I learned a lesson the hard way last year when I neglected to contact a bookseller during spring break. The consignment manager was quite upset that I hadn’t capitalized on spring break week and done a couple of book signings. New to book promotion, I hadn’t even realized this was a great book marketing opportunity.
This year, I located the school districts within my immediate area and found out when their spring breaks were. Of course not all districts and school divisions have the same week off. I managed to book two signings at bookstores in the local malls during spring break weeks on the Saturday just as spring break starts, and went a step further and contacted a few schools.
The friday before the break is usually a slow day, and the librarians welcomed the opportunity for an author visit. I will take both my children’s books, Little Blue Penguin, and McKenzie’s Frosty Surprise, and read to 3 groups of students from K – 4. I’ve prepared book order forms and hand-outs telling of my book signings at the bookstore the next day, and will give those out immediately following my reading to the children. This might help drive traffic to the store signing, especially when reading to over 100 children.
Be sure to check with each school prior to delving into the book order form specifics. Most teachers are happy sending the forms home with the children following a reading, and if contacted well in advance, the parents can also be invited to come to the reading. I have found some schools who do not want to get into the specifics of having students bringing money to school to purchase books. It is a big responsibility for the teachers to collect monies and ensure that the appropriate child gets a book to take home. It is okay to work with the librarian and come to a solution that fits both needs.
This is just one idea for book marketing that seems to be a win-win situation all around for schools, book sellers and the author.
Tags: Author Readings, book marketing, book promotion, bookstore signings, children's books
