Create a Plan for Local Book Presentations

A coloring book for Thistletoe, by 
Kathy Louise Schuit, adapted from 
Nancy Batra's illustrations,  
 combined with a packrat puppet
help enhance sales.  

By Linda Wilson    @LinWilsonauthor

A group of about eight writers and I from our local chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, SCBWI, have joined together to sell books at various craft fairs throughout the year. We often share a booth and the cost, and sometimes sell on our own. For those of us who are self-published or have a small publisher, this is one of the best ways we sell our books. 

One of our members taught history in our local school system. One of her book series is based on New Mexico state history. Teachers have purchased some of these books for entire classes, which also includes a visit and presentation. Her experience gave me the inspiration to create presentations for children based on my picture books and chapter book, which focus on various aspects in nature.  

Develop your Program

Two programs that I’ve developed for my picture books, A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift, illustrated by Nancy Batra, and Cradle in the Wild, illustrated by 1000 Storybooks, have been well received. 

A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift

A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift is about a packrat whose cupboards are bare during the holidays. Thistletoe wants to find food and decorations for his Mama to have a “right good [holiday] supper.” Thistletoe was presented in an elementary school library recently at the end of the school year. On library day the teachers brought the students to my presentation. The kids were high strung, as they often are at the end of the school year, but the teacher, librarian, and aide stayed in the room and helped keep them in tow. I think we all had fun. A number of my books were purchased by the principal.

• Collect materials: Before the presentation, I collected natural materials that packrats use to build their nests, such as dried leaves and grasses, fluff from various plants, pop tops and pieces of shiny tin foil, and small twigs and sticks. I wrapped a ribbon, string, or elastic band around some of these materials; others I collected in plastic bags. I numbered each item, enough for a 30-student class, and placed them in a basket. Also, I share binoculars and materials from our local library, which included a map of the best places in the area to go birdwatching.

• Introduce a treasure hunt: I hid the natural materials around the room. When the children enter, they are directed to sit down. I get them excited about going on a treasure hunt. Before the hunt starts, I show them a picture of a packrat and ask them to identify it. They inevitably think it is a picture of a mouse. Though packrats do look a lot like mice, we can then discuss how packrats differ.

• Familiarize children with packrats: We discuss that packrats are in the animal family of rodents. We name other rodents, including beavers, a fact I learned while working on this project. We discuss where packrats live, what they eat, and the fun fact about packrats’ traits—how a packrat will pick up a shiny object while searching for food, then if he comes across a more interesting shiny object, he’ll drop the first one, pick up the more interesting one, and take it back to his den.

• If the attention span of the group is a challenge, I then hand out coloring pages to color while listening.

• Tell the story: I have found that telling the story while showing the illustrations works better than reading it with groups of more than five children. This takes some practice beforehand, but it’s worth it.

• After the story: The children can color or take the coloring page(s) home with them.

• Book display: The main display is of the story book and a coloring book that an artist made to accompany my packrat book. My other books are displayed off to the side.

Cradle in the Wild 

Cradle in the Wild is a story about two sisters who discover parts of a bird’s nest on their front porch. They scattered the nest pieces on the grass in their yard, but the birds did not come. They had to think of a way to attract the birds, which they accomplished by including scraps of ribbon, yarn, and lace from their mother’s sewing basket. This program was presented at a coffeehouse, a nature center, and more recently at a health club. Books were allowed to be sold at each venue. The owner of the health club bought several books for clients.

• Introduce the topic: Shared with students and parents/grandparents/caregivers is a collection of twelve bird’s nests that I’ve kept over the years. Participants are encouraged to hold the nests, pass them around, learn the materials birds use to build their nests; and especially they are encouraged to feel the soft, downy material the parent birds use for the inside of the nests to protect their eggs and hatchlings.

• Show pictures: Pictures from a book I discovered, Bird Watch Book for Kids: Introduction to Bird Watching, Colorful Guide to 25 Popular Backyard Birds, and Journal Pages, Dylanna Press, 2022 (Amazon) are large and colorful. The book explains what to take while bird watching, such as water and sunscreen, and the book itself. The book has pictures and explanations of popular birds, and a journal in the back for the children to keep track of the birds they observe. 

• Suggest an adult bird guidebook: The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Birds is an excellent choice for parents to keep on hand for the family to identify birds their children see in their daily lives.

• Pass around samples of birdseed: Birdseed in small plastic containers can be passed around, followed by a discussion on how bird seed can be placed in an outdoor bird feeder.

• Suggest apps for smart phones: Apps such as Bird Sounds and Merlin Bird ID, The Cornell Lab, can be loaded onto the family's phones to hear bird calls.

• Tell the story: I tell the story from the Cradle book while showing the illustrations from the book.

• After the story: Children can color a page from a book like Birds Coloring Book, Las Vegas, NV, Purply Publication, 2023 (Amazon), or take the page home. Beforehand, I assembled plastic bags containing materials and directions for the children to make their own bird’s nest. I hand the plastic bags out for the children to make their own bird's nest at home.

• Book display.

Explore the Possibilities in Your Area

Think of venues in your town where you can present hands-on programs. Possibilities can include: Lunch & Learn programs at local churches; libraries, bookstores, coffee houses, pre-school get-togethers, local art organizations, and public schools. The key is to include parents, grandparents, and caregivers so that you can display your books for purchase. Interest a teacher, librarian, or principal to purchase a supply of books for a classroom or for children in the school before an author visit. The idea is to get librarians, coffeehouse owners, etc., excited about you and your books and program so that presenting your program is a joint effort. To allow use of photos of the children during your presentation, you can ask them to sign a Parent Consent Form, easily obtained online.

Selling and advertising online? As a self-published author, I have not built a strong online presence to make sales that way. Even if you have a strong on-line presence, you can develop hands-on programs and reach out to your local community. This will not only give you the opportunity to make book sales, but also to enjoy meeting your readers and their families in person. This approach has made all the difference for me. I hope you will find many rewards in this approach, too.

Other articles from Writers on the Move to explore: 

"How to Sell your Book in Bulk," by Suzanne Lieurance: Writers On The Move: February 2024

"Give Local Book Sales a Try," by Linda Wilson: Writers On The Move: October 2023

Having the parents agree
to sign the Parental Consent
Form has allowed me to
include images of children
in my advertising, though the
children's names will
always remain anonymous.

Linda's two new releases are Botas Altas, the Spanish version of Tall Boots, translated by Graciela Moreno and Adriana Botero, and Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, translated by Adriana Botero. Visit Linda at https://bit.ly/3AOM98L.

Four Ways Writing a Book Will Teach you about Your Writing Fears and Habits

 

Which of these scenarios best describes you?

Scene A: You wake up refreshed to start your day and can’t wait to sit down to write another chapter (or four!) or your latest book. You adore the writing process and can easily enter your “zone” where time just stands still and your fingers move like the wind across the keyboard.

But how many Scene A’s turn into the next scenario?

Scene B: You wake up refreshed to start your day and you do everything on you-to-do-list first instead of writing a chapter of the book that you know will boost your business.

Procrastination is your friend and the “reasons” you give yourself for not writing are simply excuses.

Besides, if writing a book were easy, everyone would be published.

Writing a book is a great way to boost your credibility, increase your name recognition, and increase your profits. Take a moment to understand your writing fears and habits can improve the writing process so that Scene B can be replaced by Scene A.

Examine your writing habits.

Are you a procrastinator or a “get it done” person?

Are you an early morning person or night owl?

Can you write with music or podcasts playing in the background or do you need total silence?

Every writer has a different method of working and you might just discover something new about yourself during this process.

Maybe you prefer nature sounds or white noise opposed to music with lyrics. Or maybe you can focus better in a coffee house setting instead of in complete silence.

No matter what your preferences, use those to your advantage to be more productive.

Discover your fears about the writing process.

Do you dread that blank page staring back at you?

Do you fear hearing negative feedback or reviews?

Do you fear hiring an editor only to get your manuscript back marked up or changed considerably?

Remember that once upon a time even big name authors had to start with a blank page and editors who changed their words. Start your manuscript with a chapter outline and remember that you’re paying an editor good money to “elevate your words” and make your book the best it can be.

Analyze how disciplined you are when it comes to writing.

There’s no right or wrong method here but can you work in the zone for hours on end? Do you get easily distracted and need to take breaks?

If you need breaks, try the Pomodoro method into your day. Simply set a time for 25 minutes and focus on your writing until the time goes off. Take a 10-minute break, then get to writing for another 25 minutes. It’s a simple method that allows you to stay fresh and focused during your writing sessions.

 Is writing your passion or do you fear this will be a wasted effort?

What if you don’t make book sales or the response from your audience isn’t as glowing as you had hoped?

This is a valid fear, especially if you’re depending on this book to increase your earnings, but you’ll be prepared to conquer this fear by doing market research prior to writing the first page.

Is the book topic something your market needs and wants? Can you offer a different spin on this topic that other may have already written about? Whether you feel a passion for writing or you’re certain this will be your only book, you’ll always benefit by doing research.

Writing a book is a wonderful self-discovery tool in addition to a business-builder. Take these discoveries and work with them during the process; you’ll only improve your writing habits going forward.  

About Rebecca

Rebecca Camarena is a Book Coach, author, self-publishing expert, editor. Helping elevate your words and you’re books message so you can share your story with confidence.  From refining your narrative to navigating the complex world of publishing I provide tailored editing and publishing strategies.

Let’s bring your book to life – your story deserves to be told. Connect with me here, www.rebeccacamarena.com/contact

The Value of Warming Up Before Each Writing Session

by Suzanne Lieurance

You wouldn’t see an athlete sprint onto the track without stretching first, right?

The same goes for writers.

Jumping straight into a writing session without a warm-up can feel like trying to run with stiff muscles—slow, clunky, and frustrating.

A good warm-up gets the creative gears turning, clears mental clutter, and makes writing feel effortless.

A writing warm-up is a game changer.

It helps shift you from the distractions of daily life into creative mode.

It quiets self-doubt, silences perfectionism, and makes the words flow with less resistance.

When you take a few minutes to warm up, you’re not just getting ready to write—you’re telling your brain, This is what we’re doing now. Let’s go.

The Science Behind It 

Writing isn’t just about stringing words together; it’s both a cognitive and emotional process. 

 

Your brain needs a signal that it’s time to shift gears. 

 

Low-pressure, short exercises stimulate neural pathways, improving focus and flow. 

 

Studies have shown that freewriting and other warm-ups activate the brain’s creative center, making it easier to get into the zone. 

 

In short, warming up makes writing smoother and more productive.  

 

How to Warm Up  

 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but here are a few tried-and-true methods.  

 

Freewriting: Set a timer for 5–10 minutes and write nonstop. No editing, no second-guessing—just let the words spill onto the page.  

 

Writing Prompts: A simple prompt can spark ideas and bypass overthinking.  

 

Morning Pages: Julia Cameron swears by this method—three pages of unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness writing.  

 

Sensory Descriptions: Describe an object, place, or moment using all five senses.  

 

Dialogue Snippets: Write a quick, spontaneous conversation between two characters.  

 

Find what works for you. 

 

A warm-up doesn’t need to take more than 5–15 minutes, but it should be consistent. 

 

Make it a habit before every writing session, and over time, you’ll notice how much easier it is to slip into deep work.  

 

Overcome the Resistance 

 

Maybe you’re thinking, I don’t have time for this.

 

But a quick warm-up actually saves time because it makes writing smoother. 

 

Or maybe you feel like you don’t need it.

 

Well, even seasoned writers like Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, and Julia Cameron rely on warm-ups. 

 

And if it feels silly? 

 

Good. 

 

That means you’re letting go of judgment, which is exactly the mindset you need to write freely.  

 

Try It Yourself  

 

Pick one of the warm-up techniques and try it for five minutes. 

 

Notice how it feels. 

 

Did your mind loosen up? 

 

Did the words flow more easily? 

 

The only way to know if a warm-up works for you is to test it out.  

 

Warming up is one of the simplest ways to boost creativity, confidence, and focus. 

 

Experiment with different methods, find one that fits your style, and make it part of your routine. 

 

Writing doesn’t have to feel like a struggle—it can be effortless, joyful, and fun.

 

And it all starts with a little warm-up. 

Now, for more free writing tips and resources, get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge. 

And, if you've always wanted to write a novel, visit writebythesea.com and accept our July Writing Challenge.

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 40 published books, CEO and founder of Write by the Sea® and a Law of Attraction coach for writers.

Authors Have a "Magical" Life

 

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Whether you have never published a book or published many books, you may have this concept that authors have a magical life. They get to travel, attend amazing events and talk with well-known people about their book. Bestselling authors must have a wonderful life because they have sold so many books. This concept that the writing life is glamorous is another publishing myth. I wrote the words “magical life” with quotation marks to indicate “tongue-in-cheek” or exaggeration.

In my 20+ years in publishing, there are remarkable moments.  I want to begin this artice with a couple of these moments. Early in my writing career, I attended the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. Located in the California redwoods, the event is known for their premier faculty and facility. At the end of this event, they give out some writer awards. During one of these early conferences, to my complete surprise, I was given an award for the Writer of the Year. The moment was outstanding to me because it is the only writer award I’ve ever received.

 

Fast forward years later, I was writing a book with the leading African American in Promise Keepers, Bishop Philip Porter. At the time, Promise Keepers was the fastest-growing men’s movement in America. I worked with a New York literary agent, and we crafted a book proposal that launched a bidding war between two large publishers. It was an exciting moment in my publishing life to sign a book contract with a six-figure advance. I worked hard on the writing for this book and it was published. Yet the truth is the book was unsuccessful and did not sell for several reasons. The publisher never showed the cover to Bishop Porter before it was published. Bishop Porter’s picture filled the cover of this book, but he did not like it. He disliked it to the point of not promoting the book and it did not sell. The publisher took this book out of print after six months. How is that for a glamorous writing life? Most of those out-of-print books were destroyed—the truth of what happens to many of these books.

 

Met Former President Jimmy Carter

“We can’t say anything about it,” my literary attorney and writer friend Sallie Randolph began. “But President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn are going to be at our member luncheon tomorrow.”  

I was in New York City for the annual conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), the leading nonfiction writers’ group in the nation and originally known as the Society of Magazine Writers. Each year, the organization holds a large public conference on a Saturday in a hotel in New York City. Before this public conference, the ASJA has a much smaller member day meeting in the same location. One of our members had written a book with Rosalynn Carter and the authors were going to be given an award from the Society. The award winners were invited to attend the member luncheon and the Carters had accepted the invitation. There would be about 200 members and special guests at this luncheon. 

While Sallie and I were not sitting at the table of honor with the former president and his wife, we figured out where the secret service would be sitting and were able to sit at that table. My business book, Lessons from the Pit, A Successful Veteran of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Shows Executives How to Thrive in a Competitive Environment which I wrote for Joe Leininger, had just been released and I had a copy in my briefcase. During the meal, I asked the secret service agent when I could give President Carter a copy of my book. He said, “Do it right now because we’re going to eat, speak, and leave.”

With his permission, I walked over to the former president, introduced myself, and gave him a copy of my book which was published from B & H Publishing Group (formerly Broadman & Holman). I knew Broadman had been one of Jimmy Carter’s publishers and he would be familiar with the company. He was interested in the topic of my book and mentioned his son, Chip, had traded at the Chicago Mercantile. 

As the meal concluded, the program began, the Carters spoke to the audience, and then quietly slipped out of the room—the president carrying one book out of that meeting—mine. It was a great experience to have met a former President and spent a few minutes with him. 

I’ve interviewed more than 150 bestselling authors in many different settings. I’ve been inside the professional baseball locker of the San Diego Padres or been one of the few journalists who has interviewed bestselling author and pastor Chuck Swindoll. During our lunch, Chuck told me, “There are no heroes in the Body of Christ. We are all like a bunch of guys in the back of a pick-up trying to get our stuff together.”  The experience of meeting various bestselling authors and hearing their stories has been enriching to my life but is not glamorous.

The real story is that writing books is hard work and selling books is even harder. From my experience there is often little glamour attached to such work. I’ve never met a book author who didn’t want to sell more copies of their work. It doesn’t matter if they are published through one of the largest publishers or Podunk Press (I don’t believe there is such a small publisher named Podunk Press but maybe, since there are many of them).

If you bring up the topic of selling more books, almost every author has a story about something they tried yet failed to work. Often these stories are filled with the author blaming someone else for the lack of sales. They blame:

• their publisher

• their publicist

• their agent

• their editor

• the wrong title

• the wrong cover

• the missing endorsements

• _____ you name it

It’s rare that I hear the author blame the real culprit: themselves. Yes, it’s hard to admit but it is the first step toward selling more books and understanding who bears the true responsibility for selling books—the author.

Many authors long to have their book appear on the bestseller list. For some authors they equate getting on the bestseller list as their benchmark of success for their book. Over ten years ago, I read Michael Korda’s Making the List, a Cultural History of the American Bestseller 1900–1999. Korda at the time was the Editor-in-Chief at Simon and Schuster, one of the largest publishers. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.

In the introduction, Korda writes, “The bestseller list is therefore neither as predictable nor as dominating as its critics make it out to be. Plenty of strange books get onto the list and stay there for a long time…at least half of the books on any given list are there to the immense surprise and puzzlement of their publishers. That’s why publishers find it so hard to repeat their success—half the time they can’t figure out how it happened in the first place.” (Page xv) I love his honesty. There is no magic bullet and it is different for every book. The author is key.

Some books start slowly and steadily sell then catapult in sales. Other books begin strongly then sales drop to nothing. There is no consistent pattern.

My encouragement is for you to keep experimenting with different methods to sell your book. Each author has a different experience. Recently I spoke with an author who had sold 8,000 to 10,000 copies of his self-published books. He had held over 300 book signings for his book. For many authors book signings have yielded almost nothing but not for this author. He regularly speaks at schools and service clubs and even AARP meetings.

Every author needs to keep experimenting until you try something that works for you and your book, then continue on that path.

Tweetable:

Authors have a “magical life.” In this article, prolific author and editor @terrywhalin uses “magical” as an exaggeration then gives the reality of the author’s journey.  (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. Get Terry’s newsletter and a 87-page FREE ebook packed with writing insights. Just follow this link to subscribe. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Writing: Calamity Punctuation

 

Contributed by Margot Conor

I think the worst thing about my writing is punctuation. I use it incorrectly a lot of the time. I use commas where I shouldn’t and forget to put them where I should. I am never quite sure when a semicolon should be used. One of my editors took all of them out of my book saying they should never be used in fiction. It is a pet peeve of hers. But I see them used in fiction quite a lot and maybe that is due to auto correct programs. 

I’m sure I didn’t pay enough attention to grammar rules in school. But due to the patience of my critique groups, I am learning to correct my bad habits. I also use a program called AutoCrit which is helpful in many ways and has improved my writing craft.

Here is one lesson that came to me not long ago. I had used ellipses in my novel to indicate a pause in the dialogue. My editor replaced most of them with an em dash. Well, I didn’t like the way that looked and put the ellipses back. But then my critique group told me they are not interchangeable. They have different purposes. 

Both ellipses (…) and em dashes (—) are punctuation marks that serve to add rhythm, pause, or emphasis to writing, but they function differently.

Here are four examples of how to use ellipses:

To show that part of a quoted sentence has been removed. “The mission was successful… despite the damage sustained.”

To indicate a pause, hesitation, or that a character’s thought or speech trails off. “I thought I saw something, but it was probably just…”

They can stretch time or reflect uncertainty or suspense. “She stepped into the dark corridor… nothing moved… yet.”

They can imply something is left unsaid or is emotionally loaded. “You said you’d never lie to me…”

An em dash has lately been called out as proof you used ChatGPT or some other AI assistant to write for you. So many writers are hesitant to use them because of that, despite the fact that they have been in use forever, and AI learned how to use them from the books they were trained on. 

Here are a few examples how they should be used:

An Em Dash represents a sharp break or cut-off in speech or thought. “Wait—did you hear that?”

“If we don’t—” he began, but the explosion cut him off.
It separates an inserted or emphasized clause—often more striking than commas. “The creature—twice her size—lunged forward.”

It marks a sentence shift or unexpected turn. “She wanted to run—but her legs wouldn’t move.”

It’s used in place of parentheses to de-emphasize less integral information. “The moons—bright and ominous—cast strange shadows.”

Quite honestly, I find all of that hard to distinguish, but I started using the Em Dash in my stories to get accustomed to how they should be inserted. For example, an Em Dash is for abrupt interruption, dramatic insertion, and sharp sentence breaks, it is sudden action. While the ellipsis is for omission, hesitation, trailing off speech, and soft pensive sentence breaks. It is used during slower paced interactions.
 
I’m hoping my manuscripts won’t be such a calamity of errors in the future. I am slowly learning the error of my ways. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margot Conor has been writing for as long as she can remember, but it wasn't until the COVID lock-down that she had enough time to dedicate to the craft and bring something to completion. Having finished her first novel, she went through the grueling two-year process of editing. Now she has jumped into the author's world with both feet. Margot's debut multiverse adventure novel, Inverse, is available on Amazon. 

She's spent the last year attending many writing retreats, seminars, and writers' events. She also listened to presentations specifically on the topic of publishing and book marketing. She will be sharing what she learns with the reader. Learn more about Margot at https://margotconor.com/
 

 

 

Summer Writing Blues: Dealing with Distractions, Procrastination and Other Book Killers

 

Summer is here! And that means vacations, barbecues, lazy summer evenings, and bored kids at home watching the television all day and asking for endless snacks.

However, finding the time to write a book is definitely going to be a struggle.

Procrastination is even worse.  When you're writing a book and feeling just a tiny bit stuck, suddenly it seems much more important that you finish your laundry, brush the dog, or redesign your website than it is to sit down and write.  

 And when you combine the possibility of procrastination with a few of life's little distractions... well, you can see how it might take you several years to finally get the book written.  

To prevent this from happening to your author dreams work out a plan ahead of time.

Look at your schedule for the next two weeks; 

 Where can you identify pockets of time to spend even five minutes writing? This includes looking at the time before everyone's awake, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, evening, late evening.  

✔   When is your best time for being productive during the day? Are you a morning or night owl person? Write during your most productive time.  

✔   What can you cut back on or give up in the next 2 weeks? Instead of endless scrolling on social media, watching television or cleaning - open up a notes app on your phone and write your book.  

Procrastination is a little harder to deal with, because it's all on you. The key is to know what's likely to trigger procrastination, and design ways to keep yourself motivated.

Some ideas include:  

✔     Set some goals for the week whether it's a word count or page count. Sometimes, procrastination comes when we don't have a definitive goal to work towards.  

✔      Rewarding yourself with a favorite treat or trip to the bookstore after a week of good writing (or even a day if you're prone to procrastination). 

✔    Enlist the help of a partner to keep you on track.  

If you find the first five minutes to write you'll easily find more and for much longer. The reward for all this effort is that you will discover you can write a book.  

 Keep writing! 

About Rebecca

Rebecca Camarena is a Book Coach, author and editor who helps writers, creatives, authors, and entrepreneurs elevate their words with editorial and writing support and critique services.

Connect with me here, www.rebeccacamarena.com/contact