Hello Ellie – You’ll have fun! That’s one of the great things about being a kidlit author.

Authors who have been there and done that share their tips:

PICTURE BOOK AUTHORS

“Drawing kids in with an activity and sharing how it relates to the book has led to the most sales for me.” —Moni Ritchie Hadley

“The most useful investment I’ve made has been in a giant cardboard cutout of my character because it draws kids in and makes for fun photo ops. Kids are drawn to interactive elements like stickers or activity sheets, so I always bring those along.” —Tina Athaide

“Bookmarks are always a hit and I think worth the money. If I’m attending a school or library events, I like to have a postcard with my books on it and a handout of my school visit offerings. On the postcard, I like to link to my website with a QR code for more information. Having a sign-up sheet for my newsletter is helpful too!” —Amanda Davis

“Think carefully about which in-person book-selling events you attend. I do not do events where I have to pay a table fee because the math does not work out to break even.” —Tracy Gold

“Bring a spinning wheel where participants get a chance to win free giveaways. This will attract potential buyers to your table.” —Kobina (Kobby) Commeh

MIDDLE GRADE AUTHORS

“The illustrator for Battle of the Butts and Battle of the Brains (David Creighton-Pester) created and shared with me some fun coloring sheets, a word game, and a maze, so I print out those and spread them across one end of my table and sprinkle in brightly colored markers and crayons to lure in adorable kids.” —Jocelyn Rish

“I always bring a tactile item from the story—like beads from Orange for the Sunsets—because it sparks curiosity and conversation.” —Tina Athaide

“I always bring educational resources like activities from my educational guides stored in a couple of three-tier vertical document displays to give to teachers, librarians, parents and kids because it helps me connect and engage with event attendees; table space is so precious, and everyone loves freebies.” —Keila V. Dawson

YA AUTHORS

“The display needs to look good to a teen’s eye: book stands, decoration (topic-related), free candy with your business card stapled to it. Oh, and don’t be at the edge of the table—the angle makes it hard for some to see you. Also, if you have a dog, BRING YOUR DOG!” —Micky O’Brady

“The most cost effective thing you can bring is your brain and your outgoing personality. When someone strolls by ask them, ‘What do you like to read?’ If their answer has nothing to do with what you’re selling point them to an author near you who is a better match. They’ll return the favor. Yes, you need some kind of handout, but don’t spend too much money on them. Your profit margin on a book is small enough without adding too much to it. And remember to have fun. That’s infectious.” —R.S. Mellette

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN AUTHOR

“My biggest sales day ever was when a storytime at a beach bookstore completely failed. My kid was the only one in attendance! However, there happened to be a big art festival nearby. I set books out on a table on the sidewalk in front of the store and sold 50 copies in a few hours. As a picture book author who splits royalties with the illustrator, though, that means I made about $50 or probably less. If I divide $50 by 3 hours, that’s pretty close to minimum wage in my state. And that doesn’t count the travel time or costs! And that money just went into paying back my advance. Choose events that will spark joy regardless of whether you make money!” —Tracy Gold

IN CONCLUSION

These are some great tips! Try some out and then share what you’ve learned with others.

—Christine

HAVE QUESTIONS?

To ask a question that may be answered in an upcoming Kite Tales, please follow this link and fill in the form. Answers by Christine Van Zandt, children’s book author and owner of Write for Success Editing & Coaching Services.

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Photos courtesy of SCBWI SoCal and Ann Suk Wang.