Marketing Monday… Meese-ka, Moose-ka, Marketeer: KATIE DAVIS

Hello everyone.

Today I am trying out something new. It ties into marketing and I hope you learn something just as much as me. 🙂

WATCH THE VIDEO:

 

 

 

(transcript coming soon)

KATIE DAVIS

Katie Davis is an author/illustrator and an award-winning video marketing maven. She’s written and illustrated picture books, mid-grade, and young adult novels through traditional publishers such as Harcourt, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Diversion Books. Her independent publications include a picture book, and two marketing guides for adult writers.

Katie has used her experience in publishing to establish her coaching business helping other writers. She does this on many levels, teaching tech-wary writers how to build and strengthen their platforms through video, and coaching writers on social media and marketing, or as Katie calls it, “making friends and meeting people.”

You can subscribe to Katie’s Youtube channel at KatieDavis.TV or the #1 podcast in itunes in Children’s Publishing by going to KatieDavis.com/podcast.

:::DON’T FORGET:::

Buy her book:HOW TO PROMOTE  YOUR CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK: Tips, Tricks, & Secrets to Create a Bestseller and begin learning right away!

AND IF YOU BUY BY TODAY (3/31/14) YOU WILL RECEIVE $125.00 BONUS MATERIAL!!!!

Go to this link HERE to find out how!

 

:::LEAVE ME A COMMENT:::
Let me know what you think about this video and/or the book!
Let me know if you are interested in an interview too.

Thanks and HAVE FUN READING!

~t

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Monday Marketing: INSTAGRAM *smile*

Smile….

Cheese….

*snap

Who likes to take photos? I think we all do and most of us have phones that actually double as a camera. With a handy dandy tool at your finger tips, why not make it work for you and do some marketing?
Yep, I said marketing on Instagram.

HOW…

Take pictures -Lots of Pictures- use your phone or tablet. There is an app you can download and then connect with right on your device. I love the efficiency of being able to take and share my photos. It doesn’t matter if you are doing this for your family or your fans. People like to be in each others business. YOU might as well put the business you want out there. Who knows? Maybe you get a few new fans to follow you and maybe some loyal customers too.

WHY…

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but a picture is worth a thousand words! You can show people exactly what you are talking about. A cake? A piece of jewelry? A book? SHOW THEM IN A PICTURE!

WHO…

So you are thinking… WHO will be interested in what I have to offer. YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED! Seriously. Remember those hashtags I talked about when using Twitter? WELL GUESS WHAT! You can use them on Instagram too. HECK, you can connect your Instagram with Twitter! I DO THIS!!!! It gives you great coverage with two social media outlets. I have my Instagram connected with Facebook too. The hashtags can be searched and connected with others who have used them, very convenient. So you get a gathering of people without even knowing them. Some will wind up following you to see what you post next.

WHAT…

What to post? Well that depends. Do you want to keep it business? What do you do? I write. So I might take a picture of my laptop on my desk, at my dining room table, in my back yard, at the beach (snort, I wish), or where ever I might be. I can post pictures of cover art, book signings, author visits, boxes when my books arrive, are you getting the picture here?  🙂  Be creative with your pictures too, have fun.
I also post pictures of my dogs, children, scenes, and anything that interests me.  *yes, the giant whoopie cushion got my attention!* I don’t have my account focus only on my business. I think people like to see that I enjoy things and I’m not out there ONLY promoting my book. They get a sense of a real person.

So go out. Take some pictures. Take a selfie. Do a silly face. Just remember….

~SMILE~

Til next time,
~t

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Thinking Thursday: Ideas… ???

Image courtesy of Sicha Pongjivanich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

“Where do you get your ideas from?”

This seems to be one of my most asked questions. Not just from students either, but other writers too.

I tell them everything! Which I know is a really vague answer, but it’s true.

Children

When my children were small, I would watch their mannerisms and make notes. Listen to what they said and make notes. Paid attention to what they were interested in and made notes. But they are bigger than me now! I still watch children and take notes. They all want to know and absorb information. They are eager to know how to act or how NOT to act in certain situations. As a writer you can approach the same situation in different directions to get different angles on the story. Humor, literal, scary, ridiculous… you name it and the storyline will change.

What Is Happening

Listen to the news, read newspapers and magazines, and see what is going on. Then think… How would a child react to that? What would a child say about that? Is this something a child could relate to?
Stories can blossom out of a bad situation, a friendly situation, an awkward situation.

Pictures

I love looking at pictures. Some catch my eye (and my brain) and get me thinking. It can be something as simple as a flower. It can be a scene with children in a bathtub. It could be the aftermath of a bombing and a tattered teddybear lays in the street.
Pictures are great jump-starters

Doodle

Yes, DOODLE! Let your mind go free and create. Sometimes scribbling something on a paper and looking at it from different directions will let you ‘see’ something. Maybe a character? Maybe a setting? Maybe a situation to build on? Letting go sometimes kick-starts your creativity.

I tell students to really use their eyes and ears. Try looking at things from a different angle. Try listening to the underlying meaning to what is said.

IDEAS are everywhere.

We just need to pay attention.

Where do YOU get your ideas?
:::LEAVE ME A COMMENT BELOW:::
I would love to find out how you find your nuggets of ideas, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing, how do you get your thoughts out there.

Happy writing!
`t

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www.Wednesday… 12×12 and Julie Hedlund

 

 

I wanted to remind everyone about this great writing challenge.  ^^^^^ Yep, that one. The 12×12 Writing Challenge is currently underway aaaaaand it’s not to late to join in. Buuuuuuuuut time IS running out! Friday, February 28th, is THE LAST DAY to register to officially participate in this years’ challenge.

What Is It About

12×12 is all about writing. You have 12 months to write 12 picture book first drafts. Seems pretty easy, right. *cue evil laughter in the background* Believe it or not, writing is hard, life gets in the way, and sometimes your muse takes a vacation without telling you.
With the 12×12 writing challenge you get the added benefit of a community of writers who all are trying to do what you do… in the same genre! You can bounce ideas off of each other, ask questions, express concern, post exciting details, and rant. hahaha. Even when someone else is asking a question, it may trigger an idea with you and you are off and running with an idea yourself.  The group is mixed with newbies, mid-range, and experienced writers. This is an added benefit. You get experience, you get the ones digging in, and you get the ones who are struggling and may see something in a different way that you haven’t thought of.

How To Join

You can click on the 12×12 picture above or click here.  There are 3 different levels and different fees that go along with them.

What To Do After You Join?

W-R-I-T-E! Put your butt in that chair  (BIC)  and get to business! That is part of the job description. You have to write, type, scribble, BLEED those words out and get them down.
There is a forum with 12×12 as well as a Facebook page where you can ask questions, post events, introduce yourself, find critique groups, post the first 250 words of your ms, and MORE!

 

Why am I posting about something that someone has to pay for? Because I use this challenge myself! This is my 3rd year doing 12×12 and I believe the motivation and people keep me accountable and moving in the right directions.
Does it work? Yes, if you put work into it.
Will it guarantee a sale? No, that is up to you. YOU have to work at this writing business. YOU have to research publishing houses. YOU have to submit and get those rejections. YOU have to not get discourage and decide that YES, THIS IS WHO I AM AND WHAT I WANT TO DO!
But… you will have a whole slew of people behind you. Rooting you on! And enjoying it when that sweet success does happen. 🙂

There are other writing challenges out there too. I participate in quite a few. hahaha. I like challenging myself to become a better writer. How about you?

:::LEAVE ME A COMMENT:::
Let me know if you are participating in the 12×12 Writing Challenge. Or what writing goals do you have? How are you going to keep yourself accountable and achieve those dreams?
I’d love to hear from you!!!!

Happy Writing!
~t

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www.Wednesday = The BLUE BOARD forum

The writer’s life can be a lonely life. Most of us work at home or in snipets throughout the day when we get a chance. We build our ideas and write our stories. We revise and rework and sometimes redo the whole story all by ourselves. Very. Very. Solitary.

But it doesn’t have to be. There are groups you can join and people you can meet. This is such an valuable resource.

But what if you live in a rural community and don’t have access to these great people? Turn to the internet. There are so many opportunities out there now. FaceBook has a vast network of different groups. There are forums you can join t0o… outside Social Media.

One of those I want to talk about today is:

THE BLUE BOARDS
http://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.php

The Blue Boards started many moons ago by author Verla Kay. She wanted a place where people could come together, get support, share ideas, and share information. Late last year, SCBWI took over The Blue Boards. It still looks the same, the same people are there, and some great information is to be had. This was one of the first forums I ever ran across 14 years ago. I bookmarked it immediately and have returned and returned and returned to it time and again.

I hope you find it as valuable resource as I have.

Do know of another open forum with great information? Where do you get the most recent information from? What is one website you just can’t live without?
:::LEAVE ME A COMMENT:::
I’d love to hear what you think.

Happy Writing!
~t

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Monday Marketing… Pinterest… Just Pin It!

 

By now, I’m sure most (if not all) of you have heard about Pinterest.

Have you thought about using it for MARKETING though?  Pinterest has expanded F-A-S-T! It is being pulled faster and quicker  by search engines because of the size and the “meta tags” that go on in the background. *you don’t even know they are there, but they are* Meta Tags are what signals to search engines!  🙂  Google, Yahoo, Bing, whatever you use… all search engines will pull up a Pinterest board.

So, how can you turn this into MARKETING and PLATFORM BUILDING?

• Think about reciprocity… are there boards you can create where you can give a nod to other people in your field?
• Think about information… are there boards you can create where you give information that you found useful?
• Think about marketing… are there boards you can create where you feature what you do? Books? Cakes? Crafts? Jewelry?
• Think about fun… are there hobbies that you enjoy? Things that interests you, even if they are not related to your marketing?

There are tons of ways to connect with people. BUT just like other social medias. DO NOT make it as a sound board to say BUY ME… or  LOOK AT ME… or HEY DID I MENTION ME? ME? ME! Make your boards interesting and fun who knew you liked silly socks or had a sock-monkey collection. What about crazy colorings or match-box cars? How about celebrating your home town or where you live now?
By making it interesting (Marketing & Personal), you will draw in pinners and bring your marketing and platform to the forefront of valuable search time.

Next week I will have some great tips about PINTEREST that I have found interesting. So go ‘pin’ something!

:::LEAVE ME A COMMENT:::
Let me know what you think about PINTEREST and if you can think of any other great ways to use this social media to your best interest!

Happy writing,
~t

Thinking Thursday: 8 Author Visit / Promotional Printable Needs

Instead of giving an idea on writing today, I thought I would give some ideas on what to have on hand for promotional needs and author visits that can be loaded to your website for easy printouts.

Here is a pdf on

8 Author Visit or Promotional Printable Needs

All of these I have either incorporated onto my own blog OR I’m working on them.

Why do I think this is necessary?

1. You want your information to be available to your audience.
2. You want the convenience of printouts to help teachers, media specials, pta members, or any other contact person be able to make the best presentation of you for you. So give it to them.
3. By using some or all of these printable needs, you will increase your likelihood of being booked for a visit or book signing or speaking engagement.

What else do you think you could add? LEAVE ME A COMMENT BELOW to add to this great list and keep everyone informed! Let me know what you do.   🙂

Happy writing!

www.Wednesday = SCBWI.org

 

Yes, I know I have wrote about ^^^^^^ before. I think if it is important, it bears repeating. So let me say it again. The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators is the bomb! It’s membership is invaluable and one of those ‘must-have’ things on my list.

For those of you just starting out or have not heard…

• SCBWI is a world-wide organization. It is broken down into different regions. Each region has it’s own RA *regional advisor(s)*. They have Local Liaisons to break it down further into the communities.
• There are two National Conferences. One in New York and one in California. These are H-U-G-E. I haven’t been, but I’ve seen pictures. MASSIVE!  Most regions will have conferences too. I’m in Southern Breeze, which covers Georgia, Alabama, and the Panhandle of Florida. We have two Regional Conferences also. They might be smaller, but they are packed full of information, helpful people, agents, and editors.
• SCBWI sends out newletters to help keep you abreast of the publishing industry (which changes rapidly), share happy news, and let’s you know about contests, new houses, and more.
• SCBWI know hosts Verla Kay’s BLUE BOARD, which is a forum where authors, illustrators, agents, and editors post on various subjects. It is another one of my invaluable tools that I have use and continue to use in the 14 years I’ve been writing.

Membership is an annual fee, but think of it as an investment in your writing, your future.

Happy writing,
~t

Nov 11-15 – PiBoIdMo – One Week Crammed Into One Post

Ok, so my week has gotten away from me to post on me blog! *bad Tracey! no biscuit. :(* Things like this happen. Life gets in the way and things come up. Like doctor visits, and children needing the computer for school, and you get a migraine the size of Texas (or at least that’s the way it feels), and  and and….

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, here is what I have been doing writing wise this week.. OOPs! Didn’t put it in my list above. Fine, pretend I did. HA! Anywho, don’t forget, I’m reading PiBoIdMo Blog and Picture Book Month Blog this month… getting tidbits, inspiration, and hope that there are others out there just as crazy as I am. 🙂    😀     😉     Click on the links above  to go to those websites and see what I’m talking about. Onward ho….

Nov.11 – We were encouraged to think about our stories as ships. You don’t want a rickety, rackety one out on the open seas now do you? NOPE! You want a ship that is seaworthy. One that has been put together with fine craftsmanship, looked over and passed inspection, one that has been tested and found suitable. The same it should be with your writing.
I remember when I first started writing. I thought my work was FAB! That no one would turn it down. In fact I would have several editors bid-warring over me. I just knew it. Well as Gomer would say, “SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE!” *hang head low, hang head low, hang head low*  Yeah, I got a bid-war going alright. To see who could send a rejection back faster. Then I had an editor tell me that I had potential. *picks head up* WAHHHH?!? She told me what I was doing wrong, which was doing the illustrators job, and to get a critique group and begin to get my word count under control. I listened. I worked on my craft, I tried it out with my critique group, I got it better and better, and sent it back out ready to sail the treacherous waters of the slush pile.
There’s a lot of behind the wall work that many don’t know about. I sure didn’t when I started, but that is how we learn, and how we get better.

Nov. 12 – Tuesday’s blogger talked about my favorite thing to do when I should be writing… PRO-CRAS-TINA-TION!  *cue the heavenly sounds* Only her suggestion actually could help get the creative juices going. She suggested to doodle! Which is so fun to do. Go a head, I know you want to right now. I’ll wait…
Ok, feel better? 🙂  Now what can a doodle do with writing? A lot really. I’ve tried this several times. I’ve come up with a camel, a slide, a hot mess, all kinds of things. The fact that you are letting your mind loose helps get it into a better mode to write. Have I come up with a story line yet doing this? No, not YET. BUUUUUUUT I have had a few characters or scenes make their way into my stories from doing this.
So grab a paper and pencil and make a scribble OR put some dots on the page randomly and connect them. Turn the page all different directions and see if you notice something new.
Have fun!

Nov. 13 – Jane Yolen, yes THE Jane Yolen, was the blogger on Wednesday. How lovely!!!! Yes, I’m a fan and I did my ‘fan girl’ scream when I saw her post.   :p   She said to write the story, no matter what. Do what you want. Write what you want. And don’t care what anyone else thinks. WOW! She shared an inspirational story of hers about the war and the statue of an angel she saw on a building. She wrote the story and didn’t care how long it was or that the content may be a little too old for picture books. She believed in her story. She made it work!
You really never do know where inspiration will strike. She is one who has walked the walked and talked the talked.
Believe in yourself and your work. No. Matter. What!

Nov. 14 – Add a little bling-bling to your characters. Thursdays blogger had me smiling and laughing and thinking! By adding accessories to our characters we make them more rounded. Sometimes they go into a different direction than what we think of them too. WOW!!! Definitely got me thinking here!!!
WHERE’S MY PAPER AND PENCIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wait, I’m on the laptop… file, new doc, and type…

Nov. 15 – WHEW! LONG post but we made it!!!!!!!!!! And what a great post today was. He talked about *gulp, whispers* writer’s block. *dum dum DUMMMMMMM!* Scary, ain’t it? But all writers have it at one time or the other. The blogger gave some excellent questions to ask to get over the hurdle and get back on the writing horse again. I’m saving them for me and the next time I begin to stare at the wall, get the blank stare, and start drooling.   😉

 

And we are done and caught up. Woo hoo. Now to get my files opened up and get to posting some ideas I’ve had even while writing this!

Happy Writing!
~~~t

Nov 9th & 10 – PiBoIdMo – Don’t think & Surround yourself with inspiration!

I didn’t get on yesterday to post. So I am catching up today… Two-For-One! WooHoo!

So the posts on the PiBoIdMo Blog this weekend have been about how to approach your writing.

Saturday encourages you not to think too much while you write. WHAAAAA?!? Really, DON’T use your brain. I have found that when I’m trying to write my ‘editor’ will start talking to me…
“You wrote that word wrong.” “That sentence doesn’t flow right.” “That one was a fragment.” “You  aren’t even on the same subject here.” Where did this character/problem come from?” “Are you sure you know what you are doing?” “You know this writing sucks, right.”
Yeah, you get the picture. By the end I’m frustrated and questioning myself and my writing. I get up cranky and not in a very good mood.
SO, DO NOT allow your editor a toe into the situation. I have learned to turn it off or tune it out. When you just let go and write, your creativity will come out. Who cares if it doesn’t make sense! I can say one name… Dr. Seuss. There.   :p   to the ‘editor’ in my head.

Sunday post was about surrounding yourself with inspiration. He said he had a Writing Cave. *sawoon* I would LOOOOOOOOVE to do this. I already have a few things to get started too. 🙂 I have an email I’m very proud of from Eve Bunting, who is someone I hope to be like one day. Several original artwork from my books, a letter from a preschool group, TONS of books too. hmmm, now I need a corner or room. heeheheeee. What better way to get inspired than to remember things that got you to this spot!

And I must say it is the 10th. That means we are 1/3 of the way through PiBoIdMo. I am actually surprised to see what I have accomplished this month when I started tallying things. I have over 40 ideas! WOAH! Of those I have 12 outlines. Of those 12 outlines, I have 3 first drafts written. Wowie-wow-wow! I can’t believe how much this month has challenged me already. I’m not stopping though. I’m going to keep plugging away. I hope you are too.

So, COMMENT ME!!!

• Let me know how you distract yourself to get your creative self going?
• What would you put in your WRITING CAVE??
• How is your PiBoIdMo going???

Happy Writing!
~~~t