June 22, 2008

Three blogs, one tip and a CONTEST!

Every day, I check several blogs that inspire and offer useful information. Here are three that I highly recommend:


1) Shrinking Violet Promotions hosted by Mary Hershey and Robin LaFevers. This blog offers a bevy of marketing and promoting tips with a generous serving of grace and generosity thrown in for good measure.

2) Cynsations hosted by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Queen of Giving Back to the Children's Litature Community. On her blog, you'll find oodles of interviews, book giveaways and more useful information than you can shake a number two pencil at.

3) Alice's CWIM Blog hosted by Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, shares news and musings.


And here’s one tip to promote your work and have fun in the process: When doing an event at a school or participating in a book signing, hold a drawing for a book or appropriate giveaway. For example, Debra Garfinkle might give away a rubber chicken because of this and this. Ask only for the person’s first name and e-mail address on a slip of paper. After the event, choose a winner, e-mail a congratulations note and ask for a mailing address. Send the prize and then -- here’s the important part -- put each of the e-mail addresses you received in a database that you’ll use to send e-mail notices when you have exciting book news, like a new book coming out.


Now, the CONTEST: Share a blog, Web site or tip in the comment section below and I’ll choose one winner to receive a paperback children’s book. The winner will be announced Monday, June 30th.


Good luck and thanks in advance for sharing!

Donna

7 comments:

Hanna Rabb said...

One of the best tips I heard was to let kids choose a character for a W.I.P. You could run this contest for a couple of speaking engagements and collect email addresses to notify the winner -- It's a big thrill for kids to name a character -- or even have their own name as a character in a book.

Wild About Words said...

What a great idea, Hanna. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

www.helpareporter.com

If you need to find "real people" to interview for a book or article, this guy will send out your query to his list of thousands! I put in a query and had 50 responses in an hour!

Wild About Words said...

Thanks, Beth! What a fantastic resource for nonfiction writers!

Obsessedwithlife said...

I love Craiglist.com ! We just got a beautiful table and 4 chairs tonight for $145! (it's only a year old and in mint condition)

Angela Ackerman said...

Tip for school visits: Let the kids participate! Kids love to share their thoughts and opinions, or act out concepts. I often structure lessons that allow me to ask for vollenteers. Also, take breaks that allow kids sitting on the floor to get their 'wiggles out'. A short minute game of 'Do what I do' (jumping jacks, snapping fingers, hopping) keeps restlessness to a minimum and allows you to retain focus.

Wild About Words said...

Yowza! Keep these great ideas coming!