plan details the approach you intend to take to promote your book. Create your childrens book marketing plan article research. Because kids dont buy their books, you have to reach parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians. The program includes book marketing advice specifically for fiction, nonfiction and children s books. How to create a hospital marketing plan with healthcare. Parents are extremely busy and im conscious of not wanting to add to their todo list unless i have something of genuine interest to share. This book teaches the think do measure method of marketing. After that just follow the plan, make adjustments when necessary, and listen to your readers. Dont be fooled by the smaller number, penny takes it back to whats truly important when marketing a book, starting with my alltime favourite tip, be consistent. A beginners guide to book marketing author resources. Create marketing materials set up an author website. Congratulations, now youre a selfpublished author with your book floating around in the world.
When marketing other books, you take into account what your readers will be. That means that your book marketing campaigns must be created with the adult in mind, not the child. Kids love authors and illustrators and they love to ask questions. Children s books have some unique opportunities when it comes to marketing and pr. Every publisher and literary agent will tell you that responsibility for the success of your book rests heavily upon you, its author. However, to introduce and sell your title to your target market and, crucially, keep it in their line of sight you also need a robust marketing plan. The principal challenge is to satisfy the numerous and diverse internal demands, and to do so with finite and often shrinking resources. How to use the polarities of marketing to craft the best plan for your book. Im seeking help in marketing my book to get exposure. Choose from one of our wellrounded book marketing packages.