How to promote and sell books
Response to Illoguild Question 16: “Can illustration pay the bills?”
Book promotion is a HUGE part of being a children’s book author/ illustrator. This matters whether you're self-publishing or being supported by a prestigious publisher - you always have to do your part in ensuring your book reaches its audience!
As a children's book illustrator, my primary source of income comes from selling books. I’m going to share both my personal experiences and the wisdom I've gained from more seasoned authors and illustrators.
I earn money through royalties from book sales by the publisher (usually 5-10% of the sales price) and by purchasing books at a discount and selling them directly to my audience. While I may be a newbie in the field, with only two books currently on the market, I firmly believe in the power of sharing knowledge and learning from one another.
Some other great news - I have been selected to be published in ‘Our Australian Heart Anthology’ to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. You can pre-purchase a copy here.
This month, the illoguild question is “Can illustration pay the bills”.
Discussing money can be awkward and challenging at times, that’s why we have decided to tackle this topic together and hope to demystify it.
Members of the illoguild all answer the same question as each other every month.
To generate income as an illustrator, two crucial aspects come into play: having a remarkable book to sell and implementing effective strategies for promoting and selling it. In this edition, I will focus solely on the latter, providing insights and tips on how to make your book more discoverable and easily accessible for potential readers.
So lets get to it:
Social Media.
Social media is an amazing way to connect with parents, teachers, and caters who might love your children's book. It's important to build a strong online presence. Create fun and eye-catching posts that showcase your book's highlights. Remember to include a purchase link in every post for easy buying. I like to use Facebook and Instagram for sharing updates, behind-the-scenes content, and interactive activities related my books.
Encourage others to talk about your books
Encourage others to post about your book on running social media contests or giveaways, or creating dedicated hashtags.
User-generated content boosts your book's visibility and also generates excitement and word-of-mouth marketing. Consider reaching out to parent bloggers, book influencers, podcasters and bookstagrammers to review and promote your book on their platforms and ask readers to review your book on online sales platforms.
I was thrilled to see that Mia’s Glamma received a stellar review from this Children’s Book Academy. Amanda wrote: “The illustrations bring out Mia’s Glamma in her best possible way. Her exquisite facial expressions drew me in, each smile and wrinkle has a story of its own. The little twist at the end, in the illustrations, will leave you smiling.”
It was totally unprompted, which is the absolute best.
We also did a Little Shark Lulu give away by @ Julieannegrasso_mgmavens
Back cover of Mia’s Glamma and Little Shark Lulu Book Launch(es)
It’s a fantastic way to create buzz and generate interest and a fun excuse to get together with friends. Organize an event that aligns with your book's theme and target audience. Engage children through interactive activities, live readings, and book-related games. Invite media people, parents, teachers, and influential figures from the children's book industry to attend the launch.
You can also generate excitement by offering exclusive discounts or giveaways during the event and again make sure books are on sale.
We did a book in Sydney and Brisbane for both Mia’s Glamma and Sydney Brisbane and Perth for Little Shark Lulu.
School Visits
Partnering with schools is an effective way to promote your children's book and it’s so much fun to connect with the kids. My sessions are interactive sessions, with readings, and activities.
Sometimes the school arranges the sales of books prior to the event and I normally include details on how to purchase my books on the activity sheets.
Book Store Visits
Book readings provide an opportunity to connect directly with readers and their parents and generates sales. I love doing this and have my next reading of Mia’s Glamma lined up at Harry Hartog in Bondi Junction in November. I’ll post details on Instagram.
You can also just go into bookstores, introduce yourself, sign some copies (they normally put a ‘signed copy’ sticker on).
All of this helps to get your book more shelf space and face outwards on the display, a little trick that helps with sales.
Library Relationships
Contact local libraries and offer to conduct storytelling sessions or readings. The normally have a budget for this. They will advertise your event to their audience, you can encourage people to purchase your books and sometimes you can even sell books at the library. I ran a school holiday workshop on Little Shark Lulu at the Waverley Library last school holidays. They were thrilled with the turn out and signed up 5 new memberships. They have asked me to come back for the next school holidays.
And all of this is to sell more books!!!
So make sure that it’s easily available to purchase!
These are some steps I’ve taken:
Getting my books into stores. This meant contacting book stores and gift stores directly and asking them to sell my books.
When I host an event (reading, school visit), I make sure books are available to purchase (I have cash for change or a way to take electronic payments through tyro)
I make sure my online links are working and pricing is correct (Due to an error Little Shark Lulu was originally showing as $50 on online book sellers 😱)
When I post online about my books, I include a link to purchase it or send people to my bio which has a link to purchase.
Marketing children's books requires a multi-faceted approach that leverages various channels, including social media, book launches, school visits, book signings, and readings at libraries. By utilizing these strategies you can effectively promote your children's book, connect with your target audience, and boost sales.
It’s about creativity, persistence, and building relationships within the children's book community.
Talking about sales and money can feel awkward, but if we all talk about it hopefully it becomes less so and helps improve the industry for all of us. Please let me know your thoughts on this and please share any of your tips.
Also please share this newsletter with anyone who has a book on the market or is thinking of getting into the industry.
Thanks for reading and sharing!
News
I was selected to have an illustration published in “Our Australian HeART” by Just Write For Kids Australia and Friends. It’s a special edition hard cover anthology celebrating the diversity, life and colours of Australia, as showcased by various local artists and illustrators of children’s books.
A percentage of book sale proceeds will be donated to The Indigenous Literacy Foundation – assisting with funding and literacy opportunities for Indigenous children and families living in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
I will be reading Mia’s Glamma and doing related activities at Harry Hartog in Bondi Junction Sydney in early November - I’ll announce the details on instagram
Mia’s Glamma has been travelling the USA. I brought a copy to my friends daughter who’s name is Mia- she said “I cant believe you wrote a book about me”, but the best was when her grandmother said exactly the same thing 😂
If you would like to see what I am working on or where I’ll be doing my next reading, follow me on instagram.
If you would like to find out more about Little Shark Lulu or Mia’s Glamma - visit my website.
Please leave a comment and let me know where you find inspiration or if my inspiration sources are yours too. Or just say hi 👋 I love meeting readers of this newsletter.
Thanks for reading and being part of this community 😊
The illoguild a group of illustrators from around the world, and we meet every two weeks to chat online about our illustration and kidlit adventures. We've found that answering the same question together each month really sparks our creativity and accelerates our growth! We're excited to share some of our insights and golden nuggets with you in this newsletter. We're all about growing our community and supporting each other's growth. If you want to see what other topics we've covered, just click on the link.