Spring has finally sprung and tomorrow is National Children’s Book Day –a great time to let your children’s book promotion efforts blossom!

Promoting your children’s book can and should be a fun experience. After all, you can channel your inner child and tap in to your most creative ideas to spread the word about your new book.

If you are having trouble figuring out where to start, we are here to help guide you in the right direction.

Local libraries – Libraries are a great venue to promote your book. Start by donating a few copies to your local library. This will get your book not only on the shelves but potentially in the hands of more children.

You can also contact the head librarian to schedule a book reading for the kids – maybe a live storytelling hour or a parent’s day out event. As a bonus, if the children enjoy your book, they might convince their parent or guardian to purchase a copy. Offer to sign any books that are purchased. Don’t forget to bring leave behinds for the circulation desk; they can continue your promotional efforts even when you are not physically there.

Schools – Consider reaching out to local schools to promote your book.  Start by donating a few copies to your local school libraries. Many schools also appreciate when guest speakers and professionals  come in to the classrooms to talk with their students. Just as you told a story on the pages of your book, be prepared to talk about how you became a published author with the students. Depending on the length of your book, you could also do a live guest reading during story time. Whatever the format, try to be animated and entertaining to hold the children’s attention throughout your presentation.

One note on visiting schools: Be cognizant of each school’s security protocols. You’ll likely have to register with the front office and may be asked to participate in a background screening before you can interact with students. Contact the school office to find out what will be asked of you in your district, and remember that they’re only asking these things to ensure the students’ safety.

Announcements – Think about visiting local businesses around your community, including libraries, schools and coffeehouses, to ask if you could post promotional flyers in the building. On your flyer, you should incorporate a color picture of your book’s cover, your name, your contact information, and how and where people can purchase your book. Don’t forget that you also can use your blog and social media to announce upcoming events and post pictures from previous events.

All of these tips can be used every day, and especially tomorrow on National Children’s Book day, to promote your newly published children’s book.

Remember, you are an expert on your book, so you should be able to promote it with confidence. Always remember to match that confidence with creativity when finding new and innovative ways to promote your work!