Resources for book promotion (debut author/illustrator, outside of the US))

xin li

Hi everyone,
I followed the 3PP podcast and noticed that there are a couple of people asking about how to promote their books in the US, especially from debuting an illustrator/author, outside of the US.

My debut picture book coming out in Feb 2024. It is time-consuming to gather info. So I thought I start the discussion here and we can share resources, and put some lists together that might be helpful for everyone in a similar situation.

------- Awards ------
I was asked to fill out a form for the publisher´s marketing dept about my book. One of the questions was "Any awards or prizes you think your book may be eligible for?" The list I can think of is very short (especially for artists outside of the US):

EJK Award
SCBWI Golden Kite Awards
The Original Art Show (Society of Illustrators)
BolognaRagazzi Award
The AOI world illustration award

Does anyone know other awards that are eligible for artists outside of the US (and have a book published in the US)?

------- Bloggers/book reviewers ------
Will , Lee, and Jake mentioned reaching out to book bloggers/social media accounts with large followers that review picture books. I only follow very few book reviewers on IG (I have not been very active on social media in general during the last couple of years). Does anyone know more about book reviewers?

------- Podcastors ------
Jake also mentioned possible podcasts to reach out to. I listen to https://picturebooking.com

Now I listed out all I knew (the list is quite short). I felt ignorant about the industry. hehehe... Please help to expand the list!

BTW: I am really excited about my debut book! Every time I talk about it, my heart beats at a different speed. But having a book out in the US while living in Norway felt like raising a child long distance. I know my publisher will work hard to promote my book, but I really want to help out and do what I can remotely. Thank you so much, SVS community! For all the support all these years. My career really started in this forum My second illustration assignment (the first outside of Norway) was doing a podcast illustration for 3pp.

Jeremy Ross

Congratulations @xin-li!!! Can’t wait to see it.

Thanks for sharing your research! Would be cool if the publisher sent you to US to help promote for book tours.

Pamela Fraley

@xin-li Just curious if you have an agent that is helping with all this too? Do agents help with things like submitting books to potential awards? Submitting to those things is an interesting topic anyway. I wonder if you should ask the guys to address it on the podcast…

Melissa_Bailey

@xin-li Hi! Below is a list I compiled of some picture book bloggers and reviewers. It is not an exhaustive list -- I made it about a year ago so most are ones I follow on IG and/or that I think would fit my circumstances. Most should also fit your circumstances and I think that they are all still current. Hope this helps!

BOOK REVIEW BLOGS

The Children’s Book Review - https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com
Happily Ever Elephants - https://happilyeverelephants.com
The Book Report - http://www.thebookreportblog.com
Kids Lit Book Café - https://kidslitbookcafe.com
Nothing But Picture Books - https://www.nbpbreviews.com
Independent Book Review (only reviews MG – YA) - https://independentbookreview.com
Only Picture Books - https://www.onlypicturebooks.com
Beyond the Book Ends - https://www.beyondthebookends.com/?customize_changeset_uuid=
Midwest Book Review - http://www.midwestbookreview.com/index.html
Children’s Books Daily - https://childrensbooksdaily.com
Bobs Books Blog - https://bobsbooksnz.wordpress.com
Babies to Bookworms - https://www.babiestobookworms.com
Reading with Sarah - https://www.readingwithsarah.com
Big Books for Little Hands - https://www.bigbooksforlittlehands.com
Bookstacked (YA only) - https://bookstacked.com/request-review/
The Book Nanny - https://thebooknanny.com

BOOK REVIEWERS ON INSTAGRAM

Mrs. Walker Reads - https://www.instagram.com/mrswalkerreads/
Book Bloom - https://www.instagram.com/bookbloom/
The Little Book Collector - https://www.instagram.com/thelittlebookcollector/
Jen’s Book Talk - https://www.instagram.com/jensbooktalk/
Read With River - https://www.instagram.com/readwithriver/
Our Bookish Abode - https://www.instagram.com/ourbookishabode/
Oh the Books We Love - https://www.instagram.com/ohthebookswelove/
Little Librarians - https://www.instagram.com/little.librarians/
Little Biblio - https://www.instagram.com/littlebiblio/
Sharing the Shelf - https://www.instagram.com/sharing.the.shelf/
Houston Library Finds - https://www.instagram.com/houstonlibraryfinds/

Melissa_Bailey

@xin-li oh! I forgot to mention... If you haven't already, you might want to check out SCBWI's The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children. There's an entire section about Publicizing Your Published Work, and there's a chapter all about kidlit blogs.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@xin-li hi! You might have already thought about this, have you considered starting a YouTube channel. I’ve noticed that YouTube is more effective than instagram in building an audience.

xin li

@Pamela-Fraley yes. That is a really good point. I will set up a meeting with my agent in the near future. I think each agent probably works differently. I could just ask my agent what I need to do, and what she will help out specifically :-).

xin li

@Melissa_Bailey thank you so much for sharing your list. I will look into them, and I will also check SCBWI.

What is your experience so far with book promotion? Many people mentioned that our (the creator's) effort of promotion would not contribute much to sales. I guess they are probably right. But I guess I just want to have an opportunity to talk about something that I spent almost two years making it.hehe...

xin li

@Nyrryl-Cadiz I thought many times about the youtube option. I think right now it is too time-consuming for me and I can not add on top of my book-making schedules at this moment. I am considering a substack newsletter.

Do you have a youtube channel? if yes, how are your experience of maintaining one on the side of illustrating picture books? I felt overwhelmed most of the time by big and small deadlines, especially if I am working with multiple books.

Melissa_Bailey

@xin-li my experience with book promotion is mainly with titles that are self-published or published by a very small publisher. And yes, I've found that posting on social media, and promotional efforts like that, doesn't contribute much to sales.

However, some authors of books I've illustrated are really proactive and go to book fairs or sell at farmer's markets, and they do very well with in-person sales. In one instance, the in-person sales the author brought in from book fairs and author visits were more than what the publisher brought in (the publisher didn't do much to market the book).

This might not be as feasible for you since you live in a different country than where the book is being published. But you might be able to do virtual school visits or interviews. Those would help market your book and may contribute to sales, too.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@xin-li it's great to hear that you have a lot of projects going on right now. Congratulations. I don't have ayoutube channel yet but I plan yo launch one either at the end of this month or by june.

LauraA

@xin-li This is a great topic, thank you! Unfortunately I don't have anything to add, but I'm watching it!

I wish you all the best with your book!