Animal Crossing, a life simulation video game, debuted back in 2001, but the Nintendo series drew worldwide attention in March when Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released for the Nintendo Switch, quickly becoming the series’ bestselling installment. In each Animal Crossing game, the player is a human who arrives at a new town—or in this case, a deserted island—and engages in lifelike activities, including decorating and remodeling one’s house, planting and harvesting fruit, fishing, catching bugs, earning money, and interacting with anthropomorphic animal neighbors. Animal Crossing’s opportunities for cooperative gameplay, as well as its non-linear, escapist style, likely explain its widespread popularity, especially in the face of ongoing Covid-19 social distancing restrictions. Many people in the publishing industry are utilizing the platform as a creative way to connect with colleagues, friends, and fans, especially with the new game allowing players to invite other players to one’s island and visit their islands. We spoke with four authors about their experiences using the game to foster community.
Preeti Chhibber
How did you come up with the idea to use Animal Crossing as a promotional platform?
I worked in marketing in kidlit for years before leaving to write full-time, and part of that was always dreaming up how to use new platforms or spaces as a way to talk about books. I’m also a long-time Animal Crossing fan, so bringing those two parts of my brain together was just an aha! sort of moment. Not having left my house in months also helped; I couldn’t do a real-life tour, but I could find a way to connect with readers in a world that I built.
Have you connected with any other authors on Animal Crossing?
Yes! Animal Crossing is more fun with the more people you know. I think we’re all somewhat starved for creative interaction, and the space is prime for it.
What was the best (or worst) part about using Animal Crossing in this way?
Thanks to Nintendo introducing the dream feature [unique to New Horizons, players can share a non-interactive version of their island with visiting players], there really was no downside. It was a delightful and safe way for people to come to my island and be excited about Avenger’s Assembly and then share their experience online if they wanted to. I’ve already got plans to do another island photo-shoot adventure for my forthcoming picture book [A Jedi You Will Be, illus. by Mike Deas].
Was there anything surprising about how this compares/contrasts with traditional promo methods?
Unfortunately, unlike some other more traditional methods, there’s no real way to track the impact outside of tweets shared. There’s no way to see how many people came or engaged with the dream island itself.
Do you have any favorite tidbits or memories you’d like to share about this experience?
Honestly, just getting to see everyone be excited was so wonderful! There’s no way to do an in-real-life event right now, and livestreams are fun but somewhat awkward, so this was just people shouting out with joy about a book—which is my absolute favorite use of social media.
Adib Khorram
How did you come up with the idea to use Animal Crossing as a promotional platform?
I don’t think I can claim to have come up with it—I’m sure I must’ve seen retweets of other authors doing it (Alison Wilgus comes to mind)—but two things happened that got the wheels turning for me. First was Nintendo’s latest update, which allows you to upload a static version of your island as a “dream” to the cloud, which removed the requirement for me to be at my Switch and make sure it doesn’t go to sleep or crash, The second was a website I found that let you upload images to be converted into Animal Crossing patterns. I uploaded my cover as kind of a laugh, but thought it looked pretty cool!
Have you connected with any other authors on Animal Crossing?
Yes, indeed! There’s actually a sizeable community of children’s publishing people on Animal Crossing: authors, agents, editors. We see each other tweeting and posting photos, connect with each other to discuss turnip prices (the best way to make money in-game), or just share inspiration. When the game was released at the height of the “quarantimes,” it made it possible to stay connected with each other in a cute and fun way. Authors like Angie Thomas, L.L. McKinney, and Preeti Chhibber have really inspired me as far as Animal Crossing goes.
What was the best (or worst) part about using Animal Crossing in this way?
The best part of using Animal Crossing like this has been the fun of sharing this sweet, simple experience with people all over the world. There’s something unique and relaxing about the game, the pace it makes you take, and the connections you get to form. The worst part is probably just the usual frustration with technology—you never know when you might run into a bug.
Was there anything surprising about how this compares/contrasts with traditional promo methods?
It’s impossible to say for sure, but I don’t think we’d have promo like this without the pandemic. So much of selling books right now feels like grasping at straws, or throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks. Especially since I actively avoid my pre-order/sales figures, I have no idea if I’m moving the needle or not. But in a way, that’s good: it allows me to focus on this as something fun, something that gives back to my readers and brings them joy in what’s been a really tough time.
Do you have any favorite tidbits or memories you’d like to share about this experience?
I had a few people visit my island when it was all set up but before I’d done my public reveal of it, and it was really fun to see their reactions. Becky Albertalli came to visit dressed as [her character] Simon, and I was dressed as Darius, so we had a ton of fun running around the island taking pictures together. It was the crossover event of the summer!
Isabella Kung
How did you come up with the idea to use Animal Crossing as a promotional platform?
It all started as a light-hearted conversation on social media the day before No Fuzzball!’s book launch. My editor, Kait Feldmann, and my agent, Jennifer Laughran, were all playing Animal Crossing at the time. I believe the new update with fireworks prompted the conversation on Twitter or Instagram, I don’t recall. Kait quickly followed up with an email and asked if we wanted to coordinate for real, and we all responded with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” We did not organize this as a promotional tactic. It was simply a cute and safe way to celebrate a book we worked so hard on during this pandemic! I invited a few close friends of mine who also play AC, and we all had a lot of fun dressing up and running around Kait’s newly decorated island to celebrate No Fuzzball!
What was the best (or worst) part about using Animal Crossing in this way?
The worst part is in AC you can only invite a maximum of seven visitors to an island at the same time. Also, Nintendo doesn’t have the most stable network, so I got kicked off the island a few times during my book launch party. The best part was how amazing and cute this virtual island can be! Kait informed me later that she stayed up quite late the night before to decorate, and even got a few other Scholastic co-workers to come and help! She set up a book signing area, a mic for a book reading, a photobooth area, wrapped poppers and tiaras as gifts for us all, changed her flag to feature our Queen, No Fuzzball, and time-jumped to arrange for No Fuzzball! customized fireworks! Debuting a book during this pandemic has been difficult, to say the least. Kait went above and beyond to make my book launch so special and memorable—what a way to celebrate! She has forever raised the bar for all editors.
Do you have any favorite tidbits or memories you’d like to share about this experience?
The whole event was so fun, it’s hard to pinpoint a favorite. Just discovering Kait’s island and the details of the decorations and party was mind-blowing, I couldn’t believe my eyes! There was this one moment as we were all waiting at the photobooth for the No Fuzzball! firework to circle around for a group photo—one of my friends decided to go through a series of costume changes that cracked us up. I now have such fond memories of this very important day, which would have been a blur because I was physically stuck at home just like any other day. So, I am forever grateful to Kait, Jenn, my friends, and the lovely Scholastic peeps that helped make this launch more than I could ever hope for.
Claribel A. Ortega
How did you come up with the idea to use Animal Crossing as a promotional platform?
It happened naturally since I was playing so much, especially at the beginning of quarantine. It was less of me coming up with the idea to use it as promo, and more of this is where everyone I know is right now anyway, so I’m going to keep talking about my book here too. The moment I figured out how to create clothing, I made a Ghost Squad sweater and shared the code on Twitter. A few people downloaded it and wore it on their island and shared those pictures, as well as others of their own Ghost Squad creations. My island is called Chunkville, after Chunk the cat from my book, and my island flag is her picture, so whenever anyone visited, they saw that upon arrival. It was a fun way to include my book in the game, and share my joy with others, which is what AC is about.
Have you connected with any other authors on Animal Crossing?
Yes! I’ve had so much fun hanging out in-game with other authors, especially since we didn’t get to see one another at conferences this year. It became a nice way to interact that wasn’t Zoom. Margaret Owen helped me out a lot when I got started playing, Phil Stamper and I have played together a few times, and I’ll never forget Angie Thomas sharing her apple trees with me (and I helped water some plants in return!). We also teamed up to hit Tami, one of my villagers, with our nets in hopes she would leave, but alas, she’s still thriving on Chunkville.
What was the best (or worst) part about using Animal Crossing in this way?
I would’ve loved to be able to have in-person events this year, but having virtual spaces available to us is important not just in times like the pandemic, but year-round for accessibility. I am hoping the best part of this is to come—and that is people realizing we can have fun, and have incredible events that are inclusive of everyone in our community, including disabled people, people who can’t afford to come to events, and international readers. Animal Crossing is proof we can have community anywhere.
Was there anything surprising about how this compares/contrasts with traditional promo/outreach methods?
I was surprised at how quickly people latched onto it and were willing to participate in whatever book-related thing I was doing on my island. It can be hard to get people’s attention and make them care about a debut, especially one releasing during such a tumultuous time, but I met readers where they were and I think that helped a ton. That being said, I don’t really think any of the promo I did myself was traditional. I’ve been a weirdo all along, so using Animal Crossing to spread the word about Ghost Squad made sense.
Do you have any favorite tidbits or memories you'd like to share about this experience?
There are so many! The coordinated net attacks on Tami, which also included L.L. McKinney, were a highlight. Waiting for Animal Crossing to drop the night of release, when the future felt so uncertain and we were all looking for some happiness, stands out to me. Also, watching shooting stars one night with book blogger Camila Rodriguez (@justabookeater) was one of the sweetest moments I’ve had in the game. It was soothing being with a friend, watching something beautiful, and forgetting the outside world for just a moment.
Orientation (Marvel: Avengers Assembly #1) by Preeti Chhibber, illus. by James Lancett. Scholastic, $13.99 Aug. 4 ISBN 978-1-338-58725-8.
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram. Dial, $17.99 Aug. 25 ISBN 978-0-593-10823-9.
No Fuzzball! by Isabella Kung. Orchard, $14.99 Aug. 4 ISBN 978-1-338-56542-3.
Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega. Scholastic Press, $17.99 Apr. 7 ISBN 978-1-338-28012-8.
