The Secret to Selling a Book Series
Is this month’s blog title low-key clickbait? Definitely. However, author Hanna Kim is a dynamic middle-grade author who was willing to go “on the record” regarding her process of developing—and promoting—a book series. Plus, Kim’s debut title may have just been released last month, but as you’ll read below, her publishing journey is just getting started. Plus she shares a few tips for other writers who may be envisioning multiple sequels to their current WIP.
What initially gave you the inspiration to not only write a book, but also an entire series? Was that your intention from the beginning?
I didn't initially plan for it to be a series. I wrote “The Magic Lunch Box” because it was a highly personal story to me and much of it is based on my own experiences. I mixed these experiences with elements of magical realism in order to add some interesting twists to the story. After a discussion with my agent, we realized that there were more stories we could tell with the main character—Ben Lee—by including new magical elements in each book. A big motivation for writing more Ben Lee books was also because we noticed a lack of Asian American boy characters in the chapter book series so we were hoping to fill in that gap.
How's your first book launch going...Is it just like how you imagined?
The debut book launch is going great! It is definitely very different from what I thought it would be. My favorite part has been doing the in-person signings at bookstores. Meeting readers and community members made me realize my purpose for writing this story. It means so much to me that such a large number of people can connect with the book! Although one challenge has been marketing the book. Because this is all new to me, I had to learn a lot of things on my own such as creating graphics, posting announcements, hosting events, and more.
Do you have an agent? If so, how did you find one?
I currently do not have an agent, but I did at the time THE MAGIC LUNCH BOX sold to Capstone. I found my agent by participating in #DVpit—the whole process was so exciting and wonderful! My agent helped me to navigate the publishing world including things like contracts and proposals. I definitely could not have published this book without my agent and I am currently in search of a new one for future projects.
Share 2-3 book marketing tips that are working well for you at the moment.
Like I mentioned, I really enjoyed hosting in-person events. And I hope to do more in the future. I see this as less of a "marketing" tactic, and more of a way to connect with readers, because I genuinely enjoy talking about my book and story with others. Another great tip was making the most out of Canva. I realized that as a consumer, I am way more drawn to graphics and ads that are aesthetically pleasing. Canva is by far the easiest way to create beautiful graphics for all of your marketing needs.
How do you cultivate community with other authors?
I foster community with other authors by mutually supporting each other on and off of social media. When I first started writing, I had no community. I started my Twitter account originally in order to participate in #DVpit, then I met other authors who were participating. We offer support by beta reading for each other; commenting on each others' tweets; and being there for each other when someone needs to talk. These authors are some of my closest friends now—I am so thankful to have them in my life! I think building relationships with authors is key because this is a very difficult job to do on our own.
Hanna Kim is a Korean-American children's book author and middle school ELA teacher. She is the author of “The Magic Lunch Box” (Capstone). She hopes to promote empathy and inclusivity with her books. Hanna lives in Michigan with her husband, Ben, and her cat, Zoro.