Top of the Class: How Kid Lit Authors Can Become Teacher's Pet, with Melissa Taylor
And 6 authors who are doing a good job of it.
From the Writing Desk:
Whew! What a month it’s been!
Turned in a new picture book and that chapter book total rewrite to my agent. Fingers crossed!
Realized about 15k words in on my adult novel that I don’t know what I’m doing plot-wise and so went back and Save-The-Cat outlined it out, and am nearly done with that outline.
And oh yeah…Monster Tree came out wut wut!!!
Everybody’s posts and supportive comments on launch day were so, so lovely, and I got to do an actual in person event at my local Barnes and Noble too!!! (Special thanks to Taryn Souders for being such a fab in conversation partner!)
If you’re able, can I ask for a brief Monster Tree review on Amazon? Those Amazonians have a special number you have to hit before they deem you worthy of attention. A very brief review will do, even if you haven’t read it yet! Something like:
“I love this vivid cover by artist Rayyan Merril! Five stars!”
“Trees are terrifying. Five stars.”
“What could this Ray Bradbury quote mean? Five stars.”
“I was bored. This was there. Five stars.”
Anything quick like that will absolutely work! You’ll note that the key factor here is the five stars part *ahem*. Anyway a real quick one liner truly, truly makes more difference then you know. And while you’re there, leave a five star for another author or two as well!
Phew, now that that’s out of the way, we can get to the fun stuff.
Onward!
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Top of the Class: How Kid Lit Authors Can Become Teacher’s Pet, with Melissa Taylor
For those of us in the kid lit world, many of our efforts revolve around teachers. We aren’t directly marketing to our young readers (especially on social media), so teachers and librarians are our bread and butter. Beyond that, teachers are also our best partners in the work of raising the next generation of readers and storytellers. Anything we authors can do to both support and reach teachers, we wanna do.
But…what exactly can we do? What can we provide that’s actually helpful in the classroom? How can we actually let teachers know about our work? Today, we’re asking an expert and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Melissa Taylor is the founder of the popular blog Imagination Soup, a former award-winning teacher with a Master’s in Education, a freelance education writer, and a children’s book writer represented by Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio. Melissa is the mother of two college-age children and lives in the suburbs of Denver with her husband and two rescue dogs.
Welcome, Melissa!
1. Teachers obviously are carrying a lot. Many authors love to provide free class visits or lesson plans/curriculum resources for their books in an effort to help ease the burden on teachers, but are there any other maybe even more valuable things authors could be providing/offering to help teachers out?
Many teachers like teacher guides with reading activities and questions that encourage critical thinking skills and other ideas that can extend the book.
Personally, I prefer hands-on ideas that are cross-curricular. So, think of ways to integrate the book with science, art, or even physical movement.
For example, if your picture book is about animals, you might encourage trying different animal walks or writing first person POV small-moment stories from the perspective of an animal.
Teachers always appreciate writing tips and/or activities that relate to the author’s style of writing (how to write in verse, how to write a picture book) or the author’s content (writing about emotions using figurative language).
Finally, many authors write newsletters with craft tips and ideas for other writers, but it’s also worth considering writing a dedicated newsletter for teachers and librarians, too. Use this newsletter to keep educators updated on your writing as well as to share ways they can use your book in the classroom or library.
2. In selecting books for school libraries and classrooms, teachers obviously face many challenges, parameters, and restrictions, perhaps more so now than ever before. When it comes to these challenges, what are the most important things for us authors to be aware of, and how can we make things easier for the teachers in the trenches?
Try to stay positive and be a source of hope. I know it’s hard to do, but educators are so discouraged already that they don’t need any more negativity, even when it all feels negative and hopeless to you, also.
To that end, if you know of resources and examples of teachers and librarians who have successfully fought book bans, share as many as you can. They more information we can crowd-source, the better for everyone.
3. Your wonderful site, Imagination Soup, has great lists of books for kids of all ages and interests. There are so many incredible kids books these days, what can authors do to stand out from the crowd and get the notice of teachers and librarians? Do you have any great examples of kid lit authors you feel have used their platform in really creative and successful ways?
First of all, thank you for your kind words about Imagination Soup! I’ve been writing it for 16 years now, and even though Google is censoring me (and most blogs), I’m still committed to sharing learning resources and good books with my readers.
Having been in this industry from the other side and observed many authors, so I have a lot of ideas of what works and doesn’t work. Incidentally, I’m soft-launching a book marketing side gig next month because sometimes, the PR & marketing is overwhelming to authors.
And it’s harder than ever right now to stand out because of Google’s no-good very-bad search shenanigans, but we still must strive…yes?
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Make a plan: Where do you want to get publicity? What review sites or influencers do you want to read and review your book? What events can you do? Do you need to update your website? Do you need author photos? What presence do you want on social media? Make a list of publicity and marketing goals and tasks. Then make a pr/marketing calendar to keep you on track, especially if you’re doing a book launch.
Get on evergreen book lists: Evergreen lists on websites like Imagination Soup with a large subscriber base or good search engine results on the Internet are those lists that stick around for years. To be considered, pitch your book with a hook and the relevant information (including the level, publisher, and pub date). I have more information about that here.
If your book is about frogs, you want to be on as many frog book lists as you can. Remember, no one owes you a review.
Reviewers are inundated with books, so be kind and understanding, please and thank you. I am sent at least 200 books a month, most are unsolicited. Some months, it’s more. If you want to stand out, send a kind and friendly email. Don’t demand things, or tell me why I need to donate my books without asking if I do already (I do), or tell me I’m a horrible person for not reviewing self-published books. That won’t help your cause.
Think outside the kidlit box: What topical crossover does your book have? If it’s a book about SEL, can you cross-pollinate on self-help or parenting podcasts and websites with interviews and guest essays?
Be generous: Share other people’s content, share influencer or blogger reviews, and comment on other people’s posts. Say thank you when relevant. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised…
A few people who are standing out from the crowd right now.
Thank you so much for your expertise, Melissa! This was truly phenomenally helpful. Find about more about Melissa’s work at ImaginationSoup!
What I’m Reading: As much as I dislike this about myself, I struggle with audio fiction. I have tried many ways to combat this tendancy, but nothing has consistantly worked. However, I really love audio nonfiction. I had some road trips and long drives this last month, and listened to an absolute doozy. Give me ALL the retired kick butt women genealogists working like real life Miss Marples to solve decades old serial killer cold cases please. Plus Barbara reads the audiobook herself and she’s from New Zealand, so, ya know, that’s delightful.
And since we’re getting into spooky season, check out this awesome list from Adrianna Cuevas of new spooky middle grade reads perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month (and all the other times of year too!)
What I’m Watching: Look, I think I watched this movie literally a dozen times during the month of August. It’s the purest, goodest, most affirming and validating movie I know. It won all the awards for good reason. Available on Prime.
DEATHFACE THE HORSEY: Mummy Joe is simply the best creator these days, imo.
What I’m Drawing:
“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”
― Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls
Writing Opportunity: Murderous Santa? I thought this looked hilarious. Due Sep. 30.
Teacher or Librarian? I would love to do a free virtual Q&A with your class or book group! If you’re interested in scheduling a visit you can reach out to me via my website. Let me know how I can support you! I’ve also got free classroom resources to accompany each book. You guys are rock stars!
Thanks for coming along everyone! 1) Subscribe, 2) get a copy of the book bebes, and 3) keep glowing, you shining star you.
-Sarah
Left that Amazon review so quick, my friend. You wrote a great book.
I clicked on this post because I saw Melissa's name. I am a former teacher and current author so I have experience on both sides and to be honest, it's still a bit of a mystery as to what works.