Children's Book Marketing Made Easy

(PODCAST) Sell MORE Children's Books (Marketing Strategies That Actually Work)
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Speaker 2: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Children's Book Marketing Made Easy podcast. I'm your host, Harley Manske. After publishing my first three children's books on Amazon KDP, I have turned this into my full-time job. So yes, I'm a full-time self-published children's book author, illustrator, author, coach, and creative entrepreneur.

If that sounds like something you wanna do too, then this podcast is the right podcast for you. 'Cause in this podcast, I take my original YouTube videos and I've turned this into a podcast form so you can take it with you on the go in your daily life, so that way you don't have to sacrifice your time or your energy, but you're still learning.

If you wanna watch the original YouTube video, that's gonna be linked in the show notes down below, as well as a bunch of other free author resources, like a free marketing guide, Instagram content planner, and book launch team checklist with email templates. But without further ado, let's get right into the podcast episode.

Welcome to this exciting interview with my colleague, [00:01:00] Joann Dickinson

This is going to be really informative because we go over a bunch of different marketing strategies and tactics and tips and tricks and a lot of things that I don't normally talk about on my podcast or YouTube channel. So I'm really happy to be able to share it with you today

Now Joanne and I go way back. We have been in cahoots with each other for over three years. We could spend hours talking to each other, and we have learned so much from each other And if you don't already know this, Joanne has an amazing podcast for children's book authors who are looking to grow their business, and she does tons of interviews with other self-published children's book authors.

And every time I listen to one of her podcast episodes, I learn something new, too, and it's a really great place to be, and I highly recommend that you go follow her on her podcast or her YouTube channel

But without further ado, let's get right into this awesome interview

writing and illustrating a children's book is one thing. Getting that book noticed and into readers' hands is a whole nother thing. My guest today, [00:02:00] returning, Harley Rose, wears several creative hats as an author, an illustrator, and a podcast host, Children's Book Marketing Made Easy. I love that, Harley.

Welcome back. Share with the listeners who don't know you, , as of yet, who you are, what you do, and all the amazing things that you do. Aw, thanks so much, Joanne. I'm so happy to be back. It's been too long. It's been a year, right? Yeah. It's been way too long. Going over who I am and what I do, I'm a self-published children's book author and illustrator.

I do everything. I do my own formatting, publishing, marketing, selling, I mean, you name it. And then that has branched out into becoming my full-time job. So after it became my full-time job, I started a YouTube channel. I started a podcast. I have two Instagram accounts. Like, I have all the social media, so.

And now I help people with marketing and selling their own children's books, so I've really branched out a [00:03:00] lot since then. You really have, and between the two of us, I think we could be four or five authors. We just do- Yes ... so much and bounce so much off of each other. I absolutely love working with you, and on the people that you send to me.

I talked to Mishi Mac yesterday, and it's such a great social circle, such a great author circle. I love it, and I know Mishi Mac, , mentioned that as well. Oh, I love our community. Yes. The self-published children's book author community is, like, it seems so small, but it's actually, like, a really teeming tide pool that's very active.

Yes. Yes, it absolutely is. Let's hop into the questions, because there's a couple of things that I think a lot of people are really gonna be interested in hearing from you. As an author, illustrator, and content creator- You're promoting more than just one book. You've built a recognizable brand.

[00:04:00] How do you keep your branding consistent across your books, your website, social media, your podcast? You have so much. How do you keep that... I know you've kind of broke off on a few things, but share with the listeners about that, 'cause it's really an interesting story of how you've really branched out.

Yeah. So technically, there are two sides to my business as a full-time self-published children's book author and illustrator. So I've got the original side of the business, which is selling and creating the books and publishing the books. Then the second side is the author coaching side, and the content creation side, and the podcast and YouTube channel side.

So technically, I have different branding for different segments of my business, which it was really difficult to, , keep consistent. But once I figured out, okay, I like this color, I like this brand scheme, I like this thumbnail creation, I like how I post on Instagram for this [00:05:00] content and this content.

It took a long time to actually narrow it down and really figure out the brand identity for both. 'Cause it's very difficult to, 'cause I have two Instagram accounts. So my original one- the @tappyofficial Instagram account, that started out as illustrations only. My face was not in it at all six years ago.

So if you look back, I was not a part of it, and I actually wasn't even an author six years ago. So- it evolved over time, and, like, finding your branding voice takes a long time. But once I figured that out, and then I just played around with the different content, and I found what works with the content-

that's how I found my brand I love that. And I love that you have assisted me with a second, , Instagram account. I have a hard time keeping up with that one just because I have so much going on. I don't know if anybody even realizes how much work and what you do. It [00:06:00] amazes me every day.

It's phenomenal, Harleigh. Aw, Joanne, you're a beast yourself. You're killing it too. Not compared to you, Harleigh. Oh- I feel like no comparison. There is comparison. Are you kidding? I have clients that come to you and interview on your podcast, which is amazing, by the way, and if you haven't subscribed, subscribe.

. , They come to you and they're like, "Wow, she is just a master podcaster. She's just cranking out these episodes, cranking out the posts, cranking out the books." And I'm like, "Yes. See, Joanne is amazing. She is a- Yeah ... content creation, book creation machine." You know what? I traded my book publishing to the podcasting because I could crank out those books one, two, three, four a year, and it was so much fun, you know?

, I feel like sometimes it's not work when it, you're enjoying it so much, and I love these podcasts. I love listening to yours. Your podcast [00:07:00] is amazing as well. In case anybody does not or has not seen Harleigh's YouTube channels, , Spotify, , all of it is just so amazing and so knowledgeable.

And I'm not just telling you that because I'm sitting in front of you, Harleigh. I watch them, I know sometimes you think, "Oh, you're still watching it? What are you watching that for?" Oh my gosh.

And so that's what we get ideas from each other that is so beneficial. I just love it. Definitely. And I will say I'm a bit psychotic, and that's why I just know- ... all the things that I know. Like you said with creating children's books and even, like, content creation and the podcast, it becomes a game.

Yes. It becomes like play, so you just wanna keep playing and keep going. And especially when things are working, you know, you've been working a really long time to create the books, sell the books. In my case, illustrate, format, publish, like, do all of it. Mm. And then when you see that things are [00:08:00] catching on with anything that you create, you wanna double down, or in my case, triple down.

So that's why- Yeah ... I just know so much, 'cause I'm like, "I am so obsessed with making this work." Because this has been my dream for a really long time, so just to see everything work, I'm like, "All right. I'm not letting this go, so I'm gonna know everything I possibly could about all of the content creation, publishing," you name it.

Yeah. And you are like a sponge. And speaking of that, I learned how to make these coloring books, and so I'm buying the illustrations, or the rights to the illustrations. It gets addicting. I started out by doing this project because on Canva, you just format it on Canva.

You have the illustrations, you drop them into the backgrounds. it's so great because once you have one that pairs with one of your books, then you think, "Oh, let me pair that with something else." And that leads right into our [00:09:00] marketing of you have book bundles, right? Mm-hmm. I know that you sell book bundles at your events as well.

Yep. Book bundles are the way to go, especially if you have a series. Joanne, you have plenty of series. And, , bundling your series is a great way- Yeah ... to market your own brand and sell more of your books, 'cause it increases your average order value. And if you have, a website, like a Shopify or a WooCommerce where you can actually control the pricing, you can run flash sales whenever you want.

Mm-hmm. Amazon KDP, you don't really get that option, but that's why I think owning your own site, owning your own books, just being full ownership of everything, you have creative control, pricing control, sales control, everything. So yes, creating a marketable brand just helps sell so much better. I agree 100%.

What type of content has brought you the most meaningful result? I think this is a great question [00:10:00] because you don't know unless you try reels, unless you try carousels, behind-the-scenes illustrations, book promotions, educational videos, or is it something else?

What is bringing you the most sales? Is it everything collectively, Harley? I mean, that's another thing I wish I could track more accurately too- I know ... 'cause it's like, oh, if this post is doing really well. In Instagram, you don't get clickable links, so you can't track any of those links. You can't do any of that.

But- I know ... I noticed for me, my book sales do better the more active I am on any given platform. Yep. Yep. I- I agree. Mm-hmm ... and to go back on, like, what content performs the best, , Instagram I'm noticing, well, because I have two accounts, two different things work better for two different accounts, even though it's the same person doing those accounts.

But it's different kinds of information and content that gets posted on those accounts. So on my [00:11:00] Dappy's official Instagram account, which is my original children's book author account, carousels are doing so well. Ooh. Like, so well. Like, it- Okay ... I'm getting 100,000 views on a carousel. I'm getting 50,000 views- Gosh

on a carousel. I'm getting thousands of likes on carousels, and it's all out of nowhere, honestly. Wow. It was just playing around with content. Mm-hmm. And then I'm noticing, like, oh, sales are going up. Oh, I'm getting an online order. Oh, I'm getting this, this, this, and it's like, okay. So just the more consistent you are and more active you are,

. It raises everything up. It definitely does. . Share with us , on your Shopify account about the book bundles. What do you do? How do you do that? A lot of people don't have a Shopify account, and I tell everybody that is the best way to go.

Truly. I love my Shopify account. As soon as I published, I opened a Shopify account, 'cause I knew- Yeah ... I'd be selling it in person. I knew I would be doing my own thing, and I wanted full control over [00:12:00] pricing and, like, flash sales and promotions, all that. So Shopify, if you're thinking about it, you should definitely hop on Shopify.

Mm-hmm. But bundles for Shopify, you can create it as one listing, and that's what I do for mine. So I have both pictures of the books that I wanna sell. So for example, One of my bundles, it has two of my board books. So I have pictures with one of each in the product listing, and in the title it says, "Two books," and, like, "one plushy bundle."

I also have plushies, too, so those are in the bundle. So I just create that as one product, and then I price it accordingly. Both of these books are 12.99 retail, and then my plush is 19.99 retail. So then another pro tip that you can do on Shopify to make your bundle just seem that much better is you have the retail price, so add up all of your retail prices.

Then in Shopify, you can run a discount or have a discounted price- Mm ... on your product listing. And then on [00:13:00] my website, it shows on sale. There's a little red banner that says, "On sale," or, "20% off," for the bundle. So when people see that, they know it's a better deal to get the bundle. Ah. Now, I did bundles last week.

I created three different bundles with Riley's pumpkins and coloring books , and mix and match. I wasn't sure whether I should reduce it within that product, or you just said create the discount because people love discounts. They love knowing they're getting a discount.

So- share your thoughts about that. *Yeah, *in the back end of Shopify, you just have your discounted rate. If you wanted to make it a flash sale or a flash discount- Mm ... with, , a discount code, you can do that, too. But on my website, specifically what my strategy is for my website, and with domestic shipping, too.

So this is another thing that you can control in Shopify, is your shipping rates. Mm-hmm. And even though a lot of [00:14:00] authors are really afraid of shipping on their own, and they're really afraid of the shipping prices, but for domestic shipping, if you weigh it out right and you buy your labels through Shopify, they actually give you discounted shipping rates through Shopify.

The shipping's not that bad. And I want to incentivize people to order more than just one book or one plushy or even a sticker sheet on my online store. So I wanna incentivize people to order over $35 per customer. Ooh. Which really is not that much when you think about it. how I incentivize it is if they order over $35 worth of products from my Shopify, they get free domestic shipping.

Oh. And one of my bundles strategically is pretty much exactly $35. Oh, strategically. Of course. You know, Harley, I have to tell you, every time I talk to you, just when I think I've got everything [00:15:00] down- ... and then I talk to you and it's like, oh my God, what a great idea. That's- You're welcome ... it's just amazing.

It's just amazing to me. I'm glad. Yeah. I'm glad I could help you. Like I said, I'm obsessive. I'm psychotic. If I wanna make something work, I will figure out how to make it work, Another thing too is when you become an author and you become a publisher, you kind of learn how to think like a producer or a business- Mm

as opposed to being a consumer. So, you know, before publishing and before selling anything, you think like a consumer, and you're like, "Oh, that's a really good deal. Oh, let me just add to cart. Let me buy it." Mm-hmm. And then when you have products to sell, you look at it in the view of a business and think, "Oh, how could I do that for my business?"

That's how I think. Yeah. And that's how- Yeah ... I get all of my strategies. I'm like, "Oh, I like what this jewelry business did. I really like the fact that they have the free shipping or the bundle discount, and that made me wanna buy." So I adopt that to my [00:16:00] Shopify or anything else that I'm selling. And the free shipping is a great one for the holidays.

I feel like people are gonna be shopping and they're gonna say, "Oh, I can get free shipping." I feel like my Shopify account, we're competing against Amazon, other than you get a signed copy. That is something I'm really pushing now is you get a signed copy for the same price.

, But with the free shipping and the bundles, it's all just one big great benefit. Exactly, and there are a lot of customers too that are averse to Amazon, and they'd rather buy from- Mm-hmm ... you than Amazon. So I like to diversify my ways of selling. It's like, "Okay, you would rather shop on Amazon?

By all means, it's available on Amazon. Oh, you'd rather support me directly and not support Amazon? You can do that too." I think having different arms of your business is really smart. Absolutely. I totally agree with that. Share a couple of marketing strategies you tried [00:17:00] that didn't work as expected, and what did you change afterwards? Is there anything that maybe surprised you? "Oh, my gosh. Why didn't that work? I thought it was gonna work." Yeah. , So one of the ones that sticks out to me is very, very early in my author career, before this was my full-time job and before I figured out how to do online selling better, is I ran a instantaneous, spontaneous flash sale.

And it was, I think, 20% off and just, like, a random flash sale, because I was taking a course and they were like, "You know what? You're gonna run a random flash sale." I'm like, "Okay, I guess I'll do it." So the flash sale was more of a impromptu thing, and that one flopped. Mm. And it flopped because I didn't know what I was doing.

I didn't know what kind of content- Mm-hmm ... create. I didn't know how much content I needed to create. That's another thing. If you're doing- I think that is- ... a launch- Mm-hmm ... or a flash sale, you need to post every day, even sometimes [00:18:00] twice a day. Yeah. And email every day, sometimes even twice a day. The more obnoxious you are with-

any sale or launch that you have, the better your results. Yeah. Yeah. That's a great one, Harley, especially during the launch. I don't wanna say my launch was a flop. It could have been better, I feel.

Good Reads and Amazon reviews go hand in hand with launching. What have you found that strategically works for reviews? Because reviews helps your sales. Mm-hmm. What can you mention on that, or what can you tell us a little bit about that and your theory about it? Yeah. I mean, reviews are getting really tricky nowadays.

Yeah. I've noticed a lot of people in our community are saying that their reviews are getting taken down, and they're- Yes ... legitimate reviews. They're reviews from other authors that legitimately got the free download or they legitimately purchased a copy, and their reviews are getting taken [00:19:00] down.

So I think the review landscape has changed a bit- Mm-hmm ... and you have to pivot a little bit with reviews. Yeah. I know you and I have talked a lot about, like, book launch teams and having a book launch team, and what I've noticed with book launch teams, it's a great way to get reviews, but I think having your friends, family, and coworkers and, your closest support system as your book launch team is better in the long term because they don't get book launch fatigue.

Yes. Yes. Not only that, I feel like they're more consistent. The launch teams, what I've noticed the last couple books that I've had, you get people to sign up for them, and if your book is too long or if they don't have a personal account, they'll either get flagged, they'll get taken down. There's just so much complication with it.

I feel like I got some reviews, but then I got some taken down. This is the first book that I launched that [00:20:00] I had reviews taken down. Mm-hmm. And so that really sucks. , You work for 30, 60 days on these launches, and it's like wah, wah, wah. You know?. I know. It sucks. And that's another thing too, it's like I'm also in the landscape of, like, trying to figure that out too.

Because- Yeah ... ultimately we have to dance with Amazon. It's a dance. Yep. It's a dance. Mm-hmm. So they're unfortunately leading. We have to follow, and we need to figure out what moves they're gonna do next and just see what works. Yeah. Still figuring out the review thing, though.

And I think just being really consistent about talking about your books helps a lot. Yeah. And also, a lot of people that I noticed on the topic of marketing their books, and especially on Instagram, they don't have their books linked in their bio clearly. Yes. Yes. You're absolutely right. What I do when I launch a book,

That link is at the top of my Linktree. Mm-hmm. Whatever I want and whatever I'm pushing out, whether [00:21:00] it is a free e-book, whether it is a launch, whether it is my podcast- ... I move that up to the top of the list, because you have to make it as easy as possible for people to find it. Speaking of links, , is the Facebook links of what Facebook did to us.

Yep. Share a little bit about that, because you found a go-around, and I loved it. I don't know whether I don't know whether I got it set up properly, Harley. I'm gonna have to have you take a look at it. If the listeners haven't yet seen your video, tell them about it and tell them they have to go watch it, because that is a great video.

Yeah, for sure. And then just to wrap up the review thing and why I think clearly linking- Yeah ... your book in your bio is very important because the more clearly you have your book linked, the more clear it is for people to buy your book or read it on Kindle Unlimited, and then you can get more reviews ongoing.

Just wrapping that up. But yes, the Facebook two [00:22:00] link limit is a new thing. Ah. One of my students actually mentioned it. They were like, "Did you realize that Facebook is limiting to two links in your post every month?" And I was like, "That can't be right. That's, that's silly. That's absurd."

Yeah. Especially since Facebook is the only one that we can really just, like, share the links and the links get clicked, the loop around is kind of, um, hairy to talk about without having an actual- It is ... walkthrough on my computer. Yep. But basically, Facebook already gives you the automated tools to set this up on the back end, but we don't think that Facebook is gonna give it to us when Facebook is trying to charge us at the same time.

Right. So if you have a Facebook business page, you have a Meta Business Suite account, or you can set up a Meta Business Suite account. That is where you can get free automations for your Facebook group posts, your Facebook public posts, your comment replies, sending automated DMs. [00:23:00] Meta Business Suite has so much, and I actually figured that out from, Amy, who's in our Instagram children's book author community.

She mentioned it, not even related to the Facebook two link limit post thing. Mm. She just mentioned this as a thing so you don't need to buy ManyChat. Have you heard of ManyChat? No, I have not heard that. I think you mentioned that to me, and I had never heard that before. Maybe I saw it on social media or something.

You have probably seen ads. ManyChat is that Instagram automated comment reply software system. So what they do, and this is the Meta Business Suite loop around too. It's the same thing, it's just hosted through Meta. Mm. So you have your post. Let's say it is just a post of a free printable or a free resource that I'm advertising, which then links people to my email list.

So for them to get the link, 'cause we can't post the link, you know, more than twice a month, what I tell them to do in the Facebook [00:24:00] post is comment the word, then make the word all caps. Like, let's say comment the word bird. And then you will get the link to download the freebie. So what the people will do is in the comments, they will type out the word bird, and then because of the Meta Business Suite automation, it will automatically reply to their comment saying, "Sent you a message," and it will automatically send them a DM through Messenger with the link to that freebie.

Oh, I love that. And then that just boosts engagements, and also- . just shares your link very freely. Yeah. I wish I knew that long before. I knew people were saying, and I've done it, where I'm scrolling and I see a recipe, and it says, " comment this word for the link." I didn't realize that that was...

I tend to be on autopilot, and so anything new, I'm not always- Yeah ... up- as up to date as you are, Harley. [00:25:00] I'm also just really nosy. I'm a really nosy- Yeah ... curious person, so I think that's, like, my strength and my weakness at the same time, 'cause I just wanna know everything.

When I saw that that was a trend, I was like, "How are they doing that? How is that happening?" Yeah. 'Cause I- Yeah ... I actually was one of the people that commented. I'm like, "Wait a second. How did that just show up? I know that's an automation. How did that show up?" So then you go through and do digging, and then of course, ManyChat sees that you looked up how to do it, so then you get the ad.

So that's how- Oh, no ... I learned about ManyChat. And then, you know, just realizing that Meta Business Suite does it for free and you can set it up for free, magical. Instead of paying $19 a month, I think is the ManyChat subscription rate Oh, wonderful, wonderful. So share with us, you're also a podcast host, amazing podcast host, which gives you another platform to connect with authors and potential readers. How do you [00:26:00] use podcasting to support your author brand, or do you, or is that the other side of it? And have you found ways to turn podcast episodes and conversations into opportunities for book promotions?

If nobody has seen your podcast yet, I don't know where they've been. Maybe under a rock or something, Harleigh. Your face is all over YouTube, and your podcast is growing leaps and bounds. So share with us about your podcast, your marketing, and what you specifically use it for, and where you have come to your podcasting, too.

That's a big one. Yeah. The actual podcast, the audio version, I only started this past April- that one which is distributed to Apple, Spotify, you know, all the places, that one I started in April. But fun fact about my podcast is I actually had people ask me to create the podcast in a podcast form.

Ooh. 'Cause [00:27:00] originally, I just posted YouTube videos, and my YouTube channel is also growing like a weed, and it has been growing like a weed, and I worked very, very hard to get it- Yeah ... to that point. But I also figured out, too, or I was wondering, how could I repurpose my content and serve it to my audience and, like, actually help them in their really busy lives?

So that's where the audio format of the podcast came about. So I had people asking me if I had- Wow ... a podcast on Spotify or Apple or, you know, the other podcast hosts. And I told them, "No, not yet." Okay. "But I'll definitely get on that." Um, so- That's what we do. You tell me about it, and, "Okay, I'll get on that.

Yeah. I'm like, you know what? There's demand. I will fulfill it. I will be there for you. I'm there for you. It's a great way for me to repurpose my YouTube content, and my YouTube content is a great way to promote me as a children's book author, and that's a big reason why I started my YouTube channel.

It's like I wanted to help other authors that [00:28:00] were in a rut, and I, I'm psychotic, so I figured out- ... different things that worked for me, and I wanted to help other people with that, and then also simultaneously market myself as an author and then market my books, , because that's part of my brand. So yeah, it's just, it's been a whirlwind since I started both of those.

, Don't you think within the last year, Harley, I feel like you had your YouTube channel, and you hit the ground, I feel like you just exploded. And I know what your goal was. You wanted to make this a full-time job, and you truly did.

I want you to share some about the Marketing Made Easy. That was a whole nother thing, wasn't it? Yeah. The Children's Book Marketing Made Easy podcast. That is my podcast. So that podcast is actually repurposed content from my YouTube channel. Ooh. But it fits with the Children's Book Marketing Made Easy [00:29:00] slogan, because it is telling you tactical, practical tips to market and promote your children's books in a format where you can listen to it while you're cleaning, doing the dishes, cooking, commuting to and from work.

, That podcast is, honestly, it's an underserved niche that we're in, is marketing- Yeah ... children's books, and I found that too. I was trying to find a podcast about promoting and marketing self-published children's books. I know, teeny, tiny niche, but I couldn't find it, so I was listening to other book marketing podcasts, and honestly, there aren't very many.

No. The podcast, platform isn't very saturated yet. No. So I figured I might as well start saturating it. If I'm not gonna do it, nobody's gonna do it. So I did it, and I was like, "Okay, I know how to promote it. I've got my Instagrams. I've got my YouTube channel. I'm already doing all this, so might as well- Right

add a podcast." Yeah. Out of all the [00:30:00] videos you've done, what do you feel is the most listened to, that we as authors are looking that one specific two or three things. What is your best video, and what is everybody the most hungry for?

, A lot of people are hungry to learn about the mistakes that you make- Ah ... as a self-published children's book author. Mm-hmm. That is actually my highest performing piece of content that I have. On my YouTube channel, it has about 35,000 views, I think. Wow. And actually, talking about, like, the last year of YouTube growth, it only took that one video to start picking up my entire channel.

So as soon as I saw YouTube start picking up that one video, I was like, "All righty then." Oh. "I'm just gonna give you way more content to disperse to the many." So people wanna know about your mistakes so they can learn your mistakes without making them themselves- That's right ... even though they will make mistakes, but, you know, it's a preventative thing.

, People really wanna know [00:31:00] about marketing books for free without ads. Those are really, really big, and, , that's my specialty is marketing books- Yeah ... without paying for ads. I'm actually a huge cheapskate, so I don't like to spend money. If I absolutely need to- ... I will, but I don't like to. So ads, we are not friends.

So yeah, those are really popular topics. And just, growing a brand as a children's book author or growing your business as a children's book author. Mm-hmm. Those are really, , hot topics for my channel and my podcast. Oh, I love it. I love that. And again, if they haven't seen those, they gotta go look at them.

Tell us what, I know it was 35,000 and it took off, what was your number one mistake, Harley, as a new author? Not promoting my book after launching. Ah. That seems like that wouldn't be obvious. You would promote it after you launched it. Why? Wh- why is, [00:32:00] was that a mistake? Well, I didn't even know you had to do that.

That was probably the mistake. My first book, I had no idea. I just published because it was always a childhood dream, right? So I just- Yeah, yeah ... published. And I was like, "You know what? If I hype myself up too much, I won't do it. I won't have the guts to just hit publish," so I just published, and then I saw it go onto the Amazon charts and the Amazon listings, and weirdly enough, it became a number one new release.

I think I just picked the right category. I don't know. But then I was- Yeah ... telling my mom about it, and she's like, "Oh my gosh, let me buy it." You know, my mom buys it. Yeah. My dad buys it. But then I'm seeing that it's dropping in rankings as the days pass, 'cause you keep checking that. Yeah. And I started panicking because- Oh

I, I was like, "Oh, shoot, I need to tell people about it." So then I was posting and texting, like, everybody I could, but I didn't know you had to do that before you published. I had no idea. Yeah. Oh, my God. And, you know, [00:33:00] now that we know it, we think, "Well, of course, you have to have some followers. You have to remind everybody," because something that you always say, people don't remember.

You've gotta remind them and remind them and remind them. And unfortunately, we feel like, well, we don't wanna bother them. We don't wanna be a nag, but you have to tell people that you have this new book, and, it goes back to the things that you have to be a salesperson. You have to tell people, "I have this new book.

I'm a new author. Check it out. See what you think about it. Share it with your friends and family." That's just what we have to do. You learn the hard way. We learn the hard way. That's another thing. That's another hot topic, too, is, just marketing and promoting and becoming a salesperson after becoming a children's book author- Yeah

because you think that Amazon's gonna do the selling for you. That's also what I thought. Like, dumb-dumb over here thought Amazon- ... would sell for her and I wouldn't have to tell anybody about it, 'cause I kinda didn't wanna [00:34:00] tell anybody about it. I just wanted to- Yeah ... you know, fly under the radar, not have my face attached to it.

Look at me now. I know. I talk to people and they say, "Well, I really don't like to get in front of a camera. Or they'll say, "Well, I haven't been on social media," or, "I don't have social media." And I said, "Don't even write the book.

Don't spend the money, unless you wanna get on social media." It's not just a word of mouth without that whole big, wide world out there. You have to share it. You have to share it. Mm-hmm. Otherwise, you're not gonna sell any books. Not to pay your debt back that you spent all this money to publish a book, and then you're just gonna sit there and not share it and not have a social media.

Exactly. I get calls all the time saying, "I don't have a social media profile, but I wanna publish these, you know, 10, 20 books." And I'm like, "Oh, shoot. You're gonna- Yeah ... need a social media profile if you wanna sell them." Yeah. Or if you want this to be your passion project, you can. You totally- Yeah ... [00:35:00] can, but you need to reframe it in your mind that- Right

you're not gonna make any sales without talking about it or being very public about it. That's right. And just be content with creating the works and just fulfilling yourself and your own dreams and your own aspirations. That's right. So if you're not willing to go on social media, not willing to talk about it, not willing to do pop-up events at in-person events or bookstores, don't expect much.

That's right. That's right. Well, our last question, Harley, is one challenge independent author faces is feeling they need to be everywhere, on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, bookstores, school events, and more. If you had to start marketing your children's book again with limited time and money, which two strategies would you prioritize?

What would you stop doing and why? Sure. That's a really good question, and a question that a lot of people ask me all the time. I have seven social media profiles, so [00:36:00] they're like, "Do I need to do what you do?" Yeah. And I always say, "No, you don't have to. I'm psychotic. You don't need to do that." I think if I were to start over, I would keep my Instagram.

I would keep that because Instagram and Facebook are linked, so you can cross-post pretty easily and just automate it, so when you post- Mm-hmm ... on Instagram, it posts on your Facebook. So, you're double-dipping already there. But something I would have always kept is a growth channel. Mm. So Instagram never really used to be a growth channel like it is now.

I don't know what it is, but the algorithm has changed with Instagram. It's way easier to grow now than it used to be six years ago. But I would have always kept a growth channel, and I would say YouTube and TikTok are really common, good- Mm ... growth channels. So you should have one primary profile,

that's where you nurture people, you talk about your books, you talk about you, your journey. But then I'd always keep YouTube probably. I'll always keep YouTube. YouTube will always be- Mm ... my [00:37:00] favorite It's the best and longest standing social media platform, and it's also a great way for you to dabble into long-form content, short-form content, posts.

I mean, YouTube's great in that sense. Absolutely. I've even considered getting rid of all social media. There's somebody on YouTube that is a big coach for YouTube channels and other people. She still has Instagram, but she committed, I don't know if it was a full year or what, but she said, "I'm just doing YouTube. That's all I'm doing," and she's, like, growing leaps and bounds. Mm. She's doing fantastic. Yeah, that's another thing, too. If you can only prioritize one, just pick one. Yeah, yeah.

And it would be best to pick one where you could grow easily, which luckily right now, that is Instagram again. Mm-hmm. So Instagram, great beginner platform. But I think if you've dabbled in social media marketing [00:38:00] for a while, do YouTube or do TikTok- Mm ... and just go all in on those. Although, if you are wanting to get paid for making content, stick with YouTube.

If you don't know how YouTube's, um, creator rewards program works, they've actually, decided to amp it up a little bit and make it harder for people to get monetized. That's right. So this is for the people who don't know, if they're interested in YouTube and wanna get monetized by YouTube and get paid from Google AdSense, so those ads that people watch before your videos, you get paid for 50% of the ad views for your channel.

Wow. In February of 2027, they're increasing the minimum requirements to get monetized. So right now it's 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours on your channel to get monetized. They're going to double everything. So it's gonna be 8,000 watch hours, and I think still 1,000 or 2,000 subscribers. But the 8,000 watch hours is gonna be so hard for- Yes

so [00:39:00] many people. So if you're wanting to get into YouTube and wanna get monetized on YouTube, do it now. Try to do it now, and just focus on YouTube before February. Yes, absolutely. That's what I did. I wish I wouldn't have took my foot off the gas back in the summertime. I was just so burnt out. I had done YouTube interviews after interviews.

I am so excited to say I am booked out till the end of the year. I have a wait list in January, and more and more people are contacting me to be on my YouTube on my Beyond the Book with Joanne Dickinson. So that's exciting. Harleigh, before we sign off, I'd love to know, is there any new projects in the works? Tell me. Tell us what's going on. , Too many new projects. Children's book side, I am still trying my best to publish as many books as I can.

Because I am the author and the illustrator and the publisher and the formatter, I can do everything myself. I could crank them out really quickly if I wanted [00:40:00] to and still have them be really good books. Mm-hmm. But the author coaching side of my business has me drowning In a good way. In a good way.

It's just a lot of people need help, and I'm willing to help them. You're amazing. So children's book side, I actually have a really exciting Christmas, special coming. Ooh. I can't talk about it yet, but I will talk- Okay ... about it November 1st. It'll be very, very exciting. So- November 1st ... if you follow me on my Instagram @doppyofficial, D-O-P-P-Y-S official, you'll know as soon as that goes live.

It's really exciting. The author coaching side, I can talk about that. I haven't really publicly launched it, but you guys are the first to know. So I have author coaching that helps self-publish children's book authors market, publish, launch their books. I am completely booked as a coach, and I wanna be able to help as many people as possible, so I'm actually bringing on coaches into my little business, and of course, it goes based off of every coach's [00:41:00] availability, so if they're not available, you can always pick a different coach, or if the coaches underneath me aren't available and I am, you can always book with me.

I'm still gonna be a primary person. I'm also bringing on more people in my podcast, so more interviews with, two of my other coaches- who I'm not gonna disclose yet. I'll announce that more formally.

I'm just collaborating a lot more in 2027. Wonderful. And giving more people more options. And another thing, another project that's really big that I'm very excited about is, actually matching authors to illustrators. Oh, that is a huge, huge ... Because there's so many people that they're just taking advantage of those poor young authors, and I was a victim.

I mean, I was one of those people that somebody took my money and took off, and- Yep ... you don't see 'em again. Yep. So that is fabulous. And they're- That is going to be needed. Exactly. It's a very [00:42:00] needed, especially with the coaching calls I take. I've had to tell, unfortunately, five of my clients that their books were illustrated by AI, and they truly thought an illustrator did 'em.

Oh my gosh It breaks my heart. It breaks my heart. And they're like, "Are you kidding me? I wanted it to be human-made art." And I was like, "Yeah, it looks like AI." They're like, "Are you sure?" I'm like, "I'm pretty sure." Oh. This is all I do, so I know what AI looks like from a mile away. So- Oh my gosh ... this referral program, I will handpick and select and interview every single illustrator that I will refer to you, so that way you see videos of their processes, of their styles, how they are as an illustrator, and how they work.

'Cause I think that's also a, a topic that I wanna demystify is, like, finding an illustrator and working with an illustrator. Yes. A lot of people don't know how that works. So just demystifying that and connecting people with people. That's what I'm trying to do in 2027. [00:43:00] Oh my gosh. That is so, so needed in our industry, Harley.

We could talk for hours. Where can the listeners find you, Harley? Share with them your podcast, your website, where they can find you. Okay. So if you're looking for the children's book side, , @doppysofficial on Instagram, @D-O-P-P-Y-S official on Instagram.

That is my main Instagram account. So if you're interested in looking at the behind the scenes of me as a children's book author and illustrator, go there. My website for my children's books is www.doppys.com, D-O-P-P-Y-S.com. The author coaching side, every single profile is @authorharleyrose, so that goes for the YouTube channel, TikTok, and Instagram.

Wonderful. Oh my gosh, Harley, it has been so great catching up with you. Thank you so much for having me, Joanne. Thank you, Harley. We'll see you again soon.

I had so much fun chatting with Joanne.

We could literally keep [00:44:00] talking for hours and hours and hours, but it took us a lot to end the interview where we were, so stay tuned for more episodes that will feature Joanne Go subscribe to her YouTube channel, follow her on Spotify.

That podcast for children's book authors, Beyond the Book with Joanne Dickinson, is a good one and you definitely need to check it out and binge all those episodes

I am so excited to be able to give you more interview episodes on my own podcast and my own YouTube channel, so make sure to subscribe so you don't miss a new one

Thank you so much for listening to this podcast episode. I hope you found it helpful and you learned something new. And if you did find it helpful, make sure to subscribe or follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, so that way you don't miss a new episode. And if you want more personalized one-on-one support to help publish, launch, or grow your children's book marketing business, you can always book a one-on-one coaching call with me.

I take these calls all the time, and it's a great way for me to really see what you're working with and how I can help you grow your social media platforms, grow your book sales, [00:45:00] do anything involved with children's book marketing or publishing. The link to book a call is gonna be in the show notes down below.

I offer mini sessions as well as full sessions to be as accessible to you as possible. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.