Children's book writers should start locally with their marketing plans.
After all the work you put into writing a book for children, marketing it is going to entail even more work than the creation process. Marketing your book will be even more challenging if you aren't already a well-known name in publishing. However, with a proper marketing plan, you have a good chance of getting your name known locally or regionally, and that can eventually expand to a national level.
Readings in Bookstores
Underdown.org, a website about children's book publishing, says that selling your children's book in a local bookstore isn't always the best marketing plan, however, you can still volunteer to read your book. Ask your local bookstore if they have a volunteer program to read books to children. If they do, reading your own book out loud to kids can be a good starting point in promoting your book. In some cases, you might be given permission to sell the book with the reading as well as sign copies.
Donating to Local Libraries
Local public libraries are also a good place to start your marketing campaign. Here you can also do readings of your book for kids or just donate your book to the library. By donating the book, you can get word out in the local community through library recommendation.
Reading and Selling in Schools
Schools are some of the best places to promote your book in the early phases of your marketing plan. You can call the school or the school librarian and ask if it's possible to do a reading of your book and a signing session afterward. During readings, you'll have the chance for kids to get truly involved in your book's story and pictures without the distractions in bookstores and libraries. Representatives in schools can sell advance copies of your book if you provide them your publisher's contact information. Publishing houses are usually open to shipping copies out if they know you may be selling books.
Selling at Book Fairs
While you sometimes have to pay a fee to rent a table at a book fair, you can sell your book there as well as network with fellow authors. Networking is very important in the marketing of your book, and meeting other authors can potentially lead to many other connections. You also might have teachers who stop by your table and ask you to do readings in more schools.
Local TV
Contact your local TV stations and mention you're promoting a book, especially if you find out your local news is doing a piece related to the theme of your book. If you contact them, they may send a reporter with camera crew to your book signing to interview you. Being on a local news segment will reach many more people who may turn out for another book signing you're doing in another location. In the event your book for children is newsworthy enough, it could eventually get on a national news segment.
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