Marketing experts agree, of all the state-of-the-art promotional tools available, word-of-mouth gets the best results. It’s the oldest and the simplest form of advertising. And, with your computer and the Internet, word-of-mouth translates into word-of-mouse.
Much of what I have to say here today doesn’t pertain specifically to children’s writers, it pertains to all writers. Though I assure you, I’ve been a full member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators since 1977, so I’ve sat where you’re sitting many more times than I’ve been a speaker, and often wondered how the heck that speaker was qualified to discuss the topic at hand. Since many of you have probably never heard of me, let me take a few moments to introduce myself.