BOOK LAUNCH Q&A: MIRI LESHEM-PELLY

Miri Leshem-Pelly is the author-illustrator of 14 children’s books. She’s also illustrated 14 books for other writers. When Miri isn’t writing she can be found speaking at schools, kindergartens and libraries. She is invited to do more than 200 presentations with her books per year. Miri is also a Regional Advisor for SCBWI (Society of Children’s book writers & illustrators).

Miri is represented by Olswanger Literary Agency.

Miri’s works have won awards and her illustrations have been shown on several exhibitions.

Miri lives in Israel with her husband and two children, and loves reading books and going on nature hikes.

Her latest book is Scribble & Author.

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About the Book:

Title: SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR          
Author: Miri Leshem-Pelly
Publisher: Kane Miller Books
Pages: 32
Genre: Picture Book for Authors

Scribble & Author is written as a dialogue between the main character, Scribble, and the author who created her. 

Scribble's journey starts on a peaceful shore called THE BEGINNING, continues to the rough, adventurous MIDDLE, and leads finally to the gate of THE ENDING, but it’s not at all what Scribble expected… Scribble is a scribble and Author is an author, but who really gets to tell the tale?

A picture book about finding your own voice, making your own decisions, and writing your own story.

Watch the book trailer at Vimeo.

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After your book was released, what was the first thing you did when getting ready for your book launch?

The first thing I did when my new picture book, Scribble & Author was released, was to build a new website. I have had a website for years now as an author/illustrator, but it is mainly for my audience in Israel, where I live. So now that I have a new book published by an American publisher, I knew I had to build a new website, especially for my American readers. You can visit it here: http://mirileshembooks.com/

After that, what was your next step?

Then, I had an idea for a fun video clip, featuring my book. This is not the usual book trailer, but instead, I created a one-minute clip, showing my main character, Scribble, having a chat with me and the two of us go on a little adventure together. You can watch the clip on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/Mlt4Iz5CmoE

Did you do anything different to spice up your website in lieu of your upcoming book release?

Yes, I designed my new website with elements from the art in my new picture book. The background of the website is a textured paper and on it - spots of watercolors. The artist’s tools, such as pencils and brushes, are on the paper, just like in the book. The idea behind it is to give the website’s visitors a feeling that they are looking at the process of creation, and give them a sense of freedom and creativity.

Did you ever consider using a PR agency to help you promote your book or did you prefer the DIY route?

Yes, I looked into the option of using a PR agency, especially because I don’t live in the U.S.A. so I thought it would be better to hire a professional to handle at list a part of my promotion efforts. I ended up using Pump Up Your Book, who coordinated the blog tour, in which this blog is one of my stops!

Were finding reviews a top priority for you and, if yes, how did you approach that?

I was lucky to get a lot of marketing done by my publisher - Kane Miller Books / EDC Publishing. They did a great job in marketing, resulting with some wonderful book reviews, including a really nice one on Kirkus. On my blog tour, there are also several reviews for my book, which were contacted by the blog tour manager.

What are your views on social media for marketing your book?

I think that it is a must today to be using social media to market anything… I attended the SCBWI NY conference a few months ago, (I’m a Scbwi Regional Advisor) and took several workshops on book marketing. Many of the advices given there were about using social media as a marketing tool and how to do it right. Now I try to implement some of the things I learned at the conference, to market my new book.

What social media has worked best for you?

I feel most comfortable with Facebook, and I think that it is a good place to get to the crowd of picture books, because many parents and educators are there. I also use twitter, but I’m not as active there as I would like to be.

Did you create a book trailer?

My wonderful publishing house, Kane Miller, created this book trailer for Scribble & Author: https://vimeo.com/185727360

Did you time your book launch around a certain holiday?

The date of the book launch was scheduled by my publisher, not by me. I know that June is a month when they release new books, to have them in time for the BookExpo.

What was the best money you ever spent on your book launch?

I’m very happy I decided to pay for a blog tour. This is a great way to get to many blogs in a short amount of time, and get your book all over the place. There are many companies offering that service and I think it is a small amount of money, if you compare it to many other alternatives, and it could give you quite a big exposure.

Any tips for those authors wanting to set up a successful book launch?

My tip is: Have fun with it! Remember, this is your great moment. Finally, your book is here, after many months of preparations, so it is time to celebrate. I believe that showing people your excitement and joy would make them also enthusiastic and they’d want to join your party.