Comments on: Author Promotions ~ An Evaluation of Our First Children’s Book Blog Tour

By: sally apokedak

sally apokedak — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:38:34 +0000

Thank you, Rebecca and Marie, for taking part in the tour. I know it’s a lot of work. I’m glad you also found it to be a lot of fun.

By: Marie DeVries

Marie DeVries — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:51:38 +0000

I had so much fun on this tour. It is good to know that we /can/ make a difference, at least in the literary world.

Thanks for all the fun, Sally and Mary!!

By: Rebecca LuElla Miller

Rebecca LuElla Miller — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:56:01 +0000

I’m with Mary Ann–a hugely successful tour. Thanks for all the time and hard work from your end, Sally.

This tour fills a big need.

Becky

By: sally apokedak

sally apokedak — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:37:46 +0000

Oopsy. I’m sorry for messing up the info on First Grade Stinks. I’m sure you did make that clear, actually. When I was looking up the links on your books I took Amazon’s pub date and on the First Grade Stinks page I was at, it gives a pub date of Sept. 2008.

So sorry. That was sloppy on my part.

And I made some other mistakes, too.

Thanks for generously overlooking all that and telling us you still had a good time on the tour.

And thanks, too, for taking the time to answer all those interview questions! And for sending the books out in the first place. That was costly in terms of time and money and I’m glad you feel you got your money’s worth. I think we bloggers sure did. Jimmy’s Stars was a treat to tour.

By: mary ann

mary ann — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:16:47 +0000

Let’s hear it for blog tours! And a big hand to Sally for letting me inaugurate this one. I don’t know how this affects book sales, but as Sally said, people will at least have HEARD of the book. I will tell you right now that unless you are already a big name author (or a new author in whom the publisher has invested a boatload of advance money) the publisher will do little if anything to promote your book, other than send ARC copies to the review sources. Sometimes I feel like one of those old time patent medicine guys who hawked their wares from a wagon…I always have a case of books in the back of my Jeep for those impulse sales where somebody says “Gee, I’d love to read your book, but (fill in the name of the chain bookstore) doesn’t carry it.” I am a shameless promoter, but I can’t do it all myself. I spent the entire summer mailing 3000 (that’s right 3000) promotional postcards for JIMMY, at my own expense, to every school or library I’ve ever visited, plus schools that had nominated YANKEE GIRL for a state book award. This is how I spent my summer vacation instead of finishing my tornado book.
So, hooray for Sally and the rest of you wonderful bloggers. I think I had as much fun with my own book as you did. I was fascinated to see what you found in my book and how you felt about different characters and story lines. And the recipe and play list posts were just brilliant!
I had a blast with you guys…and hope we can all get together again sometime.
One last word…I guess I didn’t make it really clear in my original post to Sally, but FIRST GRADE STINKS has been in hardcover since 2006 (Peachtree). The PAPERBACK version, which was slated for mid September, is already in the stores (and amazon.)
Shameless promotion time: SURPRISE SOUP (ill by G. Brian Karas) is a new twist on the new sibling story.(Viking April 16, 2009) A TREE FOR EMMY (ill name escapes me at the moment but her style reminds me a lot of Mary Engelbreit and Jan Brett) is about patience versus immediate gratification. (Peachtree, March 2009)
I am reworking my website, and it should be up and running next month, so drop in and say “Hey, y’all” as we do in Atlanta.
Best to you all, and God bless you.