Should I be leveraging BookTok in my marketing strategy?

The simple answer is yes. At MBPR, this amazing panel discussed this very question. They provided new insights and answered these questions:

What is BookTok? How do I get a book BookTokked? What difference could BookTok make in my marketing?

Panelist Bios

A.S. Green (previously writing as Anne Greenwood Brown) began writing YA paranormal romance (Delacorte Press), then moved to YA contemporary (Albert Whitman Co.), then NA contemporary (Entangled Publishing), then adult contemporary romance (Harlequin). In 2019, she delved into independent publishing with adult paranormal romance series and has become a USA Today bestselling author. She has published over 30 novels, both traditionally and independently, co-authored Author in Progress (Writers Digest), and written numerous posts for the award-winning writers’ website, Writer Unboxed. You can find her on most social platforms at @asgreenbooks.

Megan Ciskowski (she/her) is the publicist for Lerner Publishing Group, one of North America’s largest independent book publishers for children and young adults based in Minneapolis. An advocate for books and literacy, she has taught writing seminars at elementary schools, worked for university writing centers, and managed publications for Truman State University Press. In January 2020, she earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. At Lerner she and a dedicated team of professionals promote and market the work of incredible authors such as Ada Limón, Monique Gray Smith, Chris Monroe, and many more.

Karlyn Coleman is an award-winning writer, teacher, and creative collaborator based in Minneapolis. She works as the Classroom Marketing Manager at Lerner Publishing Group. Karlyn has also been a bookseller at Wild Rumpus Books, a teaching artist at The Loft, and is the author of the wintertime picture book Where are all the Minnesotans? illustrated by Carrie Hartman.

Madelyn Pearson is a Partnership Development Representative at Capstone Publishing, a local publishing company with global outreach that supports children in being life-long learners. She has been dabbling in the world of Booktok for around 6 months and has seen the positive effect this platform has had on new authors, books, and more.

Moderator:

Kristin F. Johnson is a marketer by day and writer by night. She has written nine books for children through Lerner Publishing and ABDO. For two years, she was a producer and interviewer for KFAI’s Write On! Radio. In 2022, she self-published the middle grade novel Fearless, which was named a finalist for a 2023 MiPA award. In the summer of 2024, Fearless was selected for the Brainerd-area “Battle of the Books.” Forthcoming, fall of 2024, Johnson wrote and illustrated pickles and paradise: poems for pickleballers. Follow her on instagram: @kfjbooks.

Members can listen to the full panel discussion in the Resources area on the MBPR website.

For our season-ending May event, Minnesota Book Publishers Roundtable held an in-person panel discussing book distribution.

As books travel from publisher to consumer, the decisions a business makes to navigate this journey are critical to a book’s visibility and ultimate success in the trade and the title’s financial well-being. With options ranging from traditional full-service trade distribution to wholesale and third-party fulfillment centers to direct-to-consumer strategies, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to book distribution.

This meeting was a must-attend for anyone interested in the complex process of efficiently and effectively getting books onto shelves and into readers’ hands.

Through a moderated in-person discussion, our panel of publishing veterans delved into the diverse strategies their businesses adopted to work with retailers and booksellers, exploring the rationale behind their choices and the operational impacts of these decisions.

Panelists

Dr. Artika Tyner (https://www.artikatyner.com/) is a passionate educator, award-winning author, civil rights attorney, sought-after speaker, and advocate for justice. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and is the founder of the Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute.

Andrew DeYoung is Publisher for Books at 1517 Media, overseeing the three imprints of Broadleaf Books, Beaming Books, and Fortress Press. He is also the author of The Exo Project, a 2018 Minnesota Book Award Winner; The Temps; and The Day He Never Came Home, a Minnesota-set thriller forthcoming in July from Sourcebooks.

Hanna Kjeldbjerg (she/her) is the vice president of Wise Ink Media. With over a decade of experience in publishing, she has helped almost two hundred authors bring their sizable stories to life. She has presented about publishing at the Loft Literary Center, the Wordsmith conference, IBPA’s Publishing University, and Write On, Door County. Hanna is the cofounder of Err Artist Collective, which curated monthly variety shows and zines for over six years. Her installation art has been a part of the Art Shanty Projects, and her writing has been featured in Publishers Weekly and Paper Darts.

(Moderator) In addition to serving on the MBPR board, Rachel Zugschwert is the executive vice president of marketing at Lerner Publishing Group. Previously, she has worked in book marketing at 1517 Media, Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, and Simon & Schuster. She has a Masters in Publishing from Pace University, and delights in helping readers find the right books.

Members can listen to the full panel discussion in the Resources area on the MBPR website.

MBPR’s May in-person event, Modern Marketing Methods, featured a panel of marketing and publicity experts: Bryan Schmidt (Encyclopedia Britannica), Rachel Zugschwert (Lerner Publishing Group), Steve Roth (Quarto), and Mallory Hayes (Mallory Hayes Publicity). The panel discussed what has changed in book marketing in the last few years; new methods that surfaced during the pandemic and have stuck; generative AI and its place in their work; book banning; and how everyone in the publishing ecosystem can support marketing, among other topics.

Bryan Schmidt is the Sr. Director of Marketing at Britannica Education, where he leverages his nearly 20 years of experience in sales and marketing across higher education, publishing, and edtech. Bryan is passionate about exploring cutting-edge platforms, practices, and technology to transform the way his team and organization approach content creation to connect with current and future customers. He is currently focused on harnessing the power of ChatGPT and other AI tools to revolutionize the industry. Outside of work, Bryan enjoys summers by one of the many Twin Cities lakes and is a dedicated fan of the Minnesota United soccer team, which is his one true Minnesota sports love.

Rachel Zugschwert is the executive vice president of marketing at Lerner Publishing Group. Previously, she has worked in book marketing at 1517 Media, Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, and Simon & Schuster. She has a Masters in Publishing from Pace University, and delights in helping readers find the right books.

Steve Roth is a Senior Marketing Manager with Quarto, doing marketing and publicity for books on transportation, space exploration, gardening, rural living, and pop culture. Steve started with Quarto in 2011 (then known as Quayside Publishing) switching media formats after a 20+ year career in the music business. He’s lived in the Twin Cities area since 1994.

For more than ten years, Mallory Hayes has worked as a book publicist in the vibrant literary community of the Twin Cities creating and executing publicity campaigns focused on national and local media, event coordination, and influencer outreach. She’s secured national coverage at places like Marie Claire, The Washington Post, Essence, Vogue, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. Mallory has led successful campaigns for a variety of book subjects including mind, body, spirit titles, highly-illustrated coffee table car books, adult nonfiction titles, and children and YA fiction.

Members can listen to the full panel discussion in the Resources area on MBPR website.

MBPR’s May in-person event, Modern Marketing Methods, featured a panel of marketing and publicity experts: Bryan Schmidt (Encyclopedia Britannica), Rachel Zugschwert (Lerner Publishing Group), Steve Roth (Quarto), and Mallory Hayes (Mallory Hayes Publicity). The panel discussed what has changed in book marketing in the last few years; new methods that surfaced during the pandemic and have stuck; generative AI and its place in their work; book banning; and how everyone in the publishing ecosystem can support marketing, among other topics.

Bryan Schmidt is the Sr. Director of Marketing at Britannica Education, where he leverages his nearly 20 years of experience in sales and marketing across higher education, publishing, and edtech. Bryan is passionate about exploring cutting-edge platforms, practices, and technology to transform the way his team and organization approach content creation to connect with current and future customers. He is currently focused on harnessing the power of ChatGPT and other AI tools to revolutionize the industry. Outside of work, Bryan enjoys summers by one of the many Twin Cities lakes and is a dedicated fan of the Minnesota United soccer team, which is his one true Minnesota sports love.

Rachel Zugschwert is the executive vice president of marketing at Lerner Publishing Group. Previously, she has worked in book marketing at 1517 Media, Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, and Simon & Schuster. She has a Masters in Publishing from Pace University, and delights in helping readers find the right books.

Steve Roth is a Senior Marketing Manager with Quarto, doing marketing and publicity for books on transportation, space exploration, gardening, rural living, and pop culture. Steve started with Quarto in 2011 (then known as Quayside Publishing) switching media formats after a 20+ year career in the music business. He’s lived in the Twin Cities area since 1994.

For more than ten years, Mallory Hayes has worked as a book publicist in the vibrant literary community of the Twin Cities creating and executing publicity campaigns focused on national and local media, event coordination, and influencer outreach. She’s secured national coverage at places like Marie Claire, The Washington Post, Essence, Vogue, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. Mallory has led successful campaigns for a variety of book subjects including mind, body, spirit titles, highly-illustrated coffee table car books, adult nonfiction titles, and children and YA fiction.

MBPR’s May in-person event, Modern Marketing Methods, featured a panel of marketing and publicity experts. The panel discussed what has changed in book marketing in the last few years; new methods that surfaced during the pandemic and have stuck; generative AI and its place in their work; book banning; and how everyone in the publishing ecosystem can support marketing, among other topics.

Bryan Schmidt is the Sr. Director of Marketing at Britannica Education, where he leverages his nearly 20 years of experience in sales and marketing across higher education, publishing, and edtech. Bryan is passionate about exploring cutting-edge platforms, practices, and technology to transform the way his team and organization approach content creation to connect with current and future customers. He is currently focused on harnessing the power of ChatGPT and other AI tools to revolutionize the industry. Outside of work, Bryan enjoys summers by one of the many Twin Cities lakes and is a dedicated fan of the Minnesota United soccer team, which is his one true Minnesota sports love.

Rachel Zugschwert is the executive vice president of marketing at Lerner Publishing Group. Previously, she has worked in book marketing at 1517 Media, Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, and Simon & Schuster. She has a Masters in Publishing from Pace University, and delights in helping readers find the right books.

Steve Roth is a Senior Marketing Manager with Quarto, doing marketing and publicity for books on transportation, space exploration, gardening, rural living, and pop culture. Steve started with Quarto in 2011 (then known as Quayside Publishing) switching media formats after a 20+ year career in the music business. He’s lived in the Twin Cities area since 1994.

For more than ten years, Mallory Hayes has worked as a book publicist in the vibrant literary community of the Twin Cities creating and executing publicity campaigns focused on national and local media, event coordination, and influencer outreach. She’s secured national coverage at places like Marie Claire, The Washington Post, Essence, Vogue, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. Mallory has led successful campaigns for a variety of book subjects including mind, body, spirit titles, highly-illustrated coffee table car books, adult nonfiction titles, and children and YA fiction.