Hugs and Hurrahs

 It's time to celebrate our MichKids friends and colleagues!! Welcome to this quarter's edition of Hugs and Hurrahs!

Wendy BooydeGraaff's short story, "The Michigan Triangle" is being published in the  The Haunted States of America, a  middle grade horror anthology with stories from each state in collaboration with SCBWI and illustrated by Solomon Hughes.  It'll be out July 2024. 

Way to represent Michigan, Wendy!

 

Patti Richards recently sold a poem, Snow Quiet, to Highlights High Five Magazine. She's also happy to announce that her picture book manuscript, IDA PLUCK'S CLUCK took 8th place in this year's Writer's Digest Fiction Contest in the Children's/YA category. 

Congratulations, Patti!

Molly David's first picture book, My Mischievous Wheelchair, has just been released and earned a 5-star review from Reader's Favorite.

Well done, Molly!

Joe Kimble has published another Mr. Mouthful book—this one called Mr. Mouthful and the Monkeynappers. The main character is back with his highfalutin talk that creates comical scenes with kids. Then his hotshot monkey, Dupree, goes on a romp and gets into big trouble—only to have kids once again come to the rescue. Joe is hoping, naturally, that this new book receives the same positive reaction that the first one did—from reviewers and readers.

Way to go, Joe!

Lauren Ranalli's fourth children's book, Snow Day at the Zoo is now available!

What happens when the zookeeper's children are snowed in with their favorite animals? Find out in this wonderful winter adventure!

Congratulations, Lauren!

In August, Paulette Sharkey’s picture book, A Doll for Grandma (Beaming Books, 2020), was selected by United Through Reading for their recommended book list. The organization (unitedthroughreading.org) provides deployed military service members with the opportunity to record themselves reading a book of their choice to their child, and the child then receives a free copy of the book to read along with the storytime recording.

That's wonderful, Molly!

Look for the next request for submissions in your email, but please feel free to submit all your KidLit publishing news to Alison Hodgson at aewhodgson@gmail.com any time.  Enjoy the rest of fall here in beautiful Michigan!

7 Things to Include on Your Author Website by Lauren Ranalli

As an aspiring or self-published author, having your own website is incredibly important. But there’s a big difference between having a site that simply exists to “check a box” and having an author website that is engaging, intentional, up-to-date, and designed to connect with readers.

Looking to create or improve your author website? Here are some must-add features. Need some real-life examples? I’ve included links to my own website so you can see how I’ve put these tips into action.

7 Things to Include on Your Author Website

1.  About the Author- this may be your reader’s first introduction to you and your work. So, take a moment to tell them your story! It’s great to include details about what inspired your books, why you chose to become an author, or link to additional features they can find on your site.

2.  Book Reviews- Do you happen to have any book reviews that live on Amazon and nowhere else? Yep, me too. But don’t forget that your website is one of the primary places you should post your reviews! I like to go in and swap out my reviews every 6 months or so to keep the site feeling fresh.

3. Free Download or Giveaway- having a freebie is a great incentive for people to visit your author website. This could be anything from free coloring or activity pages, discount codes, discussion guides, or other content that is relevant and useful to your readers. One option is to provide a direct link to a free download (check out this example), but you can also create “gated content” where your readers provide you with their email address in order to receive the freebie (like this free social media training). Having gated content on your site is a great way to build your newsletter list! Which leads me to item #4…

4.  Newsletter Sign-Up- you want to have a newsletter. Don’t think you need a newsletter? Let me repeat, you want to have a newsletter. Email marketing is one of the most effective ways that you can reach your readers! So be sure your site has some feature that allows you to capture email addresses. Not sure what you would include in your newsletter? Check out this blog post on 6 Emails Authors Should Send to Readers

5.  Media Links- do you have recent interviews, guest blog posts, or links to media appearances? Be sure to include them on your site! Don’t have any of these yet? Use this as an opportunity to highlight photos from any author readings, book fairs, or other events.

6.  Social Media Links- social media is a great way to build a loyal reader following. So be sure to make it easy for people to find your online!

7.  Contact Me- every author website should have an option for readers, book buyers, media coordinators, or others to get in touch with you. But don’t just have a standard form, give people ideas on WHY they should contact you! Check out this example from my site.

Personally, I love to use my author website as a place to showcase my work. Which means I also make it a priority to keep my site updated, relevant, and useful for my readers. And you can do the same! Start off with these 7 tips and see how it will make a difference for you.

 

More About Lauren

Lauren Ranalli is an award-winning self-published children’s book author, the Director of Marketing and Communications for an international non-profit, and the mom of two high-spirited children. Visit her on Instagram at @lauren.ranalli_author or at www.laurenranalli.com to receive 2 FREE resources, Finding Social Media Success, and Daily Marketing Strategies for Authors. 

 

 

7 Wintery Social Media Post Ideas by Lauren Ranalli

I don’t know about you, but this is typically one of my busiest times of year. Between family holidays, school vacations, book events, and the general end-of-year-rush, I can easily get overwhelmed. And I’ll be the first to admit that when I get overwhelmed, I sometimes fall behind. So, I’m trying to put systems in place to stay ahead of the game!

One way that I stay on top of things in my business is to plan out my social media content at least 1-2 weeks in advance. How does that sound to you? Useful? Daunting? Somewhere in the middle? Well, to help us get organized (I’m including myself here!), I’ve put together a list of book-themed ideas that we can post about this winter. Let’s take advantage of some upcoming social media celebrations by posting about these events: 

December – National Read a New Book Month: This should really be every month, don’t you think? But let’s highlight #ReadANewBookMonth by creating some great social media posts! Consider how to showcase your own books for people to discover and read. This is a great opportunity to share some of your recent reviews! In addition to posting your own books, give us a snapshot of your own “to be read” list- what’s on your bookshelf, nightstand, or e-reader? I always love seeing what my fellow authors are reading!

December 10^th – Dewey Decimal System Day: What a perfect way to show your local library some love! Post a snapshot from the stacks or simply tell us about what libraries mean to you. Be sure to tag them in your content and use #deweydecimalsystem to get more traction on your posts.

January 2^nd – National Science Fiction Day: Let’s give some love to all the #ScienceFictionWriters out there! Do a roundup of your favorite titles or ask your followers for recommendations. It’s a great way to discover new books! And use #NationalScienceFictionDay to connect with others.

January 28^th – Multicultural Children’s Book Day: I’ve been a sponsor of this wonderful event for the past two year because of their mission to “not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.” Use #ReadYourWorld and plan some social media posts that highlight your favorite diverse books. Follow @readyourworldmcbd on Instagram or @MCChildsBookDay on Twitter to get more ideas.

February 2^nd – World Read Aloud Day: Celebrate #WorldReadAloudDay by posting a video of you reading an excerpt from your books! Or showcase photos of your books being read aloud to kids around the world. Or do both! Tag @litworld on Instagram and @litworldsays on Twitter so they can share your posts as part of this celebration.

February 1^st-7^th – Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week: Whoohoo! An entire week to celebrate our work! Take advantage by scheduling multiple posts that highlight your own books, some of your best reviews, and give a shoutout to some of your favorite children’s book authors and illustrators. Consider offering a special discount code to your readers for purchasing books during this week. Bonus points if you mention SCBWI and the great work that they do!

Whatever you decide to post this winter, just be sure to mix it up! Tell us about your books, give us a glimpse into your writing life, promote the work of other authors, and share some of your favorite writing moments. And, above all, have fun with it!

More About Lauren

Lauren Ranalli is an award-winning self-published children’s book author, the Director of Marketing
and Communications for an international non-profit, and the mom of two high-spirited children. Visit her on Instagram at @lauren.ranalli_author or at www.laurenranalli.com to receive 2 FREE resources, Finding Social Media Success, and Daily Marketing Strategies for Authors. 

2019 Goal: Enhance Your Online Presence by Lauren Ranalli

“I had been stuck trying to improve for the last year…” – A.N., author and illustrator

Chances are you’ve had a moment (or several moments) of sitting in front of your computer, phone, or notebook thinking: “Okay, I should post something on social media, but….?”  I’ve been there. I’m still there sometimes. So I’m willing to guess that you too might get social media paralysis, have a website that needs updating, or simply don’t have the time or energy to really invest in connecting with your online community in an intentional, organized, consistent way.

Don’t panic. It doesn’t have to be hard… and it can actually be very rewarding. As a self-published author, I knew I needed to create my own brand and find an audience for myself. Over the past year I have committed to intentionally enhancing my online presence. And it has REALLY made a difference! If you’re thinking of doing the same, here are the first few steps I took to get started:

• I transitioned my Instagram and Facebook account settings from a personal account to a business account. Not only did this help me think through how to better distinguish personal from professional posts, but it also provided me with analytics on my engagement and insight on the best days and times to post in order to reach my followers.

• I created a “mission." I knew that if I really wanted to engage online then I couldn’t just post about my own books. I would find that redundant and so would my audience. Instead of just being an author page, my online presence focuses on my goal of “sharing content to promote diversity, literacy, and the joy of reading.”

• I made a plan. I took online social media classes from experts such as Kat Coroy, researched the best tools for helping me create, schedule, and track my posts, and set aside time each week to plan out meaningful content. And I’ve committed myself to learn more and share strategies with others!

When it comes to your online presence, do you need a “booster shot” of ideas?  If you thought, “Hmm” or “Yes!” then let’s chat. I have recently been asked by other authors and illustrators to provide strategies for enhancing their social media style and online engagement. It has been incredibly rewarding! I love hearing from colleagues that our work together has doubled their followers, provided concrete, actionable strategies for posting, or sparked a new sense of motivation. If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to connect with you. I have put together a super-quick survey to collect some background information and get a better understanding of your social media or website goals. This allows me to create personalized recommendations tailored just for you.  Questions? Feel free to email me at lauren@laurenranalli.com and I’ll be in touch.

Lauren Ranalli is a fully grown adult who still gets excited over the Scholastic book catalog. She is also a children's book author, public health professional, and mother of two highly spirited children. Lauren's books include THE GREAT LATKE COOK OFF and the forthcoming SNOW DAY AT THE ZOO, PLACES WE HAVE NEVER BEEN and TAP DANCE NINJA. You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about her work at www.laurenranalli.com.







Thanks for sharing your experience, Lauren! For more ideas about book marketing and promotion, check out these previous Mitten blog posts by Debbie Gonzales and Maria Dismondy:

• https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2019/02/painless-self-promotion-book-trailer.html
• https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2017/12/get-noticed-gain-business-be-awesome-5.html