Had a great evening promoting books at my daughter’s school’s Christmas Shopping Evening tonight. (Well, Christmas does start early in primary schools!) Don’t discount these small local events as useful shop-windows for your books – they’re great for networking too.
To get the most out of these opportunities, do your research first to make sure they’re the right match for your kind of book. At this event, I knew that most shoppers would by definition be looking for presents for children of primary school age. I also knew from last year’s event that items retailing at £5-£10 were the most popular. So I took along some books that matched both of these criteria.
Guessing that it would mostly be the mums rather than the dads who came, I also took a few books that would be great gifts for husbands. But although I chatted to quite a few people about the adult books, it was the children’s books that they snapped up.
Best seller of the night was Pip Westgate’s Bear and the Gitxsan Child – a thrilling adventure set in the wilds of Canada, suitable for boys and girls aged 9+. This book draws on native Canadian legend for colour and excitement. The snowy scene on the cover may have added a subliminal Christmas link! I even managed to persuade a Canadian lady to buy one – how about that for selling ice-cubes to eskimos? Find out more about this book at http://www.pipwestgate.wordpress.com.
So there could be a few children in my village curled up with his book on Christmas nights. As for me, I’ll be getting stuck into Pip’s latest manuscript, which weaves ancient Egyptian mythology into his next adventure. Sounds a warmer option in the current frosty weather…
offtheshelfbookpromotions.wordpress.com 