Countdown to Book Launch: Entertaining Kids

Day 3 and Counting!

Yesterday, I blogged about The Invites: who to invite to your book launch. I shared my rationale for sending out invitations. Today, I'll discuss how to entertain the children that may show up with their parents.

If you are launching a children's book, chances are you'll welcome the children who come, with open arms.  Arlie the Alligator is a children's story-song picture book. My fingers and toes are crossed hoping that parents will bring their kids.

But before I continue, let me digress to say that it's important that you have a plan, a goal, if you will, about your book launch. What do you want it to look like? What do you want it to accomplish? Who do you want to attend?

Your book launch can be as simple as having your books on a table with a short presentation, or as wild and crazy as your mind will allow. Even a chapter book, a middle-grade or a young adult novel book launch can have fun activities with food keyed to a theme in the book or a character's likes and dislikes. Let your creative mind flow. It's all up to you. But beware, even the simplest idea will take planning. And the better the plan, the greater the chances that the book launch you envision will happen.

One of my book launch goals, beyond selling books and introducing the new Arlie the Alligator to friends, local educators and their children, is to expose the greater community to the work I love doing; the work of writing. Another goal is for those who attend to have a good time.

I've built FUN into my book launch by having activities for children. I got the idea from Gretchen Griffith's Book Launch www.gretchengriffith.com where she took activities from the pages of her new book, When Christmas Feels Like Home. www.amazon.com/ At her launch, children were able to "make pumpkins smile," and "trees stand like skeletons."

On Saturday, young and old alike will be able to make an adorable Arlie the Alligator Hat.

When ever you have a make-it, take-it project, make sure the the craft is age-appropriate and then figure out how to involve children with maximum safety and the least amount of mess and stress. I determined that the alligator hats would be a simple idea and that even young children, with assistance, could make one.

Prior to the event, paper pattern pieces were cut out  for 55 alligator hats. Key parts were cut-in and marked for reference. Children will only have to color in Arlie's eyes. Assistants will measure each child's head and assemble the hats with staples--not to the heads of the children, of course!  The Arlie the Alligator Hat Pattern is a FREE download at www.arliebooks.com.

Young children will be able color a page with the outline of Arlie on it. The page also includes a word scramble that unscrambled spells Arlie. Download the Primary Coloring Sheet for Free at www.arliebooks.com.

In addition, children who attend will receive a hand made bookmark as well as an oval Arlie the Alligator Sticker. 

Both the bookmark and the stickers were made on a PC. A template was made for the bookmark and the stickers were made from a package of Avery Labels #22804

Two readings of Arlie the Alligator are scheduled during the 3-hour launch. While enjoying refreshments, children will also be able to listen to the Arlie's story fully produced with actors, sound effects and music on the Arlie the Alligator CD, while watching a power point slide show of the illustrations in the book.








These are the things I've planned for children. I do hope everyone has a good time.

Next Blog: Count down to Book Launch - Day 2: The food!

What kinds of activities did you have at your book launch? Would you do it again? What would you do differently?

I'd love to hear your ideas. Hopefully, this won't be the last book I launch.

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Countdown to Book Launch: The Invites

Four days and counting! 

In four days I'll be launching my children's story-song picture book, Arlie the Alligator. I'm feeling excited, scared and harried as I move through the days before the big event. Pushing thoughts of  "who will come?" out of my mind, I jumped into the planning. 

Through out the next four days, I'll share my book launch journey.   Hopefully, you'll gain some new ideas that will keep you from making the same mistakes that I made. 

Late August, I chose October 5th as my launch date. I wanted plenty of time to order postcards, address, stamp and get them in the mail and make plans for activities children can do. 

Three weeks ago, The postcards I ordered to announce the event, showed up at my door. I put the book cover on one side of the postcard and details of the event on the backside. I also included details about the event such as times for presentations, a craft activity for children--make an alligator hat--the fact that books would be available for purchase, and, of course, my websites address. 

       

One hundred postcards were ordered with the idea that I'd have some left over for additional events, after all, who would I mail them too? We've only lived in NC for 7-years and we have no family here, the little church I attend has only 37 members and most of my new friends have already purchased my books, so who will come? Now you know why I'm a little scared. 

On-line, I found a list of schools in our county. Each school has their own web page. On those webpages you can find lists of staff, the schooladdress as well as the names of staff at each grade level and those teaching the special classes. 

Since the grade level/age range of my book spans children aged 4 to 8, I focused on the lists of primary teachers and mailed a postcard to the Media Specialists, Title One educators, Pre-k, K and First grade teachers in five classes for gifted children. I considered mailing to the second and third graded teachers also but decided not to.  

Fifty-five postcards were mailed. The rest were given to the children's librarian at the library where the event will take place. She was thrilled to get them saying that children love to receive postcards. The one hundred I ordered were gone in a flash. I wish I had ordered 100 more. Next time I'll get 200 for sure. 

Postcards are relatively inexpensive through Vista-print. Your order almost always comes with a coupon to order more. They're always having deals. After your event, if you have any left-over, you can put a blank label over the outdated information and re-purpose them. Postcards work well as book marks and handouts at book fairs and school events. 

In addition to the postcards I sent out, a flyer was made for the librarian at the branch where I'm holding the event. The library itself does their own publicity. Last, Friday, in their weekly article in the local newspaper, they talked about the event. I was told it would be in again this Friday, the night before the launch. 

So, between word-of-mouth, postcards mailed to friends and half the school population in the county, and the publicity done by the local librarian, I'm hoping a few folks will stop by. After all, who can resist the lure of a home made alligator hat?  

Tomorrow, I'll share the activities and presentations I'm planning to have available for children. 

I'd love to hear how you handled the idea of invites to your book launch. 

BLOG TOUR: NEXT STOP - GRATEFUL WRITER!

I'm honored to be invited on the Blog Tour. Thank you Joan Edwards, www.joanyedwards.wordpress.com  for the invite. What fun it is to share and compare the ups and downs different writers experience. I hope my experiences will inspire and confirm your journey as much as the other authors on the tour have inspired me.

What are you working on right now?

Although I am working on an adult novel, my focus in children's literature is the return of one of my story-song picture books, Arlie the Alligator. After 22-years, I'm bringing Arlie back with all new illustrations and in several formats; paperback, CD, mp3 download and in a Kindle/Kindle Fire version.Within four months,  Arlie the Alligator will also be available on iTunes with surprise animations. Kindle Fire couldn't handle the animations and the music so we've had to delay that version.

Folks might wonder why I'd take a chance on an old story. To explain, please allow me share a little history.

Years ago, after completing the manuscript for Arlie the Alligator, I met Deborah Bel Pfleger, an extraordinary song writer who wrote four catchy tunes to accompany my manuscript. Since Deborah also owned a recording studio, we decided to produce the story on audio cassette using actors, sound effects and the music. With a completed manuscript and a fully produced audio cassette in hand, I began the search for a publisher. Finding a publisher proved difficult because the fully-produced cassette followed the story word-for-word and publishers couldn't change it. In addition, this was at a time when books-on-tape were a new concept and books-on-tape for children were just entering the market. Arlie the Alligator, an unknown character by an unknown author, was ahead of his time.

After seven years of receiving the most complimentary rejection letters ever, my husband and I decided to self-publish, even though marketing a self-published book, way back then, was next to impossible without national support. So, Arlie the Alligator, that curious young alligator who longed to speak to the creatures (children) at the beach, was born.

 Now, jump ahead 22-years to 2013 and the mass marketing potential of the Internet through Amazon and all other forms of social media. The temptation to try again was hard to resist. Still, I ventured forth cautiously.

I'm a huge fan of online FREE webinars. When one was offered on "Cashing In With Kindle," by Howard VanEs, a marketing expert from www.letswritebooks.net, I jumped at the chance. A half hour consultation with Howard resulted in my hiring him to help me revise and revamp Arlie the Alligator.

I'm thrilled to present the newly updated version of Arlie the Alligator: A Story and Picture Book for Kids Ages 4 to 8. 
           Paperback
                CD
                Mp3
         Kindle/Kindle Fire

     I think he's pretty cute!

Did I change the story at all? Nope. It's the same story and the same wonderful catchy songs, but, Arlie's got a brand new pair of ...well...a whole new facelift, updated for a new generation of children.

How does Arlie the Alligator differ from other works in its genre?

Well, there's simply few if anything else like it on the market. It's a story, its songs, its a mini-musical, its told from an alligator's point of view so there are things for young readers to figure out, its fun and entertaining, has a subtle communication theme, and the 4 catchy tunes will have children singing the first time they listen.

With it's fully-produced CD, Arlie the Alligator was ahead of it's time way back in the 1990's and with its animations in the ebook, it's cutting edge again. Amazon couldn't load it on Kindle Fire so we have to wait for iTunes.

Why do you write what you do?

I probably would be more successful if I stuck to one genre but that's not how my mind or my interests work. My published works are quite eclectic. They include things in several genres like educational activity books, children's, parenting the gifted, gifted education, "how to," poetry, journal, newspaper, magazine and adult biography as well as educational video production. I've also written and optioned screenplays. Check out my website for more detailed information. www.arliebooks.com

Why do I write, you ask? Because I have to.

How does your writing process work? 

I wish I knew! I'd like to say that I have a well-orchestrated plan; that I write every day; that I outline before hand and know the direction I'm headed at the get-go; but that wouldn't be honest. My process is as eclectic as my interests. Although I try to write everyday, I don't always.

I do a great deal of mental writing; figuring things out in my head before ever committing words to my computer. I try not to get upset when life intervenes and takes me away from writing. Invariably, during that downtime, I'll learn something I needed to know for the work at hand. Writing delays for me always result in better work.

I'm in a "brutal" critique group and I highly recommend that kind of group to every writer. At the developing stage of the game, writers don't need the kudos. To grow in your craft you need honest, straight-forward, sincere, and yes, even brutal analysis of your work. Find writers who you respect and hang on for the ride. Your writing will be better for it and by the time your work is accepted and you get the rewrites from the editor, you'll be prepared to accept all those sticky notes in a professional manner without drama, trauma and tears.

Recently, I read a wonderful book that was poorly written. Huh? Yes, that's what I said. The author had the kernel of a wonderful story and I was envious of the way she was able to describe feelings and setting. The problems were, to name a few, too much description, too many adjectives and point-of-view changes two sometimes three times on the same page, often within the same paragraph. On the acknowledgement page, the author thanked a creative writing class at a certain university. When I saw that, I just shook my head and thought, what a disservice that creative writing class and that professor did to that writer. They had to know better. If they did or if they didn't, shame on them.

In addition to critiquing, my brutal writer's group is taking a 24-lesson class by Professor Brooks Landon, Professor of English at the University of Iowa, called, Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft. www.thegreatcourses.com  We all bought the $39 DVD set and are working our way through it together. It's been fun. The best part is we've all seen improvement in our writing since beginning the course.

Any departing words of wisdom for other writers? 

Believe in your work. If you don't no one will.
Study the craft of writing; take a class, attend a conference, take on-line webinars
Find that "brutal" critique group.
Be thankful for negative critiques. If someone doesn't "get" your story, then you're not telling it right.
Listen and learn, yet still believe enough in your story to know when to change something and when to leave it alone.
Save those rejection letters. You'll need them to inspire other aspiring writers to never give up.
Study proper submission formats and guidelines. Many rejections have more to do with how a story was presented than the story itself.
Never give up. If it was easy getting published, everyone would be published.

It's been fun sharing my newly revised Arlie the Alligator, www.arliebooks.com  with you. I wish you could all join us at his Book Launch on October 5th, at the McDowell Public Library, in Marion, NC. We're going to have a lot of fun. I'll make an alligator hat for you!

Keep writing!

NEXT BLOG TOUR: October 7th
Meet: these three amazing children's writers:

Debbie Nance -  http://2weavers.wordpress.com/.YA and MG fiction writer, who, after surviving cancer twice has branched out to work on a memoir of her experiences.

Ann Eisenstein - http://anneisenstein.com/category/blog/ - MG and YA fiction writer.


Becky Shillington - www.beckyshillington.blogspot.com - children's writer working towards her first publication.

BOOK LAUNCH IDEAS ANYONE?

Last post, I talked about the rebirth of Arlie the Alligator, one of my story books. It's been a very long journey from the original idea to hardback to paperback, and now it's time to plan the Book Launch.

It's funny to think that when Arlie the Alligator first came out many moons ago, an introductory book party was called an Autograph Party. Now, a new dawn, a new day, a new book, a Book Launch.

Plans are underway but even as I make lists and think of things to do, there's an underlying concern about who will come? I don't remember feeling that way the first time around. So, I'll plan for an army and if only a troop shows up, so be it. We'll have fun no matter what happens.

Did you feel this way when planning your book launch? What did you do for your launch? Any suggestions? I'm looking for all the ideas I can get. But wait, maybe I'd better tell you what I've done so far:

I've got the place, the Marion Branch of the McDowell Library, children's room, of course.
I've got the time.
I've scheduled two presentations/readings for children.
I have a great Arlie the Alligator Hat for everyone to make.
Power point slides of the illustrations will be projected on the wall.
Vista print had a deal on postcards that will be mailed to friends, school librarians and a few others. Extras will be used as pre-publicity handouts at the library.
Refreshments will either be alligator cookies or a cake decorated with Arlie the Alligator, of course. Which do you think would be best? Juice boxes or punch bowl? Did you serve refreshments at your book launch?

So, what am I missing? Any thoughts? Come on now, I know you have ideas. Tell me about your does and don'ts. Don't let me reinvent the wheel or error by omission. I'd really like to hear your story.

And, if you're not doing anything on October the 5th, stop by the library and make an Arlie the Alligator hat. I know it would look smashing on you.

REBIRTH OF A TITLE -- ARLIE THE ALLIGATOR!

"Everything old is new again," or can be if you believe! 

I have a story that I believe in and I want to share its history with you in hopes that something in my journey might spur you onward with a story of your own, after all, if you don't believe in your work, no one will. 

Years ago I had an idea to write a story about a curious alligator who longed to talk to the creatures (children) at the beach. The idea evolved from an article a friend shared with me about tourists in Florida feeding an alligator marshmallows; not a wise decision for the tourists or the alligator. From that article, an alligator story I titled, Arlie the Alligator, was born. 

Shortly after completing the manuscript, I met songwriter extraordinaire, Deborah Bel Pfleger and she offered to write some songs to accompany the story. When the four catchy tunes were finished, she announced that she owned her own recording studio and suggested that we record the story with actors, singers and sound effects. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity. 

Then began the search for a publisher. With a manuscript and a fully produced audio of the book in hand, I queried and submitted to multiple publishers for the next seven years. And, for the next seven years, rejections came in with glowing accolades about my little story with audio cassette, but no one would take a chance on it. This was at a time when books-on-tape were just becoming popular and children's books-on-tape were an experiment using only the classics, Disney stories and Sesame Street. Arlie the Alligator was ahead of its time. 

And so, after much deliberation and agonizing over what to do, my husband and I decided to self-publish. I researched the "how tos" and we took the leap of faith. 

I interviewed four illustrators and chose the beautiful, soft, pastel images created by Ohio children's portrait artist, Deborah Thomas. And thus, Arlie the Alligator was born. 

Arlie the Alligator was and still is a very unique concept. The original book contained song lyrics interwoven within the dialogue in mini-musical style, a page that explained the difference between a real alligator and a pretend alligator like Arlie, and concluded with the sheet music for the four songs. 

Even before the manuscript was published, I began doing school visits. Intuitively I knew the importance of making a "classroom connection." Children loved thinking their way through a story told from an alligator's point-of-view and teachers enjoyed creating classroom activities around the communication theme. 

My work in gifted education led me to write the Arlie the Alligator Communication Guide for educators and include in it a full theatrical script, a full reader's theater script, the sheet music and multiple classroom activities keyed K-6+. I recognized early on that, although the Arlie the Alligator story itself was designed for primary aged children, when used as a theatrical production, it could be utilized by all ages, even adults. 

Initially, the Communication Activity Guide was published by Pieces of Learning, a wonderful mid-sized educational publisher whose products emphasize upper level thinking strategies, good for all students but essential for gifted learners. Those publishing rights have subsequently been turned back over to me. 

Jump ahead to 2013 and the evolution of the Internet and Amazon.com with its publishing arm, CreateSpace. Jump ahead also to the increasing popularity of free Internet webinars; one in particular on Kindle Marketing was given by marketing expert, Howard VanEs of www.letswritebooks.net. That webinar sparked the idea of bringing Arlie the Alligator out on Kindle. And so, under Howard VanEs's expert guidance, a newly illustrated Arlie the Alligator: A Story & Picture Book for Kids Ages 4 to 8, was born. 

I'm thrilled to announce that a paperback, revised Arlie the Alligator is now available on Amazon. It's the same story and the same wonderful catchy songs with updated illustrations to capture the attention of a new generation of children. Soon to follow will be the fully produced CD, Mp3 Download and an animated Ebook for Kindle Fire. I'll keep you updated on my website, www.arliebooks.com. 

I sincerely hope something in my journey with Arlie the Alligator inspires you to push forward with a story you believe in whether via the traditional agent/editor/publisher route or through self-publishing.

Like I said in the beginning, "if you don't believe in your story, no one will."  

Let me know if my journey started you thinking about one of your manuscripts. I'd love to hear from you. 

Free Webinars Educate & Connect

I write in multiple genres. It’s probably not a wise thing to do but that’s the way my mind works so I’ve learned to go with the flow. The real challenge in writing in multiple genres is learning the different writing formats;  an educational activity book is has a different format than writing poetry or a screenplay or a biography or a novel, and nothing is as difficult as writing for children. So, I continue to study the craft of writing, focusing in on the particular genre of my current inspiration.

Not too many years ago, if I wanted to learn about a particular writing format, I’d have to look up a book, buy it and study it or seek out a university class or find a successful writer who would be willing to mentor me. Today, the Internet has simplified that task. There are literally dozens, perhaps hundreds of free webinars as well as ones that come at a price, available on most any subject or topic you can imagine; all kinds on social media, blogging, tweeting, etc., writing, screenplays, marketing tips, publicity tips and formatting books for the modern devices being used today. It was through such a webinar that I became interested in pursuing my current project, turning one of my children’s picture books into an eBook for download on Kindle.

Recently, I took a free webinar on how to put your book up on Kindle. I have an adult novel just about finished that I’m considering although the lure of a traditional publisher is still great, and I have a children’s picture book that I love that I was thinking about. The class, taught by Howard VanEs, an expert on selling books on Kindle and Amazon, stressed, among other things, the importance of paying someone to format your book for Kindle and the other devices out there.  The class was so interesting I ended up taking an additional 4 week seminar called, Cashing In With Kindle. Because of that class, I’ve decided to bring one of my children’s picture books, Arlie the Alligator, a book that had been on the market for over twenty years, back as an eBook.

I am not working alone, however. I’ve hired Howard VanEs to guide me through re-illustrating, re-packaging and putting it on Kindle as well as publishing a new print book. I know when to let go and let someone else do what I am not good at.

Free webinars help your develop your craft and connect you with experts in the genre of your choice.

Below, I’ve listed some resources I’ve used for Free Webinars. 

Have you taken any webinars that have helped your develop the craft of writing? I’d love to hear about other resources and teaching seminars. 

Resources for free webinars:

Many writing organizations feature links to courses and webinars you can take. Once you get on a list, you will continue to get notifications of future free webinars. All of the entities that offer Free webinars also offer additional services for which a fee. 

Putting Books On Kindle, with Howard VanEs – www.shewritespress.com

6 Things To Do Before Your Book Is Published with Howard VanES & Brooke Warner – www.shewritespress.com

Best Practices: Self Publishing, Indie Publishing and Traditional Publishingwith Emma Dryden – one time offered through the SCBWI-Carolinas.  (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s & Illustrators-Carolinas)

Better Business Blog Writing, info@blogsquad.biz

Steve Harrison: steveharrison@freepublicity.com Ask to be put on a list to get emails regarding webinars. Offers multiple Free Webinars on topics related to selling books through webinars, teleseminars, getting major companies and nonprofits to sponsor promotion of your books, all topics related to publicity.

http://wow-womenonwriting.com is a resource for multiple things of interest to women who are writers, some of which are free webinars.

Chris Garrett  twitter.com/chrisgarrett  - teaches seminar on making money from your blog.

www.bookwritingbootcamp.com  

BRINGING BACK THE OLD

In a recent blog, writer, Marie Dane Bauer brought up the question of needing courage to be a writer.  http://www.mariondanebauer.com/blog/2013/05/the-question-of-courage. In response, I had commented that what takes courage is not the writing, but the belief that what you have written is good enough for others to read; good enough for a publisher to invest thousands of dollars to publish it; a belief strong enough to sustain you through the rejection process that surely comes—to stick to it and not quit. And, it occurred to me as I am once again about to embark on a publishing venture outside of traditional publishing, how true that is. For as I move forward with my heart and mind fully engaged in the positive side of the journey, I still must deal with a gut that twists with the “what if’s” and the nay-sayers who are out there waiting for the chance to tell me I’m making a mistake.

Years ago, I created a story about an alligator who was trying to talk to the creatures (humans) on the beach. Shortly thereafter, I met a very talented song writer, Deborah Bel Pfleger, who promptly wrote four wonderful catchy tunes to go with it. We recorded it with singers, actors, sound effects and instrumentals at her recording studio, and set out to find a publisher. At the time, books-on-tape were just coming on the market and ones for children were only being done with stories from Disney, Sesame Street and the classics. The emerging market was brand new for children’s audio books.

Way back then, after trying for seven years to find a publisher, I believed in Arlie the Alligator enough to publish it on my own. Thus, Arlie the Alligator: Story-song picture book with audio tape, later CD and DVD, and a Communication Activity Guide for teachers, was born. Now, after more than two decades on the market and rave reviews from parents and educators throughout the United States, British Columbia and England alike, a new market is emerging; eBooks for children.

And so, I am thrilled to announce that come July, the communication based, newly illustrated, re-packaged Arlie the Alligator will be available to challenge a new generation of children to think and enhance their reading skills as they sing-along and follow-along on their Kindle Fires and Ipads. In addition, a newly illustrated print version will also be available through Amazon.

Bringing an old story forward again, something a traditional publisher would not do, takes a strong belief in the story, courage and a very supportive husband.

I hope you will support me on this journey.

I’d love to hear about your journey of courage.

Stay tuned for my next blog post where I will explain how this all came about.