When we started brainstorming ideas for how Chicken Scratch Books would look, we knew we wanted it to be different. We identified 5 aspects of children’s book publishing, learned about how each one is ‘done’, and then asked ourselves, “How can we do it differently?” We wanted to create kid’s books in a new way.
Old marketing
The journey to ‘new’ has had its challenges. One area is in book marketing and promotion. Most children’s book publishers sell their books through national distribution chains, with online sellers like Amazon, or bookstore chains, like Barnes and Noble. Right off the top, these channels take a 55% cut of every book they sell. Once we pay for the book’s actual printing costs, that leaves a small percentage to be divided between the publisher for all the other expenses, and the author’s commissions. Peanuts actually. The national behemoths get the profit.
New marketing
We decided to build our own distribution chain instead, directly attracting our own audience to our own sales website. The goal is to not need Amazon at all. This independent distribution chain will take some time to build, so we’d inch along with lots of book reviews, award lists, and targeted promotion. But here’s what we’ve found: to be considered for national book reviews, we must be published on Amazon. And to be considered for some awards, we have to have a national book review. The whole industry is a monopoly built around Amazon, leaving the small publishers and authors in the dust.
Luckily, there are lots of small publishers, and small reviewers, and small award organizations too. So, we’ll keep inching along, building our customer base one by one from the ground up. Also luckily, Chicken Scratch Books has a wide niche. By partnering with parent, teacher, and homeschool groups that are seeking what we offer, we’ll build a solid base over time.
You can help us!
In order to break from the norm, shift away from the monopoly, and control our own destiny, we need all the help we can get. We are active on social media, consistently building partnerships, reaching out to reviewers, and submitting for awards.
Now we’re asking for your help. If every person on our list invited one other person to join with us, our list would double overnight. If every person who reads our books writes a review on our website or on Goodreads, the reach would spread exponentially. There are little things you can do that only take a few minutes, but they go a long way to supporting us and our mission.
Here’s a video that shows how to leave a review on our website, and on Goodreads. Watch it to see how easy it is. Then go and do it!
Building a business that produces kids books in a new way has been a daunting task, and we’re just getting started. But we’re very excited about what we’re doing! We know that new traditional middle grade literature is so important for our kids to have access to. And to give them the opportunity to study it deeply with our online courses is even better.
Join us as we shake things up. We really appreciate your help!