I am admittedly not a book marketing expert. To be honest I have only recently started with creative collaboration. In this article I will be sharing with you about my collaborations. I hope that it will be of some benefit to you.

Why should you use creative collaboration to market your book?

Imagine your existing audience as a circle. Currently that circle, regardless of how big or small, is the limit of your reach. The people you collaborate with have circles of their own. So in essence by collaborating you are merging circles. Continual participation in collaboration forms a network of circles. Which will greatly expand your reach.

Effective collaboration is not a one way street. 

You are not only looking to increase your reach but to help those you are collaborating with to increase theirs as well.

An added benefit of collaboration is forming lasting friendships.

The mediums used in the collaborations I have participated in include:

• Podcasts
• YouTube channels
• Blogs
• Websites

All of them being suitable to my genre of children’s books.

Meet my fellow collaborators:

Tom’s Podcast

Tom is an independent author who created this platform to help other authors promote their books. Tom’s professional approach and attention to detail make him a joy to work with. Doing an interview with Tom is always a great experience. I have had the privilege of featuring several of my books on Tom’s podcast and even done a mini book reading. Tom shares his episodes on iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, on his website and on his Facebook group – Tom’s bookshelf. Listen to one of my podcast interviews with Tom by using the link below:

https://www.spreaker.com/user/ttrimb1e/jacquishepherdprod

Accelerated Reader

Katherine helps authors by featuring their books on her YouTube story reading channel, AcceleratedReaderReadAloud. Children get to enjoy each book as Katherine brings every page to life with her storytelling expertise. I was thrilled to have my ‘Goo on my shoe’ book featured on Katherine’s channel. You can watch the reading using the link below:

https://youtu.be/66QQ8btHvEo

Creativity Sparks

Barbara is a very talented lady who is passionate about art and education, she has combined these two great loves to form Creativity Sparks. Barbara creates special posts on her blog called Sparks. Each Sparks has a specific theme and goal. Barbara uses her Sparks to educate and to inspire creativity. Barbara also reviews books on her blog and does a read aloud of some of the books. Her YouTube channel is called WildesArt and features her Read Aloud with Barbara episodes as well as her Creativity Sparks episodes. I was truly honoured to have Barbara review and read aloud my ‘Goo on my shoe’ book. You can read Barbara’s review and watch her delightful, fun read of the book using the link below:

http://www.creativitysparks.org/goo-on-my-shoe-by-jacqui-shepherd/

Kelly’s Classroom Online

Kelly, a veteran teacher of nearly 30 years, created an educational website to offer assistance to teachers and parents. Kelly presents newly released children’s books and creates classroom activities that correlate with the featured book. Kelly makes reading and learning fun. Her website is an amazing resource for teachers and parents. Kelly puts a lot of time and effort into every article. I am so impressed with her article about my ‘Goo on my shoe’ book and the classroom activities she prepared to go with it. The article is so well thought out and laid out. There is even a recipe for goo. You can enjoy the article using the link below:

https://www.kellysclassroomonline.com/2020/11/goo-on-my-shoe.html

Cartoon Genie

Cartoon Genie focuses on digital art. Chandré is the talent and driving force that runs Cartoon Genie. She takes commissions to transform a client’s photo into a cartoon illustration. Using her remarkable talent, Chandré produces cartoon illustrations to not only replicate photographs but improve on them. I was delighted when Chandré offered to create one of her cartoon masterpieces for me. Although this doesn’t fall under book promotion it can certainly can be used for author branding /marketing. I am thrilled with the art work Chandré created for me. She goes the extra mile by providing the image with different background options. Below you will see my amazing cartoon illustrations by Cartoon Genie along with the original photo Chandré used to base the art work on.

If you are interested in collaborating with Tom, Katherine, Barbara or Kelly you can contact them by way of their websites. If you are interested in collaborating with Chandré you can contact her by way of her Facebook page or Instagram account.

For your convenience each one’s website address/social media handle appears on their photographs supplied above.

I hope that you found this article helpful and that it has motivated you to start using creative collaboration to promote your book. I wish all of you the utmost success in your book marketing endeavours.

Any blog or book related feedback and questions are most welcome. I would love to hear from you.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller.