One Story: Reading, Laughter, And Little Listeners
A couple of weeks ago, when I was going around town doing cold calls, one of my sisters and I heard of a new bookstore in our city called Final Draft. After the success there (read my July 13th blog, “A Self-Publisher’s Dream Come True – Literally!”), Natalie, the owner of Final Draft, sent us next door to Grit Studio and Collaborative. There, we met one of the owners, Sarah. In our conversation, she mentioned that they host story time every Tuesday. After talking about what that looks like, I said yes! After all, it’s a win-win for all involved.
After agreeing to do a story time, I created flyers that both Final Draft and Grit could put out for people to take. Those were dropped off a couple of weeks ago, and then it was all about letting people know. Grit also created a flyer so that they could advertise the event on their social media sites. I used Facebook and Instagram. I also let people I know about the event through text messages and phone conversations. It is so important to let people know through social media, etc., about your events. This means you almost have to post about it daily. I know that sounds a little excessive, and I am sure some of my friends on Facebook were rolling their eyes towards the end, but when you are a self-publisher, you really have to keep talking about your book and promote every event. You never know, from day-to-day, who’s going to see the event that may not have seen it the day before.
The day before the event, I gathered all the items I would need (I also have these items listed on a checklist as a digital product on my Facebook page: Books By Patrice Digital Resources). This way, I wasn’t running around like “a chicken with my head cut off” before leaving for the event.
I wanted to give myself plenty of time to set up, so I arrived about 45 minutes early. I actually had ten minutes to spare! For this story time, a mom’s group came. The room was filled with excitement and laughter from all of the little ones. Most of the moms and little ones sat on the carpet. I introduced myself and gave a brief background. I also shared the story behind my niece, who is my illustrator, and how we envisioned each scene as she hand-drew and painted every illustration with acrylics. I then read the book. I had planned to ask the children questions afterwards, but because of the age group, many of them were still learning how to express their thoughts. Instead, their smiles, laughter, and excitement told me everything I needed to know. I explained the activity, which was a coloring sheet of a forest with a picnic table and white space in the middle. In the white space, those who could were to draw their own animals and then color the picture. Several of the children really enjoyed this activity. After some of them had gotten started, I interacted with them a little bit. Then, I went over to where my books were set up and started signing books as people bought them.
Self-publishing is filled with long hours, countless decisions, and responsibilities that many readers never see. From writing and editing to marketing, promoting, attending events, and wearing what feels like a hundred different hats, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. But if you strip away all of those responsibilities and simply focus on the reason you wrote the book in the first place, everything comes into perspective. Seeing the little smiles, hearing the laughter, watching children’s eyes light up, and listening to their excitement as they become immersed in your story makes every late night and every challenge worthwhile. Those moments are a reminder that your book has found its way into the hearts of young readers, and that’s a reward that no sales report or marketing campaign can ever replace.
