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Photo by Vicky Lorencen

We are in for a treat, my little ginger scones. Frog on a Dime is delighted to welcome a very special guest blogger–debut author extraordinaire Kris Remenar.

Leave a comment on this post by Noon (EST) on November 25, and you’ll be entered to win your very own copy of GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA.

Okay, Frog on a Dime is all yours. Take it away, my darlin’ friend!

Congratulations! You sold your first manuscript! After you’ve popped the champagne to toast your sale, you might wonder – what do I do now?

Become “findable” online. You want people to know who you are, what you write, how they can buy your books, and how to contact you. Build your own website or hire a web designer. If the idea of a website makes your throat close, start with an author page on a book site like Amazon or GoodReads. Explore social media options like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Trying to do everything at once is guaranteed to scramble your brains, so take it slow and do what works for you.

Set up book signings. Contact local bookstores to set up a book launch party. To broaden the marketing reach, consider creating signing events with other authors/illustrators. Research events where there will be people with a special interest in your book. Because my first picture book is called GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA, Matt Faulkner and I will be signing books at the Howell Nature Center on February 2nd during their annual Groundhog Day celebration. If you’re willing to travel, see if you can sign books at conferences for groups like the ALA (American Library Association) or NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English).

Consider school and library events. Check with area libraries to see if they have author events in which you can participate. For school and library events, you want to offer more than just a reading of your book. For younger ones, plan an interactive story time, and for olders, prepare a presentation about your process, or publishing, or ways your book ties into the curriculum.

Overwhelmed? Reach out to experienced authors and illustrators for advice, or ask librarians and teachers what they’ve seen that works. Hire a marketing genius like Kirsten Cappy of Curious City or an educational guru like Deb Gonzales for promotional ideas.

Literary genius Sarah Miller asked me an important question when I was frazzled making multiple promotional plans: “Will it be fun?” After working so hard to get published, don’t forget to enjoy signing the books and interacting with your readers. There is no magic formula to guarantee your bestseller status. Do what works for you, do what makes you happy, and keep writing so you can go through the whole process again soon when your next manuscript sells.

Illustrator Matt Faulkner and Author Kris Remenar

Kristen Remenar is busy promoting and hugging tightly her first picture book, GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA (Charlesbridge, 2015, illustrated by Matt Faulkner) and her first adult book, DRAW WITH A VENGEANCE: GET EVEN IN INK AND LET KARMA HANDLE THE REST (Running Press, 2015).

Patricia Nelson

Daniel Nayeri is an editor at Clarion Books an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. He is interested in picture books, novels, and graphic novels. He is the author of STRAW HOUSE, WOOD HOUSE, BRICK HOUSE, BLOW, published by Candlewick Press. Before that he worked as a professional pastry chef and a stuntman. You will be able to get a signed copy of his book at the end of the day, when we do the book signing with Cheryl Klein, Adam Gustavson, and Leeza Hernandez.

He teaches a senior-level intensive undergrad course for the New York Center for Arts & Media Studies every Fall semester titled, “Publishing and Getting Published,” and he will be coming in on Saturday November 5th to do a picture book workshop for us. He will attend dinner at the end of the day and will conduct one-on-one critiques at our Mentoring Workshop the following day.

TAMRA TULLER, Editor at Philomel Books.

After working for several years in education as an English as a Second Language instructor at Rutgers University, Tamra first got her publishing feet wet in the Scholastic Book Clubs, and then moved on to Scholastic’s trade division at Blue Sky Press. In 2006 Tamra moved to Philomel Books, an imprint of the Penguin Young Readers Group, where she is currently an editor.

She is interested primarily in modern, literary middle grade and young adult fiction as well as story-based picture books. She has worked with such authors as Ruta Sepetys, Kathryn Erskine, Renata Liwska, Beth Kephart, and Barbara Joosse.

Lisa Cheng – Lisa Cheng is an Editor at Running Press Kids, an imprint of Running Press Book Publishers, which is a member of the Perseus Books Group.

Lisa has previously worked at HarperCollins Children’s Books, Atheneum BFYR and Margaret K. McElderry Books at Simon & Schuster, and PlayBac Publishing USA. She has had the pleasure of working with such authors and artists as Michael Spooner, Susan Shaw, Adrienne Maria Vrettos, Lee White, E. B. Lewis, Toni Buzzeo, Joan Hiatt Harlow, and Barbara Odanaka. She is currently seeking novelty and picture books (particularly with fun added elements), and middle grade and teen novels. For novels, she is interested in strongly grounded, compelling voices with broad appeal that immediately connect with the reader.

So we now have 5 editors, 2 agents, an art director, and renowned illustrator joining us on Nov. 6th.

Hope to see you soon,

Kathy