Publicity Tip #91~

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As a first-time author you might find yourself quite enthusiastic about doing guest blogs on topics you love (and finding a way to weave in mention of your book) to help publicize your new book while still keeping your budget in check. What you need to make sure of is that you don’t just walk into anyone’s house (blog) to take advantage of their “open door” policy: guest blogs, reviews, interviews, book spotlights, etc. You need to canvas the neighbourhood to make sure it’s the right fit for you and your family (of books).

I spent a lot of time in my early days finding awesome “general” blogs that had a great following according to Alexa.com. The problem was, I needed to spend a little more time checking out the real estate before buying in. Regardless of whether or…

A few years ago, my sister in agent-hood Pat Zietlow Miller asked if I would take a peek at her manuscript. That manuscript turned out to be the newly-released WHEREVER YOU GO. I immediately knew it would be a beloved hit because of its lyrical text and universal theme, but once Eliza Wheeler signed on to illustrate, I became certain her art would exponentially elevate WHEREVER YOU GO into the stratosphere. (Don’t you wish we had flying cars to take on that trip?)

Since this blog loves to talk about how ideas originate, I asked Pat and Eliza a few questions about the path to this book’s publication. (Get it? THE PATH???)

Pat, what was the genesis of WHEREVER YOU GO?

This book started when I was at work and a few lines of random poetry popped into my head:

Over a hill, under a bridge, deep in a dale, high on a ridge …

I…

by Tammi Sauer

Psst. Hey, you there. Yes, you. Do you want to wow an editor with your next picture book manuscript? Great!

It only takes one thing. Come up with the next Fancy Nancy, Olivia, or Skippyjon Jones. Editors are wading through their slush and/or agented submissions in the hopes of finding an irresistible, can’t-put-down, character-driven manuscript. They want manuscripts that make them feel something and a great character can do just that.

Examples of strong characters in picture books:

OLIVIA by Ian Falconer
Olivia is a feisty little piglet who has too much energy for her own good.

FANCY NANCY by Jane O’Connor
Nancy is very into fanciness whereas her family is not.

SKIPPYJON JONES by Judy Schachner
Skippyjon Jones is a little kitty with a big imagination.

A PET FOR PETUNIA by Paul Schmid
An exuberant Petunia wants, wants, wants a pet she really shouldn’t have.

DINOSAUR VS. BEDTIME by Bob Shea

I’m a bit of a sucker for infographics (if you take a look at some of my Pinterest boards you’ll get the idea!) and when I saw this one, I thought it was worth sharing.

All of the tips sound simple and straight-forward enough – the most successful approaches usually are the easiest – I think success with these comes from consistency and doing them in a co-ordinated way. If you put the effort into a book launch, make sure your online presence reflects this and ties in…is it on your blog, Facebook and being promoted on Twitter with good links between them so your audience find the right feature? And rather than just pushing the event itself, think about sharing with people what it’s like organising the event – what has been fun and exciting, what has been challenging – is it what you expected? In general, people seem…