Should I be leveraging booktok in my marketing strategy?
The simple answer is yes. At MBPR, this amazing panel discussed this very question.
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.