When it comes to marketing and publicizing children's books, perhaps no mantra is truer than "There's a book for every reader and a reader for every book." The challenge--and reward--say those in the field, comes from putting the right book together with the right reader.
As each new season of books moves toward publication, publicity and marketing teams gear up with plans to get their company's books noticed--and, ultimately, sold. Increasingly, these plans include not only pitching titles via established avenues, but also using a number of smaller, targeted campaigns to reach niche readerships. At most houses, pre-sales and launch meetings are the drawing board for brainstorming about potential opportunities to promote a variety of titles. Sales forces work together with publicity and marketing teams to round out all the details. "It helps to have all your ducks in a row," stated Andrew Smith, v-p marketing for Random House Children's Books.
Publishers' general expectations of the book, reflected in the print run and based on the popularity and sales history of the author/illustrator and subject matter, come into play at this point. And though each season's list contains some clear choices for the niche treatment, publicists and marketing staff agree that they must be prudent about where to spend the additional time and effort that a targeted campaign requires.
"One of the challenges at a big house is making choices about which books will receive an extra push," said Tracy van Straaten, director of publicity at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. "Usually, the list tells us what to do; many publicity and marketing opportunities just present themselves. But it's also fun to come up with creative things to do."
For Katrina Weidknecht, director of publicity at Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, targeted marketing is akin to the concept of "low-hanging fruit"; she believes one should take advantage of publicity opportunities that are most ripe for the picking. In fact, one ripe opportunity this fall was sending Will Moses to the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Ft. Wayne, Ind. (where Johnny Appleseed is buried), to promote Moses's book Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend.
At Random House, "We decide on a case-by-case basis whether a book has a good hook, a strong opportunity to go with," said Smith. "For us this kind of marketing has never seemed to drive an entire campaign, but has been supplemental." Mary Ann Sabia, v-p, associate publisher at Charlesbridge, employs a book-by-book approach as well. She said, "We go after the niche/specialty markets for any book with potential. Usually we research markets and do targeted mailings, but we also have gift reps in some areas of the country that tap into outlets for us."
Mining Resources
Once the decision is made to promote a book to a targeted audience, publicists and marketing staff must decide where to send titles. By far the most popular pitch method is to cold-mail the book to a specialized media list. Nearly all the publishing houses PW contacted for this article maintain databases of these lists and routinely consult such resources as Bacon's Media Directories as well as other mailing-list services. As van Straaten said, "There is a magazine for every interest under the sun."
The most obvious categories are quickly selected. Books about various cultures (Asian, Hispanic, Native American) get sent to special-interest publications catering to those readerships; books about animals wing their way to publications for pet lovers (e.g., Cat Fancy); titles on trains or dolls are marketed to enthusiasts and collectors.
Barbara Fisch, senior publicist at Harcourt Children's Books, spoke for many publicity departments when she said, "Of course, we always try for the regional angle." Capitalizing on where a book is set or where the author or illustrator lives is a common and often very successful hook for promoting a title. Harcourt "compiles and maintains its own lists and buys lists where it makes sense," according to Fisch and her colleagues in the company's special sales department. "The Internet has proven invaluable in tracking down names, addresses and phone numbers of accounts, groups and people we want to target," she added.
Additionally, several marketing departments at larger publishing houses have created specialized publications/ brochures of their own to tout their titles to reviewers, teachers, librarians, teens, girls and other groups. Simon & Schuster produces Celebration Song: An African American Literary Journal and A Jewish Heritage; Random House has Girls Ink; Penguin Putnam publishes Preview: A Magazine on Books for Teenagers and Fresh Print, a sampler of books for teens.
Beyond mailing lists, van Straaten noted that "sometimes an author is our best resource. If they are knowledgeable enough about a topic to write a book on it, chances are they have great contacts." And, as Weidknecht pointed out, serendipity occasionally plays a role, too. "Sometimes you just come across things by accident."
At HarperCollins, executive director of publicity Allison Devlin stated that targeted mailings for Chris Crutcher's novels have been gleaned from fan mail the YA author receives. "He gets tons of letters from teachers, parents, therapists and all sorts of people who work with kids, letting him know how much his books have meant to them, and how they've helped so many young people." Devlin said. "We have actually gotten some very good ideas about mailing lists just from going through his fan mail."
The Internet has become another effective marketing and publicity tool as well. According to Smith at Random House, "We have been increasing our efforts on the new media side. We work closely with a marketing manager in the new media group to get the word out to various Web sites and online communities that have a very specific interest." As an example, Smith mentioned sending digital art images from the fall picture book What Is Mr. Winkle? by Lara Jo Regan to dog and pet Web sites. And last spring Random got word out about A Mother's Gift, the novel co-written by pop star Britney Spears and her mother, Lynne, via an e-mail sent to over a million fans registered at Spears's official Web site. Further widening the reach, e-mail recipients were encouraged to forward the message to at least three friends for a chance to win a Britney Spears poster.
No Signs of Slowing
No matter which game plan publishing companies choose for niche marketing and publicity, the question remains: is it worth the effort? "It's essential that we do those special mailings," said Judith Haut, v-p, executive director of publicity at Random House Children's Books. "There is so much competition in the regular media outlets, especially for children's books. It's crucial that we make the extra outreach, because we can so easily be overlooked." Smith added, "Success is hard to measure, but targeted campaigns can deliver incremental sales for a book. The numbers may not be huge in the scope of things, but everything helps. Long term, the effects are good."
Other publishers agree that while the payoff for targeted marketing projects may not be huge in a numbers sense, any success is particularly rewarding simply because it is proof of reaching a very specific readership. "We have found that coverage in a niche publication or marketing to a select group can more directly affect sales than some national media outlets, which sometimes speak into a vacuum," said van Straaten. As an example, she points out that even though there are approximately 1.8 million readers of the New York Times Book Review, they are a "very intangible audience," because it is nearly impossible to gauge how many of those readers are looking at children's book ads or reviews. "But you can see an actual spike in sales if you get the exact audience you need for a book via a specialized publication," she said.
The main deterrent to mounting targeted marketing and publicity campaigns is time. Staffers must, of course, budget work hours among all the books on their list, not just the ones that will benefit from a niche approach. But even when the decisions are made to push certain titles, publicists and marketing people must be careful not to overstep their bounds. "You must be careful to send the right book to the right place," said van Straaten. "You can't overdo it and send everything or you dilute your chances of coverage."
Losing focus on a targeted campaign can be detrimental to a publicity department on a couple of fronts. "We only do these campaigns when they make a lot of sense," said Penguin Putnam's Weidknecht. "Otherwise, you're knocking on the doors of people who don't care what you're talking about."
For now, publishing houses feel confident that the time required for niche marketing is well spent. In fact, it is likely to become even more important as markets tighten under tough economic conditions. Nearly every company can point to a recent success or a forthcoming campaign; for a sampling of those, see the "Books on Target" sidebar.
| Books on TargetHere are some recent and forthcoming examples of niche marketing/special sales campaigns. Barefoot Books has marketed Herb the Vegetarian Dragon (Mar. 1999), Cooking with Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon (Oct. 1999) both by Jules Bass, illus. by Debbie Harter, and Making Minestrone (Aug. 2000) by Stella Blackstone, illus. by Nan Brooks, to health food stores as part of a "Healthy Bodies-Healthy Minds" campaign for kids. Candlewick has experienced success with its marketing efforts for the backlist sexual health books It's Perfectly Normal and It's So Amazing, both by Robie Harris, illus. by Michael Emberley. Outreach involved contacting such organizations as Planned Parenthood, the AIDS Action Committee and the National Urban League and securing reviews in their publications and on their Web sites. Additional mailings targeted health teachers, religious organizations and health reporters at major market newspapers.  Charlesbridge mailed Steam, Smoke and Steel: Back in Time with Trains (Aug. 2000) by Patrick O'Brien to train museums, specialty stores and train magazines. The Farewell Symphony by Anna Harwell Celenza, illus. by JoAnn Kitchel, was marketed to symphony gift shops across the country, and advertised in the Playbill at Tanglewood in Massachusetts for the summer performing season in 2000.Cricket Books' publicity campaign for Seek (Sept.) by Paul Fleischman, which is written in the form of a radio drama, has focused on radio coverage. The Loose Leaf Book Company radio program featured the book in a segment containing an author interview and a dramatic reading. The Loose Leaf program is being featured during the fall pledge drives of public radio stations across the country. Copies of Seek are being offered as a premium during those drives as well. Targeted efforts for Farrar, Straus & Giroux include sending Earthquake (Aug.) by Milly Lee, illus. by Yangsook Choi, to Asian and historical societies in San Francisco (the book's setting); selling Shooting for the Moon: The Amazing Life and Times of Annie Oakley (Sept.) by Stephen Krensky, illus. by Bernie Fuchs, at the Annie Oakley Society's annual festival; and sending The Star-Bearer: A Creation Myth from Ancient Egypt (Mar. 2001) by Dianne Hofmeyr, illus. by Jude Daly, and The Tomb of the Boy King (Apr. 2001) by John Frank, illus. by Tom Pohrt, to archaeological and Egyptian organizations and publications. Harcourt targeted quilting newsletters for coverage of The Seasons Sewn (Apr. 1996) by Ann Whitford Paul, illus. by Michael McCurdy, and did a postcard mailing to butterfly associations for Lois Ehlert's Waiting for Wings (Apr. 2001). HarperCollins has sent its What to Expect& nonfiction picture-book series by Kenneth C. Davis about children's first experiences to a variety of pediatric doctor/dentist mailing lists. According to HC's Allison Devlin, those medical professionals sometimes feature books in their newsletters and other mailings as well. Harper will reissue the paperback reprints of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key and Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos with new covers in March 2002. The publisher is working with several ADHD organizations to get some attention for the books, in which young Joey Pigza suffers from the disorder. Holiday House sent Third Grade Pet by Judy Cox to pet-related hobbyist publications and received a full page of coverage in the magazine Rat & Mouse Tales. Quilt Alphabet (Sept.) by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illus. by James Ransome, has been sent to quilting magazines, lifestyle magazines and quilting supply catalogues. Author Linda Oatman High and illustrator Robert Rayevsky did a signing at Grand Central Station for their book Under New York (Mar. 2001). They also did a talk and signing at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, all of which earned the book notice in Time Out New York and New York magazines. Original artwork from Shake, Rattle & Roll: The Founders of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, illus. by Laura Levine, a spring 2001 book from Houghton Mifflin, is being exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, until November 30. Hyperion has arranged for Yoko's Paper Cranes (Oct.) by Rosemary Wells to be sold at Takashimaya, a high-end Japanese specialty store in New York City. In addition, The Flower Girl (July 2000) by Laura Godwin, illus. by John Wallace, has been selling well in bridal shops across the country.  A Little, Brown campaign for I Love You Like Crazy Cakes (Sept. 2000) by Rose Lewis, illus. by Jane Dyer, targeted adoption agencies, specialized groups like Families with Children from China and media outlets specializing in adoption and things Chinese. The author spoke at her local FCC chapter and was keynote speaker at the Chicago Area Families for Adoption conference. Autographed copies of the book were featured in such catalogues as Asia for Kids and China Books & Periodicals.With publication of The Holy Twins (Sept.) by Kathleen Norris, illus. by Tomie dePaola, Penguin Putnam did a special mailing to a list of Benedictine monasteries, offering recipients signed bookplates for books they purchased. The author and/or illustrator also visited Regina Laudis Abbey in Bethlehem, Conn. (where Norris had spent time), Weston Priory (where dePaola had spent time) and St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minn. (where Norris was a resident for two years). For Rock of Ages: A Tribute to the Black Church (Knopf, Dec.) by Tonya Bolden, illus. by Gregory Christie, Random House has done a poster mailing to over 100 African-American interest bookstores, and sent complimentary copies of the book to a list of black churches (with memberships over 3,000) that the author helped compile. Last spring Scholastic coordinated sales of Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By (May 2001) by Sharon Robinson at major league ballparks across the country during the author's book signing tour. Throughout, the book was shown on ballpark Jumbotron screens, and signed copies were given away to lucky seat holders chosen at random. The book was also pitched to various sports media outlets. At Simon & Schuster, the publicity department placed A Cowboy Christmas: The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge (Oct.) by Audrey Wood, illus. by Robert Florczak, in the December issue of three cowboy magazines and booked events/signings at the Texas Book Festival, Cowboy Artists of America Museum in San Antonio and the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles. S&S has targeted the October title Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez to a gay and lesbian audience with good results. The book is being covered by more than 10 gay/lesbian media outlets, including the Advocate. Author events/appearances have included a dance party/reading at teenage dance club Kurfew in New York City, and at gay/lesbian bookstores Giovanni's Room in Philadelphia (in conjunction with the Lesbian and Gay Journalists of Greater Philadelphia) and Lambda Rising in Baltimore. Workman marketed First Comes Love by Jennifer Davis to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. As a result, the PPFA's director of education wrote an endorsement for the book; the title was featured in the organization's national newsletter and was included in a brochure handed out by PPFA during Family Sexuality Education Month in October. |
