Fall 2021 Good news
BOUNCE BACK is out -- great review in SLJ!
"This story hits all the middle school sweet spots—friendship struggles, bullying, popularity, and awkward crushes.... Though this book will have special appeal to manga readers, the universal story and engaging art will delight a wide range of middle schoolers." – School Library Journal
Bounce Back just published on November 16, 2021 from Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan.
Congratulations, Misako!!!!
Two new picture books from Ed Masessa: THERE WAS AN OLD DOG WHO NEEDED A NAP, and SNOWMAN'S BIG ADVENTURE
Ed Masessa is well-known in the children's book world for his quirky sense of humor... and these two books don't disappoint!
There Was an Old Dog Who Needed a Nap published on August 1, 2021, and Snowman's Big Adventure is coming out on Dec. 1st from Reycraft.
Congratulations, Ed!!!!
AIN'T GONNA LET NOBODY TURN ME ROUND Launch Event at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN
Kathlyn J. Kirkwood's debut book is a middle grade memoir in verse about her coming of age during the civil rights movement in 1960s Memphis.
She is planning an unforgettable launch event on January 8th featuring a concert of civil rights era spirituals at the National Civil Rights Museum, which is built around the former Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
Contact me for more information.
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round is coming out on January 6, 2022 from Versify / HarperCollins.
Congratulations, Kathlyn!!!
MIMI AND THE CUTIE CATASTROPHE Chosen for Junior Library Guild!
Junior Library Guild is "the gold standard" subscription service for children's librarians. They've chosen Shauna Grant's debut early reader graphic novel, Mimi And The Cutie Catastrophe, for the next summer season.
Mimi And The Cutie Catastrophe is coming out in Summer 2022 from Scholastic Graphix.
Congratulations, Shauna!!!
Fall 2021 Deal Announcements
50 States in 45 Days: How to Be in a Band, Go on Tour, and Completely Lose Your Mind by Elizabeth Jancewicz and Eric Stevenson
Graphic Novel Memoir
In this autobiographical comic, a young couple in a small band attempt to break a world record on an epic road trip through the lesser-known corners of America. Unfortunately, it may come at the cost of losing their sanity.
Publisher: West Margin Press
Anticipated Pub Season: May 2023
Documented by Tracy White
YA Nonfiction Graphic Novel
A docucomic follows four teens fleeing different home countries on their own, seeking asylum in the US, and trying to adapt to their new, uncertain futures in the United States.
Publisher: Street Noise Books
Anticipated Pub Season: Spring 2023
One Scoop or Two? And Other Ice Cream Questions by Marissa Walsh
Picture Book
An interactive picture book, in which YOU get to decide exactly which ice cream you want… but be warned: with so many decisions to make, it might not be easy!
Publisher: Sterling
Anticipated Pub Season: Spring 2023
The Deep! by Lindsey Leigh
Middle Grade Nonfiction
In this illustrated nonfiction book for readers ages 7-10, plunge beneath the waves and find a world of bizarre creatures who explain -- in their own words! -- how they have adapted to life in the mysterious world of the deep, dark sea.
Publisher: Penguin Workshop/PRH
Anticipated Pub Season: Summer 2023
Noisy Puddle by Linda Booth Sweeney
Nonfiction Picture Book
A lyrical picture book in which readers discover the magical world of the "now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t" wetland habitats called vernal pools.
Publisher: Owlkids
Anticipated Pub Season: Spring 2024
The Other Name of Love by Damon Lehrer
Graphic Novel Memoir
Damon recounts the story of his mother’s affluent Viennese childhood, its sudden end when the Nazis arrive, and her family's flight on the doomed St. Louis ocean liner. The narrative is interwoven with the story of Damon's own childhood and how he was affected by growing up with an overtly successful -- but deeply traumatized -- mother.
Publisher: Levine Querido
Anticipated Pub Season: Summer 2024
KCU Logo Contest!
Until now, Kids Comics Unite has been a private online community, but the next chapter in its existence will be a public website... loaded with useful resources for creators and professionals in the field of kids graphic novels.
But before we launch the website, we want to shape a new visual identity for KCU!
We are seeking artists and designers to help us craft that identity. And to do that, we're sponsoring a logo contest! Yes — IT’S BRANDING TIME.
The upcoming Kids Comics Unite website needs a brand spankin’ new logo, and that design could be yours.
The winner of the contest will get:
- a $500 cash prize
- a free one year subscription of Kids Comics Insider, and
- free attendance to the 2022 Kids Comics Intensive!
That’s a total value of $2,060. Sweet!
Are you enticed?
The creative brief and how to enter:
Click here to read the Logo Contest Guidelines
The deadline for entries is 11:59PM EST on June 30th, 2021.
We can't wait to see your work!
Have more questions? Here is our Q&A sheet and replay of the live Q&A session! If you have another one, leave a comment below or leave a message inside Kids Comics Unite!
How to Get Noticed at a Gigantic Publishing Conference
On Wednesday morning I walked into the Javits Center on New York City's West Side -- touted as "one of the largest convention centers in the U.S." -- to attend Book Expo America. BEA is the largest publishing trade show in the U.S.
One of my goals in attending BEA was to get new book marketing ideas. After all, what better place to get ideas than a convention gathering most of the major publishers in the industry? I planned to wander the show floor, checking out publishers' displays and giveaways, to see if I could borrow any particularly creative ideas.
As I stood in line at registration in the cavernous glass-topped lobby, eventually, I looked upwards and started contemplating the enormous banners hanging from the ceiling.
- "New from Sarah Dessen!" screamed a banner nearby.
- "A new series from #1 bestselling author Chris Colfer!" shouted another banner in the distance.
- "The highly anticipated adult debut by #1 NY Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo," announced a dramatic black banner to my right.
- "Bestselling magic," proclaimed a tall, skinny banner right over my head, "Rainbow Rowell with Faith Erin Hicks -- on sale 8/27/2019."
Standing there in line, waiting for my badge, I had plenty of time to gaze at those banners. I hadn't even entered the show and I already had plenty of publisher promotions to look at. I started wondering how much they cost. They certainly cost thousands of dollars; perhaps tens of thousands of dollars.
But they weren't particularly creative. And my biggest question was, do they really help sell books?
My conclusion was... not really. Though I didn't necessarily think the publishers intended them to sell books. They were probably designed to reinforce "brand awareness." To emblazon an already popular author's new book even more firmly in the minds of the booksellers, librarians, rights and literary agents, and journalists attending the show.
What if you don't have the budget for gigantic trade show banners?
So what would a low-budget, under-the-radar, guerrilla publisher like me be able to accomplish at a show dominated by big-budget, publicly traded conglomerates like Penguin Random House and Harper Collins?
Quite a bit, as it turns out.
Although trade shows have traditionally been a place where new products are unveiled and hyped, that raison d'etre is being eroded by the Internet. You don't necessarily need an expensive in-person display to spread the word about a new product anymore.
While one of the primary purposes of a major trade show has been usurped by the Internet, however, the other major purpose has not: convening a large group of people from across the country or the world in one place at one time to discuss a common interest.
That's the major opportunity that conferences still provide. It's easier than ever to connect with people via video or webinars or online conferences, but there's still something different about meeting individual people face to face.
For a guerrilla marketer -- or author or publisher -- a single conversation with one person might be vastly more effective than a gigantic banner that thousands of people see. Because that conversation opens a new door or provides entree to a new community or potential partnership.
Let me tell you another story that illustrates how powerful this can be.
The Artist at the Wednesday Night Party
On Wednesday evening, I attended a comics industry shindig at a hip "drinking establishment" in a converted 19th century warehouse on 11th Avenue. (Are all hipster bars located in converted warehouses?)
As I made the rounds, chatting with little groups of people I knew from various stages of my publishing career, a librarian friend of mine came up to me and said, "You've got to meet my friend! She's the artist I told you about, who works at my school."
I remembered that she had told me about this young woman, an aspiring graphic novelist, who had attended art school and was now working as a para-professional at a junior high school. I looked across the room and saw the artist sitting on a low settee near a couch and a few armchairs overflowing with people.
The artist wasn't looking at anyone. She was holding a sketchbook and sitting there drawing, in the midst of the party. People all around her were guzzling cocktails and gossiping, while she worked on a piece of art.
"Cool!" I told my librarian friend. "I'll come over in a minute to say hello."
It took me more than half an hour to extricate myself from various conversations before I could make my way to the other side of the room. And within that half hour I already overheard someone whispering to a colleague, "Check out that girl over there. She's really talented."
By the time I finally made it over to her and introduced myself, I knew I was at least the third or fourth person to be purposely seeking her out.
"Hi!" I said. "Margie told me I should meet you!"
"Nice to meet you," she responded with a shy smile. "I'm kinda introverted, so I've just been drawing."
I asked her about what she was working on, and she explained the storyline of her current project. It sounded interesting. I was pretty sure there were publishers in that room who would be intrigued.
After speaking with me for a few minutes, she said again, "I'm not that good at schmoozing, so I'll just keep drawing." And with that, she put her head down as if to say, "Thanks for the chat -- I'm done talking now!"
I smiled. She was doing her job. She showed up and put herself in the middle of a bar filled with publishing bigwigs, then proceeded to ignore them and draw in her sketchbook.
In a room of people who love art and storytelling, an artist drawing pictures is like a lightbulb surrounded by moths.
Put Yourself in the Middle of the Action
Conferences bring together movers and shakers. And attending a conference usually has almost no barrier to entry, other than the registration fee. You pay the entrance fee, and then you can literally put yourself in front of those movers and shakers.
Simply by being in the middle of the action, you become part of the action.
The same thing happened for me. Although I had intended to examine publishers' marketing collateral and go to panels to get some good ideas for my clients' projects, it didn't take long for me to realize that the marketing collateral wasn't that important.
It was the chance conversations that mattered.
Over the course of two days at the conference, I had at least seven or eight pivotal encounters.
- I spoke in person with several different distributors and came away with the desired result: "Let's continue the conversation."
- I told a journalist from a leading trade journal about what I'm doing, and he asked me to follow up and tell him more.
- I met a blogger from a key industry website, told her about Bounce Back, and she also asked me to follow up after the show.
- I reconnected with a Hollywood licensing agent whom I knew years ago.
- I ran into a highly regarded publicist who has extensive experience on Kickstarter campaigns (just the sort of expertise I need!)
- I chatted with an organizer of a number of major comics festivals who perked up when he heard about Misako Rocks's manga teaching experience; he's interested in finding out more.
So, How Do You Get Noticed at a Gigantic Publishing Conference?
It doesn't start with banners or ads or a fancy booth. You just need the right person (or handful of people) to hear what you have to say.
A single conversation can move you forward leaps and bounds.
Seeking Beta Readers for a Middle Grade Graphic Novel
I am working on publishing a graphic novel with my friend-client-crazy collaborator Misako Rocks! (Just so you know, I didn't put an exclamation mark at the end of that sentence -- it's part of Misako's name.)
The process of publishing a graphic novel is loooooooong. First you come up with the idea, then you outline it, then you write the first draft, then you edit the first draft, then you revise and edit many more times, then you draw it (and maybe edit and revise the drawings a few more times), then you ink it, then you color it, then you design it, then you print it, ship it from printer to warehouse and from warehouse to retail -- and all along the way, you've got to be figuring out how to market and sell it and executing said marketing and sales plans.
Right now, we are at the beginning of that loooooong process.
But not the very beginning -- we have an edited first draft! Hip, hip, hooray!
So that means, we're ready to find BETA READERS.
You might be nodding and saying, "Way to go, Misako and Janna! You're on the cutting edge of 21st century publishing best practices!"
Or you might be scratching your head and wondering, "Huh? Beta readers? What's she talking about?"
The Hoopla About Beta Readers
This whole hoopla about beta readers comes from the world of software development. All forward-thinking progress comes from Silicon Valley, right?
Right?
OK, never mind. But a few forward-thinking good ideas do come from Silicon Valley.
This concept of beta readers is one of them.
Basically, a beta reader is someone you ask to read an early version of your book and give you honest feedback on what's working and what isn't, and what they like and don't like about it.
It's the same idea in the software industry. You give a "beta user" an early version of your software and instruct them to go to town with it. You ask them to tell you what they like and don't like, and where they found the "bugs."
Obviously, the benefit of having a group of people "test-drive" your writing early in the process is that you'll find out what you need to fix/refine/improve -- and you'll also find out exactly what's resonating with people.
But there's another benefit, as well. The type of people who volunteer as beta users in the software world tend to be the more engaged, passionate, and knowledgeable software users. They are the early adopters who latch onto cool new things and start spreading the word about just how awesome they are.
This is true with beta readers too. There's a whole "beta reader community" out there in all the different literary genres -- romance, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, etc. -- and you can bet those people are the people who like to talk about books.
When you reach out to find beta readers and a group of people raises their hands and says, "I would love to read your 200 page manuscript for free and tell you everything I think about it!" -- congratulations! You have started to build your tribe. Those same people who give you useful early feedback will also, more than likely, cheer you on when you're further down the road and have a publication date and a book cover and a marketing plan.
Those people are your advance guard. You keep them apprised of how the book is going, and they'll help spread the word.
So remember, your beta readers are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PEOPLE. Treat them with care. Invite them into your inner circle and give them lots of love. (Never forget to say thank you!!)
How do you find beta readers?
The first and most crucial step to finding beta readers is to identify your target audience.
Your target audience is the type of people who would really enjoy your book. They are the book's ideal readers.
In the world of children's books, it's important to note that you're almost always going to have two target audiences: 1) the type of kids who'd love your book; and 2) the "gatekeepers" who would give your book to those children. The gatekeeper could be a parent, librarian, teacher, or some other grown-up with a close relationship to the child.
So when you're looking for beta readers for a children's book, it's a good idea to get feedback from:
- actual kids with your ideal reader profile
- parents, librarians, teachers, and other people connected to those kids
Back to where I started!
Misako and I are on the hunt for beta readers for BOUNCE BACK.
Bounce Back is a middle grade graphic novel about a Japanese girl who unexpectedly moves to the U.S. with her family and finds herself torn between two very different groups of friends at her new middle school in Brooklyn.
The target audience for Bounce Back is 5th through 8th grade girls who like reading graphic novels with tons of "middle school drama."
Are YOU interested in being a beta reader?
We're interested in anybody who is:
- a 5th through 8th grade girl who likes reading graphic novels with tons of "middle school drama" (DUH!)
- a grown up who likes kids graphic novels
- a teen who likes graphic novels and remembers being in 5th through 8th grade and what if felt like
- a grown up who has ever interacted with 5th through 8th grade girls and has a good sense of what they like
Basically, if you volunteer, we're going to assume you have some affinity for this project. It doesn't matter to us what it is... if you want to join our team, we're thrilled to have you!
Click here to fill out our beta reader application.
We are accepting applications until May 23, 2019.
And if you become one of our beta readers, you get many wonderful perks!! You will receive:
- our undying gratitude!
- your name listed in the Acknowledgements of the book!
- the inside scoop on our publishing journey!
- special Q&As with us as we continue on this adventure!
- an invitation to the book launch (aka rockin' party!)!
By the way...
If YOU are an author, comics creator, or publisher and you'd like to use our beta reader application as a template for your own venture, you are in luck! I created a beta reader application template in Google Forms which is FREE FOR ALL.
Onward and upward, people! Let's go publish awesome books!
4 Ways Your Mindset Might Be Sabotaging Your Marketing
Do you ever feel like marketing your work is exhausting, overwhelming, confusing, and a giant pain in the butt?
Do you wish you could just do your thing and leave the marketing to someone else?
Do the words “marketing” and “self-promotion” simply make you feel icky?
Well, I’m afraid I gotta give you some tough love.
Almost all the creative people you admire are also good marketers. It might not seem like “marketing” (especially if they’re outside-the-box types), but trust me, every successful creative person has spent a lot of time learning how to sell themselves and their work effectively.
The key is that they’ve learned how to think about marketing in constructive, creative ways.
You could spend hours and hours and thousands of dollars learning how to leverage social media or master SEO, but if your heart isn’t in it and you’re fundamentally not as enthusiastic about social media and SEO as you are about your own creative work, stop right now.
There is no magic social media formula or secret Google code that is going to solve your marketing problems for you.
There are, however, some simple mindset shifts that will make a HUGE difference in the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
If you are trying to figure out social media or SEO or any other marketing tactics without tackling these mindset shifts first, you will just waste a lot of time and money.
Let’s take a look at four of the biggest mindset problems when it comes to promoting yourself, and how to solve them.
Mindset Problem #1: Marketing takes too much time and if I do it as much as I’m supposed to, I won’t be able to work on my creative stuff.
“I don’t have enough time” is one of the most common mindset blocks that I hear. We all feel like we don’t have enough time. We all suffer from information overload and digital overwhelm.
This mental block arises from fear.
You might wonder, what the heck does fear have to do with my lack of time?
Our brains are clever. The part of our brain that is responsible for emotion and knee-jerk responses to situations, that acts out of habit and not out of rational thought, is your limbic system. Your limbic system’s number one priority is keeping you safe.
Promoting yourself effectively requires a) learning a bunch of new skills; and b) putting yourself and your work into the public realm and inviting attention. Neither of which keeps you safe. On the contrary, they make you exposed and vulnerable.
So your limbic system kicks into high gear and floods your brain with thoughts that will keep you from moving in that dangerous direction. And guess which thought is often the first one to pop up?
“I don’t have enough time.”
Why? Because it’s usually true! You ARE busy! You do have a lot of things on your plate.
It seems like the most rational, inarguable statement in the world. But it’s actually an emotional, habitual type of thought.
You do have control over your time. You do have the ability to decide what is most important to you, and what isn’t.
If building an audience for your creative work and making more money as a creator is important to you, you must take control over your time. You must consciously decide how to allocate it, and you must consciously devote a significant portion of time to things that take you out of your comfort zone.
Mindset Problem #2: I have no idea how to find my audience.
Actually, you probably already have an audience. Who likes your work? To whom do you show your stuff? Who are your favorite customers, if you have any? Who are your strongest connections on social media?
Maybe you’ll retort, “Well, Janna, of everything you just said, that’s about 15 people!”
Great! Your audience is 15 people. That is perfectly OK.
Your existing audience should be your priority. Those 15 people are super important!
They have already raised their hands to say they’re interested. By paying close attention to them and figuring out what they want from you and what they like about your work, you are setting the stage that will allow you to grow your audience much faster in the future.
Be a detective. What do they ask you about? Why are they interested in your work?
Really good marketing starts with really good listening.
The next step is to combine what your audience is interested in, with what you love to talk about. Maybe your audience wants to be inspired by dreamy, evocative stories. You love talking about the technical details of creating your work.
So you create a plan to consistently post your best work online, and tell stories about how you created it.
The next step is old-fashioned hustle. You must go out and actively grow your audience from 15 people to 16, then 18, then 23, and so on… it doesn’t happen automatically.
Maybe you start a meetup. Or host an open studio at home. Or post a weekly tutorial on YouTube.
There are countless ways to reach out and introduce new people to your work. What’s important is that you take the initiative to decide what feels right to you, and then do it — consistently.
Mindset Problem #3: Promoting yourself is annoying and drives people away.
This is the extremely prevalent “used car salesman” fallacy of self-promotion. When people think about promoting themselves, they often envision a pushy, self-important dude yelling, “Hey guys, check out my stuff! It is AWESOME!”
But this is a false stereotype. The most effective marketing is usually invisible.
You know you’ve encountered creative, thoughtful marketing when you find out about a person or a company and something they do makes you exclaim to yourself, “Wow, the stuff they’re doing is really cool!”
They’ve connected with you on an emotional level. Maybe they’re telling an inspiring story about their work; or they’re creating something valuable that makes your life or the world a better place; or they’re just entertaining you in a really engaging way.
You need to adopt the exact same approach to your marketing as you do to your actual creative work. Start by asking yourself:
- What am I passionate about? How can I share that?
- What do I know that other people want to learn? How can I teach it?
- How can I use my work to make a positive difference in people’s lives, even if they never buy anything from me?
If you promote yourself in this way, you will never drive people away. You will steadily attract people toward you.
Mindset Problem #4: I get overwhelmed by social media and can’t figure out the best place to promote myself.
That feeling of “overwhelm” happens because you don’t have a strategy and a plan. When you’re trying things willy-nilly, you feel scattered and unsure about whether your actions are effective.
These days, people tend to equate “marketing” with “social media” — but no, social media does not equal marketing!
Social media is just one marketing tool in a huge arsenal of possibilities.
There is no one-size-fits-all marketing plan. Every person and every business is unique, and the path to effective marketing starts with uncovering exactly what makes you unique.
Once you’ve figured that out, you can then decide which social media platform makes the most sense for you, and how to use it. Or you might decide to forego social media altogether and use other tactics instead.
That’s right — I believe it is possible to design an effective 21st century self-promotion plan without using any social media at all.
This isn’t necessarily what I would recommend for most people, but sometimes it’s the right choice. I mention it here because I want to emphasize that social media is just one piece of the puzzle, and not necessarily the most important piece. It all depends on you and your audience.
Conclusion
The single best way to succeed in promoting yourself is to apply the same passion, genuineness, creativity, drive, and care into your marketing as you do to your creative work.
Doing this requires that you think of marketing not as some sort of tactic that a certain breed of people do well, or that only people with a specific skill set can handle. You have to think of marketing as an integral component of your creative work itself.
Over the next few months, on this blog, I’m going to focus on how to do this, step by step. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, please let me know in the comments, does your mindset ever get in the way of you promoting your work effectively? How?