Self-Published MG Marketing.....How does it work?

Nogetsune · Apr 6, 2015

As the title asks. I've had an MG story thats been sitting around for a while but the issue with it is that it's long...too long to be told in a standalone book and likely too long to even be contained to simply a trilogy if we are going by the normal size of MG books. In fact, the series would be long enough that it would need to be just that, a series, in the same vein of Animorphs and the like, and an extended series like that is usually not something handed to new authors. Thus, I've been looking into the idea of pursuing self-publishing this particular story, but I have no clue how marketing for self-published MG works. Most children do not have their own computers, and often rely on their parents for any kind of purchasing power....so as a result I can't see a self-published/digital MG book being marketed the same way as a self-published book for the YA and older markets would, due to those being ages where readers start to have their own purchasing power and/or own their own technological devices...

So, the question becomes, how does self-publishing MG even work marketing-wise? I have heard some have been successful at it, but I am not sure how it's done considering the differences between the YA + and MG audiences. Are the self-published MG books marketed to parents rather then to the kids directly? Or am I seriously under-rating the net presence and technology kids have these days?

If anybody has any experience or knowledge on how self-published MG is marketed I'd be grateful!

rwm4768 · Apr 6, 2015

I'm interested in this as well. Self-publishing MG isn't currently in my plans, but I'd like to know how it works if I do decide to go that route with my MG fantasy series.

jvc · Apr 7, 2015

Not sure about marketing Self-Published MG books. But, series are handed down to writers who have a good series. It is sold on the first book, though. You have to make the first book capable as a stand alone story, but with a series potential. Query agents for book one. Make it strong. Make it stand out. Make it a complete story. When you get a bite, then you mention you've got the rest of the series written/planned. When you sign with the agent, they'll know exactly how to pitch it to the editors at the publishing houses.

Polenth · Apr 7, 2015

Some of the diaries in the self-publishing forum are about middle grade books. But you'll learn a lot from any of them, as the basic principles don't change. You're still trying to persuade people that your book is entertaining and worth buying. The difference is most will be buying it on behalf of someone else (the children) rather than for themselves. They're still looking for a great story.

The biggest mistake I see with marketing for younger children is focusing on educational value. It makes books sound dull as sticks.

Nogetsune · Apr 8, 2015

@ JVC: I think you underestimate the length I have going on here. A new author can get a series, yes, but at most it will be a trilogy or smaller series, never anything larger. This particular story takes all the games a friend and I played with our action figures when we where much younger and turns them into a polished story....the games lasted about 8-9 YEARS, and while cutting out all the potty humor and randomness dose help to shorten things a tad, the added content to make it into more of a real story, as well as the general -length- and scale of the plot make it so not even a trilogy is enough to contain it. When I talk "series" I mean "series"....in the same vein as, say Animorphs, if you've ever read those. I'm talking an extended multi-book series of many shorter books, like...four-five+.....thats why I'm looking to self publish, they just don't hand out series that long to new authors, and the plot cannot be contained to a stand-alone book...

Cathy C · Apr 8, 2015

Nogetsune said:
@ JVC: I think you underestimate the length I have going on here. A new author can get a series, yes, but at most it will be a trilogy or smaller series, never anything larger. This particular story takes all the games a friend and I played with our action figures when we where much younger and turns them into a polished story....the games lasted about 8-9 YEARS, and while cutting out all the potty humor and randomness dose help to shorten things a tad, the added content to make it into more of a real story, as well as the general -length- and scale of the plot make it so not even a trilogy is enough to contain it. When I talk "series" I mean "series"....in the same vein as, say Animorphs, if you've ever read those. I'm talking an extended multi-book series of many shorter books, like...four-five+.....thats why I'm looking to self publish, they just don't hand out series that long to new authors, and the plot cannot be contained to a stand-alone book...

Um . . . I'm not sure where you've been getting your information, but trade publishers absolutely do sign new authors to long series. I was one of them. But the first book does have to stand alone enough to get readers interested in buying the next. Each of the Animorph books contain a full story---there's simply a longer world arc going on.

You can certainly self-publish, no problem with that. But go into it as a choice, rather than as some sort of settling for it because "those rotten big publishers will never love me with my big series." Just not true, especially in MG, where series are the bestselling books.

RedWombat · Apr 8, 2015

Hi! MG trade author and self publisher here.

Sad to say, it probably doesn't work.

MG is the big field where ebooks barely sell at all. I've sold literally a million copies of my MG series. The amount of ebooks in that? Completely negligible. I get more returns in a year on one book in the series than I sell in ebook across most of them.

The tech just isn't there yet. They don't make a cheap unbreakable tablet that you can hand to an eight year old boy without a qualm. (And here, somebody always says "But Kid Of My Acquaintance loves the iPad!" Yes, they do--but they're playing games and pushing buttons, rarely sitting down with a book, and this is still a tiny minority of the populace. My stepsons love their dad's sports car too, but you still don't get far selling 'em Camaros.)

Without ebook sales, you are left hustling print copies by hand and hoping for the local interest shelf. For a long series with an intricate plot, it's gonna be the worst sort of fit.

Now--this information has a sell-by date!

Tablet technology improves all the time. I thought it would have improved by now, honestly, but we're still floundering a bit. Still, disruptive tech could show up tomorrow on this front. The twenty dollar kid tablet may be around the corner. But I can't tell you what format it will be or what it will look like.

If you're committed to this particular story, great! But self pub is currently your worst choice in terms of audience reach, and will be for the immediate future.

kenpochick · Apr 8, 2015

Agreed. As a mom to three kids, I have no plans to buy them ereaders. They read physical books and self-pubbing physical books would be very difficult without an already established fan base.

Old Hack · Apr 8, 2015

I have to echo everyone else's comments about the difficulties of selling e-books to the MG market, and the popularity of series in trade publishing's MG imprints.

If you are determined to go ahead with this, though, you might find this thread interesting:

How to promote your book like an intelligent human being and not an SEO Dweeb

Polenth · Apr 8, 2015

kenpochick said:
Agreed. As a mom to three kids, I have no plans to buy them ereaders. They read physical books and self-pubbing physical books would be very difficult without an already established fan base.

You don't need an established fanbase to produce print books. POD has low setup costs. But realistically, few self-published authors are going to sell much of anything, which is why I suggest looking at the examples of people who've done it on the forum. It helps to lower sales expectations.

There's nothing to stop someone trying though, as long as they are aware the book is unlikely to take off.

kenpochick · Apr 9, 2015

I don't mean that there are high costs for POD, I mean that I choose the kids books by wandering Barnes n Nobles or having them find one in school. Or they have some connection to their favorite show or video game. I'm not searching the internet for their books, so if I don't already know an author I'm not going to seek out books by them. Know what I mean? Whereas if someone like Rick Riordan decided to self-pub a book I would order that print copy for my kids because I and my kids are already fans. Obviously you can self publish whatever you want, the technology exits, but I would expect that the OP wants to find an audience as well.

Self-Published MG Marketing.....How does it work?

Nogetsune

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW

jvc

Fearsome Dragon Mod

Polenth

Mushroom

Nogetsune

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors

kenpochick

I should be writing, not on AW.:-)

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Polenth

Mushroom

kenpochick

I should be writing, not on AW.:-)