• Swag—Fact #1: people like free stuff. Fact #2: it doesn’t really help to give people free stuff that they won’t use and that people won’t see. So even if your book is about, say, bird watching, are you really going to get sales of your book by handing out expensive swag like binoculars with your book’s title on it? (Hint: no.) The best swag is simple. Bookmarks, pins/buttons, postcards, tote bags, and posters. If you want to make a few more expensive items for giveaways closer to on-sale, that’s cool too, but make sure it’s something people will use. I have a dozen sticky note pads, lanyards, and bracelets (even suntan lotion and a manicure kit) that will never see the light outside my cubicle walls.

• Blogger Requests—Do not forward blogger requests piecemeal to your publicist. Yes, we’re known for being organized, but we’re also dealing with massive amounts of email. (Currently, I have more than 24,000 emails in my inbox. Not including the ones I’ve filed.) Keep an excel spreadsheet of requests (include name, blog name, address, email, and stats) and send them all at once about 5 months before on-sale. If someone requests an ARC after that, start a new list or refer them to your publicist (check with them first to be sure that’s okay). Also, please don’t put your publicist’s email address on your website. There should be a general email you can use for the publicity department or publisher.

• Events—I don’t recommend doing events before on-sale unless you have backlist you can promote. In that case, bring your fancy swag for the new book! But if you don’t have a book to sell, it’s really just not worth it. People have short memories, even if they take your bookmark with them to “pre-order when they get home.” Save your time, money, and energy for when you have a book you can sell.

If you want to do events locally, check with your publicist for help arranging them. It’s best if we know what you’re doing. For several reasons, but mostly because if we know about an event, we can be sure the store orders books and gets them on time. Local bookstore events can be a great way to support the book, but don’t expect that the bookstore will bring a crowd for you. They’ll do their part with promotion, but you should be inviting your friends and family.

Are you traveling anywhere within the US around your publication date? Let your publicist know and they may be able to arrange an event. Especially if you’re going somewhere where you know a lot of people who may come out to see you.

Regional trade shows are another great way to meet the booksellers at bookstores in your general region. There are eight indie bookseller fall trade shows: NAIBA, NEIBA, SIBA, MPIBA, Heartland Fall Forum (for MIBA and GLIBA), SCIBA, NCIBA, and PNBA. (Google those acronyms!) Ask your publicist if you could be pitched for a signing, especially if it’s within driving distance. Your publisher may be willing to cover travel costs if it’s further away, but don’t expect that they will.

• Announcements—Don’t announce anything without telling your publicist and marketing team. Sign a new deal? Going to a festival? Got a blurb? We can help with these announcements and determine the best time to make them. And, even just from a bandwidth perspective, it’s worth combining efforts.

• Balance—Yes, the squeaky wheel gets grease. It’s true. But it’s all about balance. You want to walk the fine line between being a squeaky wheel and being overly persistent. So don’t email your publicist every time you have an idea. Gather your thoughts and put them into one email, then give him/her at least a few days to get back to you. Sometimes we have to research something or get an answer from another department. Silence does not mean we aren’t thinking about you. Also, anything you can do on your own, especially research, do it!

• Freelance publicists—There are some amazing freelance publicists, but some are better than others, and some are better at working with your publisher than others. If you want to see what else a freelance can do to supplement your publisher’s plans, by all means, check into it. Some agents work with freelancers regularly and can suggest a few, some of your author friends might have recommendations (or warnings), and your publicist might even have some thoughts. I don’t always think it’s necessary, but it depends on what the publisher is doing. Definitely talk to your publicist, your agent, and your editor before hiring a freelancer.

Also, one last thing to know: I hate saying no. I hate it in my personal life, I hate in my professional life. I have trouble even saying no to my cat. Seriously, that’s why she’s so fat. So please respect the “No.” When I say we can’t cover your travel costs or pitch you for something, there is a reason. And I hated saying “No” just as much as you hated hearing it. Please don’t make me say it twice.

Congratulations on being published and good luck! I hope to see you at an event, conference, trade show, or festival one of these days!

LIZZY MASON is the Director of Publicity at Bloomsbury Children’s Books. She previously worked in publicity at Disney, Macmillan Children’s, and Simon & Schuster, and graduated from Manhattan College (which is in the Bronx) with a degree in Journalism and a minor in English. Lizzy dedicates whatever spare time she can to reading and writing YA fiction. She lives with her husband (and his comic collection) and their cat Moxie (who was named after a cat in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials) in Queens, NY. Follow her @LizzyMason21.

When Out of the Box started over five years ago (!!), it was primarily show-and-tell type posts: a look at what we literally pulled out of boxes we received. The scope of the blog has widened considerably since then — adding app reviews, movie reviews, event recaps, and lots more — but I still collect notable items to give you a glimpse at how wacky, weird, and wonderful our mail can be. With 2015 drawing to a close, it’s time to do a big swag post (and clean out my desk shelves!).

We’re not really sure of the provenance of some of this stuff, so if you can shed some light on what items are and where they came from, please do! For more swag and surprising mail, check out the tag show and tell.

First category is…sweets! We love getting treats. Bonus points if they are beautiful and bookish.

cookie with art from Ashley Spires’s The Most Magnificent Thing

gummy bears celebrating Ben Bailey Smith and Sav Akyüz’s I Am Bear

mystery international chocolate milk mix (we think?)

Journals and other writing-related tools:

awesome quill-and-ink set accompanying Don Tate’s Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton

Star Darlings wish list pad and magnetic board

companion journal for R. J. Palacio’s Wonder

journal and magnetic poetry set with Tamara Ireland Stone’s Every Last Word

Prints and posters:

signed print of Little Tree by Loren Long

signed prints: Appleblossom the Possum by Gary Rosen (written by Holly Goldberg Sloan) and The Marvels by Brian Selznick

signed print of Waiting by Kevin Henkes

postcards with illustrations from several Chronicle picture books

poster for Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant’s That’s (Not) Mine!

poster for Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson

Lizi Boyd’s big bear little chair print and masks

Tote bags:

tote bag and to-do list featuring characters from Bethanie Murguia’s Cockatoo, Too

Lectura Books Literacy Project tote bag

Miscellaneous:

story blocks from Daniel Nayeri and Brian Won’s kit How to Tell a Story

mystery seeds, from two separate correspondents

Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski’s Nightfall with creepy note, candle, and matches

mystery (but cute!) rhino stuffie

Commentarii de Inepto Puero (a.k.a. the Latin edition of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

stickers of Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall’s Ivy + Bean

The post Last show and tell of 2015! appeared first on The Horn Book.

It's here! It's here! It's finally here!!!!

THE NEVERSEEN PRE-ORDER GIVEAWAY IS HERE!!!!

Now that we're three weeks away from the launch of NEVERSEEN (*flails and hyperventilates*), it's time to make sure you guys have a chance to get some goodies! Thank you all for waiting so patiently.

(And warning: this is a long post with LOTS of important information, so make sure you read it all carefully so you don't miss your opportunity)

Some of you know how this works, but just in case you're new here, this giveaway is my way of trying to make up for the fact that it's impossible for me to tour to every city. If I could figure out a way to teleport, I'd meet each and every one of you in person. But since I can't, I like to make sure you all at least have a chance to get some of the fun things I give out at signings. So everyone who pre-orders a copy of NEVERSEEN before the cut-off date (11/2/15) AND fills out the form at the end of this post*, will get this awesome NEVERSEEN swag mailed directly to them:

In case you can't tell from the picture, you'll get:

Wow, I can't believe we're already to Black Friday weekend--seriously where has the year gone??????

But deadline panicking aside (MEEP!), it's also time for my annual Black Swagday Giveaway!!!  

Since this is the time of year where everyone has gifts on their minds--and I personally feel that signed books are THE BEST gifts anyone can give--I have a nice handy way for you guys to make your gifts even more special.

If you buy any of my books (Keeper of the Lost Cities, Exile, Everblaze, Let the Sky Fall, and/or Let the Storm Break) this weekend--which just so happens to be the biggest shopping weekend of the year, between Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday--and fill out the form at the end of this post, I will send you the corresponding swag pack below.

YAY--it's that time again!

Now that we are only three weeks away from the launch of EVERBLAZE (*pauses to flail*), it's time for the annual Pre-Order Swag giveaway!!!!!!

As if THAT weren't awesome enough, I have one more prize. Five (5) additional winners will get all of the swaggish goodies up above, plus one of these:

The shiny, super-awesome Black Swan mirrors I'll be giving out at the official launch party! (for another picture of what they look like, go HERE) These might be the coolest swag I've ever seen, so trust me, you want to win one.

You don't have to do anything special to enter for the extra goodies. I'll choose the winners randomly from all the people who fill out the form for their swag. So that's the only requirement: you must fill out the form at the end of this post. Which of course means you also must pre-order a copy of EVERBLAZE. 

And because I like to keep things simple, I'm not requiring proof of purchase. If you say you bought it, I trust you. I'm counting on you guys to be honest. And remember, lying makes an alicorn poop on your head--but telling the truth makes it rain mallowmelt and Prattles! I also won't be announcing the winners online anywhere. If you're one of the lucky ones who wins the extra swag, you'll find out when your prize arrives with your extra goodies.

I'm also willing to mail the prizes anywhere--even internationally. And it doesn't matter if you pre-order an eBook or a hardcover. As long as it's EVERBLAZE, it counts. And you can buy that copy anywhere books are sold. Of course I recommend shopping local from your favorite indie and supporting a local business. But it's up to you where you want to shop.

I also know lots of you pre-ordered yours months and months ago. (which is awesome, btw.) And if that's the case, you can definitely still fill out this form and get your free swag. But you must pre-order your copy before 11:59 pm (pacific time) on 11/3/14 AND fill out the form before then. After that I'll close the form and there will be no more ways to enter.

And there's no limit on how many swag packs you can get. If you buy five books, you can get five swag packs (also five chances to be one of the winners for the extra goodies.) Just make sure you fill out the form separately for each copy you pre-order, so that I know how many swag packs to send you.

Also: since I'm leaving for tour the same day this contest ends, there *will* be a slight delay on when your swag gets mailed to you. But I promise I'll have them all in the mail before November 30th. (most likely much sooner). Sorry for the delay, I can't deal with mailing stuff while I'm traveling.

Um........... I *think* that covers everything--but if I missed something, feel free to ask in the comments.

And I just want to end by thanking all of you for your enthusiasm and support for this series. It is SO FUN watching it grow and find new readers. Thank you for telling your teachers and friends, and posting your edits on instagram, and sending me your fan art, and all of the other amazing things you guys do. Keep doing what you're doing--its working like a charm. And I can't wait for you to read EVERBLAZE.

Only three weeks left--AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, here's the form you need to enter, And if it doesn't load, click HERE.

*Please note: you must be 13 years or older to fill out this form. If you're not, please have your parent or guardian fill it out for you

Swag

• Standard Definition: plunder, booty; money, valuables.
• Recent Definition: confidence, style, carriage; related to swagger.

There's a saying going around the internet that “swag doesn’t pay the bills.” In Children’s Marketing, that is patently not true.  Swag totally pays the bills—or, at least it helps sell books, which is what keeps the lights (and air conditioning) on in this funky-shaped building. [Note: Much of Macmillan is housed in New York City’s Flatiron Building, an angular architectural wonder that is on the National Register of Historic Places and has a perfect five-star rating on Yelp. Swag.]

Kids book swag is kind of like a party favor—if your book had a birthday bash or a wedding, it would thank you for coming and hand you a little gift on your way out that looked like one of the following:

Bookmarks: Classic swag! A bookmark doesn’t stray too far from the world of ink and paper. Almost anything can be a bookmark, including smaller books—but do this too much and you get a Matryoshka doll effect with a couple of broken bindings. Better to pick up the real deal!

Poster: When you’re not reading your book, it can still beautify your world. A children’s book poster usually consists of a spread from the book with a tagline that is funny, telling or inspiring. Since they are often displayed in libraries and bookstores, these posters may have messages which encourage you to read. Consider yourself warned.

Class Activities: Sometimes class activities are on the back of a poster; sometimes they’re on their own. You can check out book pages on the Macmillan website to see if there are bonus activities! Is this type of swag a little like the carrot sticks that one of your neighbors gives out on Halloween instead of candy? Maybe. Did that person know what was best for you? Definitely. Some of these activities were created by interns, specifically this intern, and they are FUN—and good for you.

Buttons, Tote Bags, Pencils: This genre of swag is my favorite, as it’s a killer combination of practical and expressive. Plus, sometimes tote bags contain… more swag. And books.

Alternative Swag: Here’s where things get really creative. Did you know that Shadow and Bone has its own nail polish? And that the upcoming Crewel has its own swanky purple wristband? 52 Reasons to Hate My Father had a giveaway that included heiress sunglasses like the one in the book. Step aside, Duane Reade, because Mackids has this covered. These novelty items are a ton of fun to come up with in marketing meetings—it’s an interesting challenge to design a small object that both conveys something about a whole book and is useful or cool on its own.

Now you might be asking yourself: Where can I get my hands on some swag? Easy! To get a party favor, go to a party. Check out author signings and book festivals. Buddy up with your local librarian. Consider working in publishing! The whole floor may or may not have sampled custom Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group cookies to make sure they were OK for ALA. (They were, but it’s always good to check.) Turn your swag on, and happy reading!

 -Katherine