156: Marketing Your Books to Parents AND Kids with Podcasts, Live Events, and Collaborations from Children's Book Author and Podcaster Angela Ferrari

If you have two diverse markets that you need to reach with your copy and branding efforts, then this is a great podcast episode for you!

Artist, podcaster, and children's book author Angela Ferrari reveals her tried and true tactics to sell more books, build a tribe of raving fans (including both young kids and parents), and grow her business network.

A Few Highlights and Mentions:- How Angela got into storytelling for kids - How to write a story that connects with kids and adults - Make your message more clear, simple, and impactful! - Does Angela still think you should publish on Kindle if you do a children's book? - She Podcasts group on Facebook - How to use podcast marketing, live events, and collaboration to grow whatever you are working on!

Notes from Angela:

- Podcast Marketing: I launched my children's story podcast in tandem with releasing my first three books. I wanted to get my name out there as a storyteller and promote my books. Podcasting has been a great way to get the word out because I am giving value to my audience. I feel like I really get to be my authentic self in this form of marketing. Anyone can listen for free, it allows me to demonstrate my creativity and build a real relationship with my listeners.

- Live Events: I have also had great experiences doing live events. Even though the audience is smaller compared to online marketing, I build a stronger connection with the children and their parents and teachers when I meet them in person. They are way more likely to talk about a live event and share my work with their friends. Many parents also make posts about the storytelling event on their social media.

- Collaboration: This has been a recent pilar in my marketing strategy going into season 2 ofStory Spectacular. Before I originally launched my storytelling business, I was very intimidated by other successful children's authors and podcasters. It's easy to feel like you can't measure up and fall into this comparison trap. But after reaching out and making connections with others in my field, I have realized that there is room for all of us! Everyone has their own unique artistry that they bring to the table and many of the storytellers I have encountered are happy to connect/collaborate. I am working with several other children's podcasters, guesting on their shows and having them on my show. This has been such a wonderful experience because it gives us all an opportunity to share our creative strengths with each other's audiences.

Angela's Books - Digger's Daily Routine - An Extraordinary Book - What Do You See? - The Shape Escape - Lawrence the Lighthouse

Our Guest

Angela Ferrari is an artist and children's book author and illustrator based in Portland, Maine. She is the creator and host of the Story Spectacular podcast which features original stories and classic retellings.

Angela grew up in the mountains of western Maine. Living in a rural setting, she developed a talent for finding creative ways to play and captivate her imagination.

After graduating with a BA in studio art from The University of Maine, Angela moved to Portland. She was accepted into the Assets for Artists program which focused on business finance for creative entrepreneurs. After completing the required training, Angela received matching grant funds for working capital. She then became a successful painter.

She has since expanded her artistic endeavors, writing and illustrating five children's book.

BONUS FOR AUTHORS:

In addition to storyspectacular.com, Angela has a blog called childrensbookwritersguide.com which contains everything she WISHES she had known about writing and publishing children's books.

Great Quotes from the Podcast Episode

• "That's the power of children's books. You can convey these really powerful, big messages in such a simple form." - Angela Ferrari
• "It's a great time to be a self-published author!" - Angela Ferrari
• "The more places your book is available, the better." - Angela Ferrari
• "The price point that Kindle and ebooks offer is a great way for people to test the waters and check you out as an author before they commit to the paperback." - Angela Ferrari
• "I love podcasting so much. I was a huge fan of it even before I got started." - Angela Ferrari
• "I waited to launch the first three books the same day I launched my podcast, so it was all under one big brand umbrella of 'Story Spectacular.'" - Angela Ferrari
• "It's important to share each other's work because people crave new, fresh content. It's a win-win for everybody." - Angela Ferrari
• "I found a critique group in my area...that was a really good 'dip your toe in.'" - Angela Ferrari
• "Tell people why you want to connect with them and what it is about their work you're responding to." - Angela Ferrari