Tag: Small Bites Back

If you’re a children’s author considering an author event (or a bookseller thinking about setting one up) here are a few things to bear in mind.

1.Drop-in craft works well…

If you’re not a famous author who attracts a crowd just by being there, craft events involving minimal instructions are the way to go. (I tried running structured storytelling events last year, but they’re much harder for passing kids to join in on. And if only one child arrives at the start – which isn’t uncommon for me – it puts a lot of pressure on them to come up with all the ‘answers.’)

This summer, I initially invited kids to make simple bat bookmarks. They gave me a reason to talk about the vampire dentists in Small Bites Back, but I soon realised that giving crafters one design option was a bit limiting. And since the vampire dentists love all teeth, I quickly re-branded the activity.

Asking kids to make book gobblers was immediately more inviting. It also meant I could fill the craft table with colourful paper, feathers, stickers and all things eye-catching (rather than piles of black paper). Kids stayed longer too as they designed their very own creatures.

…as long as people know you’re the author

I was amazed how often parents thought I was a bookseller or paid children’s entertainer. (Even when I was sitting next to a sign that said ‘author visit.’)

I’m now seriously considering buying a badge (or maybe a very big hat) that says ‘author’ on it. Failing that, my only tip for authors is to stress who you are much more than seems necessary. I did that by saying things like this:

• would you like to make a book gobbler, inspired by the creatures you find in my stories?
• there are all kinds of creatures in the Stinking Sinking Swamp, would you like to meet a few of the creatures I’ve created in my books?
• that’s a great creature you’ve made, maybe I should write about them in my next book.

Then, as kids crafted, I asked questions that linked to bits in my books and used Rory’s illustrations as design inspiration. When the penny eventually dropped, kids and parents would stare at my books then up at me and say ,”did you WRITE these?” And the awe in their tone would give me few seconds of the deep satisfaction I always hoped would come from being an author. (Until the child went back to designing their Pokemon or Isadora Moon, totally not Small Bites Back-inspired bookmark. You can’t win them all…)

2. The longer you stay, the more you sell

This is an obvious point, but not one I thought about when I was booking events. Often I’d try to ‘fit in an hour in a shop’ before doing something else nearby. And I almost always sold fewer books when I was on a deadline to leave. Or, worse still, had to go when there were still young readers coming in.

The opposite is true, too. I had a great time at Waterstones Crawley and Waterstones Bluewater, where both shops were happy for me to stay as long as I liked. I spent between 3 and 4 hours in both and left feeling like I’d really got the most from the visits. And I’d sold around 10-12 books in each, too.

3. Every visit is different

I’ve come away from shops waxing lyrical about how busy and family-friendly they were. Then other authors have visited the same shop a week later and told me it was empty (and vice versa).

Sometimes, it really is a question of luck and weather. But a couple of things help make an event work. My hands-down best event of the summer was at The Book Nook in Hove. Here are some of the things the shop did brilliantly to make it a success:

1. Theme: they ran themed events, every week during the holidays, so families knew what to expect, when. (I was part of monster week).
2. Promo: they’re excellent and consistent on social media, so people know to check their channels for event details.
3. Timing: they ran my event straight after a regular toddler club, so families were already in the shop.
4. Space: because they knew they’d attract crowds, they dedicated more or less the entire shop to the event.

Things to think about before booking an event:

I’ve had a lot of fun this summer, but there are definite pros and cons to craft events.