Branding a Children's Book? ABSOLUTELY.

What you want to bring to your readers is more than you think.

A children's picture book is a major project. Whatever the age group, you’re putting in countless hours of writing, editing, scrapping, and rewriting. But once it’s all together, polished and ready to sell, did you consider the brand that you want your children's picture book to be under?

Brands aren’t just names. I’m not talking about licensing and creating an imprint to sell your book under. I’m talking about its branding. What is the motivation? What is the purpose for making it? Who is the person behind the book? That’s your branding. And it’s CRUCIAL to selling a book to your audience.

You can break it down into a few different questions. The first is tied to your hook. (We can talk about hooks in another post.) “Who is represented by your main character?” There should be a reason you created this character. Who are you trying to talk to with this story? Is it autistic young children? The experience of being afraid as a kid? Being a sibling? Kids who have been bullied? Girls who want to believe in “ungirly” dreams? Why is is a boy/girl? Why is it a cat/dog/bunny/dragon etc.? What drives its decision making? Unpacking this and putting it into words will help you know your “why” and give your book a better foothold in the market. It makes a big impact when you can connect to your audience in a direct, emotional and personal way that makes them feel seen. It is a great way to open up conversation about your book and make it memorable to your readers.

Another important question you can ask yourself is harder to define and will take some time, but is important to your readers. “Who am I as the author?” This may seem like a strange question to ask as a children’s book author, but more often than not, it can make a world of difference in selling your book. Knowing the story behind the story makes a huge impact on how people respond to your book. Imagine going into a bookstore, finding a book about a bunny who needs a name and ends up finding a bunch of different funny animals who try to give her a name, until she realizes that in visiting with all these animals she’s brought joy to them and names herself Joy. At face value it seems like a book you might pass over, maybe doesn’t stand out with all the other self-discovery picture books on the shelf. But what if you met the author at a book signing or read about them on social media, and found out the author lost her mom the year before. She wanted to honor her mother in this story, and how she found her joy through her mother taking her to visit people who were unable to leave their home and needed some simple joy in their lives. Suddenly this book feels harder to pass by. This is why we crave connection, and want to share stories and have conversations, the human-side of everything MATTERS. Don’t think “I’m not enough” or “they won’t want to hear what I think” because that is simply not true. People love and crave connecting. I’ve seen people sell out merchandise simply because having some merch let people feel like they were more connected to that person or community.

Finally, the big introspection that should happen (like that last one wasn’t a doozy!) when it comes to your book branding is, “Why are you sharing this book?” This driving force is something to be reckoned with! It has been the reason for your total immersion into the authorship of this work; the head-spinning, brain-melting, trouble-shooting of book publishing and marketing, and why you continue to get out and get other people excited. Sure, you like cats, but why write a book about it? Why does the world need to know you like cats? Was it a family member who you stood up for by telling their story? Was it to be proactive for a cause you feel deeply connected to? Was it to educate people about a topic that changed your life? Is it a topic that keeps you awake at night and you want the world to know about it? Is it your personal journey and how it’s made you into who you are? These are all immersive, poignant, important answers that often create hours of conversation. That is the heart of the matter. That is what sells your book. That is your branding.

Don’t be afraid to talk about you, your book, and why it matters. It’s the best and often the easiest place to start when doing book talks and school visits. Let your branding sell your book!