PICTURE BOOK FOCUS Pitch to PUBLICITY & MARKETING (Part 5)
If you’re submitting a book for publication at a traditional publishing house you will have heard people say how important it is for you to have honed your pitch and to know and understand the unique premise of your book. But why is this so important and how does this influence whether a book is acquired and ultimately considered commercially successful? In this series of blog posts we will look at the different roles in children’s publishing and how your book’s hook is key for each one.
For a picture book a KEY element is how to get the word out about the book to drive sales. After all, publishing is a business.
The Sales and Marketing Departments are important partners in helping to deliver this strategy. They are the teams who help to spread the word about your book!
At acquisitions, the Marketing and Publicity teams will carefully consider the book’s hook and offer up ideas for creating a campaign to make the book visible to consumers.
Very few books
have a big enough budget to warrant advertising and paid promotion in bookshops,
which falls into the Marketing team’s remit, and so Publicity can often make a
huge difference.
Here are some key questions the Publicity and Marketing teams might ask at the point of acquisitions:
• What is
the main audience for the book and where are they going to be looking to buy
the book? For example,
is it a book for main retailers like Waterstone’s, a gift book, or a commercial
book that would be good to pitch to WHS and supermarket retailers? Is it a book
that works for educational markets and library suppliers? Where are your readers likely to hear about your book? Since picture books are bought by adults, the campaign must reach them (as opposed to MG/YA books, where young people have the buying power).
Your HOOK will help them to identify who is the key audience.
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| For DANCE JUST LIKE SO! by Annemaire Anang and Natelle Quek, the publisher, Five Quills created a banner that the author could take along to bookshop, festival and school visits to promote her new book and bestselling debut, I AM NEFERTITI. |
• Is the author or illustrator available to do events? Having a picture book creator who is keen to promote the book by doing bookshop, library or school events is really important to help raise the profile and visibility of the book. There is a direct correlation between those who get out and about and meet their audiences and increased sales.
In order to pitch an author or illustrator to bookshops, libraries, festivals and other events, your HOOK helps the Publicity department to differentiate you and your book amongst other publishers pitching for similar slots.
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| Author Snezana Danilovic is a yoga teacher so her yoga-themed books are perfect for festivals and school events filled with activity and fun! YAKS CAN DO YOGA and DON'T BE GRUMPY, MONKEY! by Snezana Danilovic and Sandy Thornton |
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| Based on the main theme and hook of his book, PINK TRUCKS illustrated by Cory Reid, Sam Clarke's publisher, Five Quills, developed a template for a 'make your own pink truck' that Sam could use for school visit events. (with thanks to Sam for this photo) |
• What are your book’s themes? Are there any holidays or other events to which it could be linked? For example, many retailers run special face-out promotions tied to events like Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year or Father’s Day or times of the year like back-to-school. Marketing and Sales might pitch for these slots if they have a strong hook.
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| I LOVE CHINESE NEW YEAR by Eva Wong Nava and and Xin Li is perfect for sharing around Chinese New Year celebrations. (with thanks to Eva for this photo) |
In turn, Publicity might pitch for window displays in independent bookshops or supermarket tie-ins around these celebrations. Or they might pitch your book to a review magazine or online blog that is running a feature or interview that aligns to your hook.
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| For DANCE JUST LIKE SO! by
Annemarie Anang and Natelle Quek, Publicity organized several
opportunities for Natelle to decorate independent bookshop windows. So
colourful and fun! (thanks to Natelle Quek for the photo) |
Finally, Publicity will consider if there are any particular awards or initiatives for which you might be eligible, some of which are themed.
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| The Read For Empathy initiative is a great showcase for books that promote empathy. |
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| Each year the libraries run a themed Summer Reading Challenge. Having a book included in this collection is a great publicity opportunity to drive sales! |
• What kind of online profile does the author or illustrator have? A big part of creating a buzz for the book is often pre-and-post publication posts on social media. Publishers will often create a ‘cover reveal’; illustrators can post ‘behind the scenes’ images of the book in development; school visit posts are popular; and of course anything to tie in with the main theme or HOOK of the book!
Publicity will want to
collaborate with the author or illustrator, so it's important to have a
clear hook and to be committed to marketing your book.
In the example below, author Sam Clarke worked closely with Publicity
to come up with ideas to create a buzz about his book, PINK TRUCKS,
illustrated by Cory Reid, which is about a boy who wants a pink truck.
 | |
| As a teaser for his book PINK TRUCKS, Sam Clarke created an Instagram reel linked to the hook . . . |
 |
| . . . and then the cover reveal! |
Publicity will most likely organize a mailing campaign targeted at key reviewers and bloggers or instagrammers. Being able to feature the author and their story – WHY they wrote the book for example, or why they are passionate about this particular theme – and tap into the book’s HOOK is key!
A personal experience, connection or interest can sometimes mean they can tap into unique communities to reach buyers there.
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| Bookstagrammers will create posts and review books online to spread the buzz about new titles that they think their audiences will enjoy. |
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| COTTON CLOUD REFUSES TO RAIN by Elizabeth F. Hill and Hannah George was part of a blog tour including Story Snug to promote its themes of empathy and the importance of rain and taking care of our Earth. |
Without a clear hook, it is challenging for Publicity to pitch your book amongst the noise of all the other books that are being published.
So, what do you need to consider in terms of your book’s pitch when it comes to Marketing and Publicity?
· Let your editor know that you are prepared to promote the book and what kind of outreach you feel is achievable for you. Share any connections that will help to promote the book, for example, if you know your local librarian or independent bookseller (if you don’t, go and meet them!).
• Start building
your online presence early. Build a website and/or social media presence where people can learn about you, discover your books, find out about your events and contact you.
• Get training on how to market your book (the SCBWI-BI runs an excellent Book Launch Bootcamp annually). Ask published authors and illustrators in your community if you can shadow them when they do an event or attend local bookshop events to see how it’s done!
• Let the editor know WHY you wrote the book – what was the nugget behind the story and does it tie-in with a personal experience or interest?
· If your book has a specific HOOK audience and promotional possibility be sure to pitch this to the editor. Let them know about competitor titles that sit alongside it so they know where the book will sit in the shops.
Wrap it all up nicely,
and remember the EDITOR and the PUBLICIST and MARKETING TEAM are your champions. They are on your side!
*Header image: Ell Rose and Tita Berredo
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