Marvelous Marketer: Laurie Faria Stolarz (Author of Deadly Little Secrets)

Hi Laurie, thank so much for joining us today!

Thanks so much for asking me to participate.

Before we get started, can you tell more about yourself?

I am the author of the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series, which has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. The series is comprised of Blue is for Nightmares, White is for Magic, Silver is for Secrets, Red is for Remembrance, and the forthcoming Black is for Beginnings (all published by Llewellyn Publications/Flux).

My titles have been part of the Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers list, the Top Ten Teen Pick list, and YALSA’s Popular Paperback list, all through the American Library Association.

I am also the author of Bleed and Project 17 (Hyperion), my most recent release is Deadly Little Secret, the first book in the TOUCH series (Hyperion).

BTW, I love the Flux series! Sounds like you are busy. Do you have a blog or web site? And if so, who manages it?

I have a blog, which I manage. It was designed by Chloe Weil. Major updates are done by Little Willow at Rock the Rock Web Design. I started my website back when my first book was published, in 2003, and find it an essential part of my marketing.

In your opinion , what are the top 3 things every author should and must do to promote their book?

1. Have a professional-looking website that readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, people in the media, etc., etc. can access to find out more about you and your work.

2. Make yourself accessible via e-mail. Have this information available on your website. People will start to e-mail you about your work. Keep their e-mail addresses, add them to a database, and use them later to alert potential buyers about future work, contests, signings, and events.

3. Have postcards made up. Leave them everywhere. Write notes on them, give them to teachers, booksellers, librarians, potential readers. Whenever I’m in the area of a bookstore, I’ll stop in to sign stock. If they don’t have my books, I’ll ask to speak to the event coordinator or buyer. If he or she isn’t there, I’ll write him/her a little note on my postcard, asking them to consider carrying my book and offering to stop by again to sign that stock if/when it comes in.

How important do you think social networking is in the Children's Market?

I think it’s definitely beneficial. It’s good to know who your fellow writers are. You can learn a lot from connecting with them and establishing ties and friendships. You can help each other out, make recommendations, form critique groups, etc., etc.

How important is technology to an author's marketing plan?

I think it’s so helpful if you’re tech saavy. You can create postcards, bookmarks, design your own site and update it, make bookplates, podcasts, book trailers, slick posters, etc. You can save a lot of money if you are and like being techie.

Did you think about marketing before your book was published? Did you start prior to getting an agent or selling your book?

Yes, definitely. I was a marketing major in college, so I was ready to help promote my first book. I started marketing the book before it actually came out.

I had my website ready, as well as a professional author photo, and I’d made up a list of contacts (people who might be interested in my book, i.e. booksellers, teachers, librarians, members of the media, old friends, new friends, specialty stores that might sell my book, etc.).

I designed my own postcards (500 of them to start) and sent them to all these people/places. When I eventually ran out of this batch, I ordered more. My first novel has now sold close to 200K copies.

Do you feel it is beneficial for authors to team up and promote books as a group?

Definitely, especially if you share the same audience. The other author(s) has the opportunity to share his or her work with your fans/friends/family/contacts and vice versa.

What other advice do you have for authors/writers regarding marketing?

Be creative and have fun with marketing. There are lots of similar contests out there. Originality can go a long way and get you even more buzz. Also, be good to your fans. Always answer e-mail. I get between 75-100 fan-emails per week and I answer every one.

Do you have a formal marketing plan or is your marketing more random and spontaneous?

I guess I have an informal plan. The postcards are made up. I'll mail out at least 750 of them to fans, bookstores, libraries, specialty shops, schools, media contacts, etc. I also plan my rounds to bookstores to sign stock and arrange signings at bookstores. I visit schools. I also have book trailers made up for my work. I update my site with each book. And, I send out a newsletter alerting fans about my upcoming projects, signings, and events. I also blog a lot more around the time a book comes out, and I do blog tours.

If you like, you can check out some of my book trailers here:
Deadly Little Secret (A Touch Novel)
Project 17
Blue is for Nightmares
Bleed

Sounds like you do a lot.Any last words?

Just that marketing possibilities are endless, and connecting with others is so easy now with the accessibility of our online resources.

I say why not use all your resources?

Thanks for joining us today, Laurie!

Thanks Shelli!

My own personal side note: I have a poem I wrote about the book that was chosen to be in the Deluxe Edition of Blue is for Nightmares. How cool is that! :)

Special Edition: The Cynsational Cynthia Leitich Smith

Marvelous Marketer: Cynthia Leitich Smith

(Author of Eternal and Tantalize)


Hi Cynthia. Thank you for joining us today. Before we get into marketing, tell me a little about yourself.


I’m the author of three contemporary Native American children’s books— Jingle Dancer (Morrow, 2000), Rain Is Not My Indian Name (HarperCollins, 2001), and Indian Shoes (HarperCollins, 2002)—as well as two humorous picture books - Santa Knows (Dutton, 2006) and Holler Loudly (Dutton, TBA) and numerous short stories.

However, I’m best known for my young adult Gothic fantasies — Tantalize
(Candlewick, 2007), Eternal which hits stores next week (Candlewick, 2009), and Blessed (Candlewick, TBA). I also have a graphic novel adaptation of Tantalize under contract.

Beyond that, I’m agented by the brilliant and gracious Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown in New York, and I’m a member of the distinguished faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

More personally, I count myself lucky to be part of sunny Austin, Texas’s booming youth writing community. I live near downtown with my husband and sometimes co-author Greg and our four dedicated writer cats.


Tell me a little more about Eternal. I know it is releasing next week! Congratulations!

In alternating points of view, Miranda and Zachary navigate a cut-throat eternal aristocracy as they play out a dangerous and darkly hilarious love story for the ages.
With diabolical wit, the author of Tantalize revisits a deliciously dark world where vampires vie with angels — and girls just want to have fangs. Eternal is set in the same universe as Tantalize , so you can look forward to a more direct re-entry into the Dracul tradition--and more global insights into its vampyric society. To find out more, you can check out the reader's guide on my web site .or read an interview posted at Not Your Mother's Book Club.


Can't wait. Now let's get into Marketing. Do you have a website/blog? When did you start it and who manages it?


I have a main web site features links to my Cynsations and Spookycyn blogs (which I started in November 2004). My site launched in 1998. Last year, it attracted more than 2 million unique visitors. Its focus is not only my own work, but also children’s-YA adult literature as a whole, including resources for writers and related to publishing.


In your opinion, how important is social networking? Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, GoodReads)

For outreach to teen readers, it’s a great idea because the Internet is so much a part of their lives. My one caution is to keep in mind that you’re joining a community of thoughtful readers, not simply advertising at them. Think of it more as a way to make a meaningful contribution to the conversation of books and to encourage reading.


Did you think about marketing before your book was published? Did you start prior to getting an agent or selling your book? If so, when and what did you do?

I have undergraduate degrees in news/editorial and public relations, so my academic and young professional background had already prepared me to dive in.

But no, I didn’t worry about that aspect of the book until the manuscript was under contract and the book in production.

My first sale was Jingle Dancer, a children’s picture book. At the time, it was unusual to find a contemporary Native girl and community featured in youth literature. My publisher, HarperCollins, handled the big stuff—the catalog, major reviewers, teacher/librarian conferences, etc. So I focused on niche marketing, getting the word out to the Native community and our friends. I sent copies to Native media and museum gift stores and those with an interest in Native and/or girl-powered stories. I also wrote a few articles about contemporary Native themes that appeared in institutional market magazines, and before long, that led to speaking opportunities.

My approach has also been big picture. I care about my books, and I make every effort to champion them. But kids need to read a lot of books. Since Jingle Dancer was published, I’ve made an ongoing effort to raise awareness of multicultural children’s literature.

More recently, with my YA Gothic fantasies, I’ve made an extra effort to feature author interviews with folks whose work will appeal to my own YA readers. If time allows, I also book talk related new releases when I speak to, say, public library groups. I hand out bibliographies and keep a Web page celebrating such books regularly updated.


Do you feel it is beneficial for authors to team up and promote books as a group? Why?

It depends on the group. On one hand, cross-promotional efforts can create a sense of community between the authors and allow for a trade off of skills that’s beneficial to all. Multiple voices may be able to attract more attention than one. On the other, it’s important that everyone be on the same page in terms of expectations—the most important of which being public behavior. If you brand yourself together, for better and worse, what reflects on one to some degree reflects on all.


What other advice do you have for authors/writers regarding marketing?

When I started, author Jane Kurtz gave me the best advice I’ve ever heard. She said to do at least one thing a week, no matter how small, in support of your books. It could be something small like a blog post or stopping to say hi to a newly hired librarian. Or something huge, like throwing a launch party with a couple of hundred guests.

Consistency is more important than an all-out blitz. Sure, you’ll probably want to shout it from the rooftops when you finally hold that new novel in your hands. But in the long run, it’s more important to look for regular ways to highlight it as long as it’s in print.


What creative things have you done to promote a book?

Probably my most successful, out-of-the box thing was the giveaways of the Sanguini’s T-shirts (Sanguini’s is the fictional vampire restaurant in Tantalize). They were designed by graphic designer/artist Gene Brenek and tie in beautifully to the book. The YAs and YA librarians loved them. I sent them out with bat finger puppets from Folkmanis, which were equally popular.

Thank you for sharing your marketing strategies with us. We wish you the best with your new book.


Remember to join us Monday for Krista Marino (Editor, Delacorte)