I’ve used postcards to publicize my books and take orders.  I recently read about an author who has expanded the use of her postcards.  It got me thinking about ways to utilize this form of PR for other art and craft work.

Print a picture of your craft, book, painting or other art on the card.  Then develop the back for:

• Grand openings
• Sales announcements
• Order blank for taking orders 
• Information about you
• Classes/workshops
• Event announcements
• General news

Carry the cards with you.  Mail them out.  Have them on a display table at an event.

How do you creatively use postcards in your crafting business?

(Image: sxc.hu)

Post from: Blisstree

Using Postcards for Craft PR

Author Debbie Macomber has impressed me with her promotional techniques.  Of course, she’s a good writer and has developed a following of readers.  You can, too, take some lessons from Debbie and perhaps use some of her methods as a springboard for your PR.

• Develop a web site and blog. 
• Feature various characters here, perhaps giving them a blog of their own.
• Create bookmarks and postcards you use and give out.
• Publish a free e-newsletter for fans who sign up for it.
• Develop a newsletter you can send by mail, if you find the expense worthwhile.
• Find a spin-off from your books.  Debbie, an avid knitter, and has written novels about women who knit.  So she has ventured into this field and even has developed patterns and instruction books on this.
• Debbie holds knitting get-togethers along with book signings.
• If your hobby involves quilting, knitting, crocheting, beading, etc. you might develop a blog about it, patterns, ideas, information, and then create stories about someone who participates in your chosen activity.  Work backward from a hobby to a story.

A Clothing & Accessories Line
*Develop a line of clothing, accessories, etc. that will be distinctive. (Ex: Debbie Macomber Floral Striped Tote for knitting and other uses.)

*Brainstorm and see what you can come up with to catch attention.

As you browse Debbie’s web site, you’ll find recipes, excerpts and other news of interest that will inspire you.

Have you used some particularly effective promotional ideas to become better known in your field?

(Amazon book image; Craft World tote image at Amazon)

Post from: Blisstree

Craft Publicity a la Debbie Macomber

I’ve continued the interview here:

Mary Emma: Were your children involved in writing the book?

Carolyn: They were!  They were involved in making the illustrations come to life.  By the time I got around to writing the story, several years had passed; Katie had grown, and that created a challenge for the illustrator.  So little brother Cash posed as Katie during the photo shoot to capture the emotions Katie feels throughout the book.

Katie, on the other hand, posed for all the shots that didn’t show her full face. The artwork shown in the book – on the refrigerator, the Gallery, and on the final page – are all actual pieces by Katie that were scanned into the illustration.

Mary Emma: The illustrations are wonderful.  Tell us about the artist.

Carolyn: Deb Hoeffner created a magnificent fusion of color and breathed life into the books’s characters, making the illustration amazingly lifelike.  [Using some of the processes described above]

Deb has had a twenty-five year professional career, and her paintings and drawings are in many private collections.  She describes her unique style of “soft realism” as a layering of thought, paint, and possibilities. Deb’s studio is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Mary Emma: Readers will find the illustrations charming and likely be enchanted by them.  You’ll find yourself looking for more of Deb Hoeffner’s work.

I consider myself primarily an author, but I’ve done some illustrating of my stories.  The more I do, the more I enjoy it and find this another way to branch out into the art world even more.

More about Carolyn McWilliams Brown.

(Amazon image)

Post from: Blisstree

The Pleasure of Illustrating Books

All You Want and Then Some by Carolyn McWilliams Brown

Writers often draw from real life for their books.  Parents find lessons to learn and stories to tell from raising children. 

Carolyn McWilliams Brown shares, in her picture book,  All You Want and Then Some,  a situation when youngsters must share the attention of their parents, especially when a sibling has a disability.  Carolyn’s daughter Katie, as well as the whole family, learned there could be joy in their family challenge.

Mary Emma:  Your book is based on a true story.  Tell us about that.

 Carolyn:  When our daughter, Katie, was three, we welcomed the arrival of her little brother, Parker, and then eighteen months later our third child, Cash, was born.  Parker was a happy, very busy baby, and right before his second birthday he experienced a seizure in his high chair. He was diagnosed with epilepsy and a developmental disorder (PDD-NOS, which is on the same spectrum as autism and Asperger’s syndrome). 

In the months that followed, Parker’s seizures increased.  My husband and I, with three small children, were sleep deprived and struggling to meet the children’s emotional needs and still have any time for each other.  Soon Parker required one-on-one attention and for his safety and those around him, could not be left alone. 

It was then that God sent us a special neighbor, who was a nurse, a grandmother, and a disciple of Christ, to serve us during our time of need.  She loved our family unconditionally, and because she was a seasoned parent herself, she anticipated our needs even when we couldn’t think straight.

Mary Emma:  Explain the significance of your title.  It’s unusual. 

Carolyn: My dad frequently used the phrase, “All you want and then some,” referring to the volume of food at the dinner table or his supply of duct tape, rope, baling wire, Old Spice aftershave, and anything else he kept in great quantity.  I wanted to remember him in my first publication, and this phrase, which was never delivered with any spiritual meaning, made the connection I was looking for between Bella and Christ.  Our Lord faithfully provides for our needs, and because he is a loving and generous God, he is eager to satisfy some our wants as well.

Mary Emma:   What message would you like readers to get from your book?

 Carolyn: God intentionally puts people in our lives at just the right time for a specific purpose in order to fulfill his plan.

Mary Emma:  You decided to self-publish your book.  Why was that important for you? 

 Carolyn:  Because this story is personal to our family, we wanted the characters and setting to be portrayed as they really are.  We also wanted to be in control of the final text, because if the story were altered then it would not be our own.

Mary Emma:  Were your children involved in the writing of the book? 

 Carolyn:  They were!  They were involved in making the illustrations come to life.  By the time I got around to writing the story, several years had passed; Katie had grown, and that created a challenge for the illustrator.  So little brother Cash posed as Katie during the photo shoot to capture the emotions Katie feels throughout the book.  Katie, on the other hand, posed for all the shots that didn’t show her full face. The artwork shown in the book – on the refrigerator, the Gallery, and on the final page – are all actual pieces by Katie that were scanned into the illustration.

Mary Emma:  Thank you, Carolyn, for stopping by and chatting with me.  I’m sure readers of your book will enjoy knowing how involved as a family you were in writing it.

Visit Carolyn at her web site.

(Amazon image)

Post from: Blisstree

Q & A with Author Carolyn McWilliams Brown

Tell me how you first became interested in the raw food movement?
I had been a health seeker since the age of 16 when I developed asthma and an eating disorder. Doctors could do nothing for me so I sought to heal myself, which I did. Constantly looking for ways to maintain my health, I experimented with dozens of healing modalities and even got a master’s degree in acupuncture and herbs. But by far the greatest health secret I discovered was the raw food diet! Someone I met on the internet challenged me to try the diet. After a few weeks I was hooked. My energy at the age of 46 was like that of a 20-year-old. My husband, kicking and screaming at first, was ecstatic when he experienced the same thing.

What can readers learn from your book, The Live Food Factor?
The first section is pure inspiration: 10 reasons to go raw and 20 testimonials (which includes an entire chapter on mine). Without inspiration, no action will be taken.

The second section is the science to back up why it works, which includes 66 studies (some in Appendix D) to support the superiority of eating a diet of 80-100% raw foods. It also explains how cooked food is toxic and keeps us from living our potential.

The third section is a history of the raw food movement and current day leaders.
Section four is a complete how-to guide with all kinds of tips on how to transition, stay raw, avoid pitfalls, detoxify, learn about nutritional controversies, raise children to eat raw, and recipes.

At the end is a complete resource guide (where to shop, books to read, raw restaurants, etc.)

Please check back tomorrow for Part 2 of our interview.

Image: Live Food Factor

Post from: Blisstree

Interview: Author of The Live Food Factor

I’ve haven’t read this book, but I have read the others in the “7 Habits” series and I really get a lot out of them. Also, I saw Steven Covey speak once. He was very good! I love this voice and he gets right to the heart of things. He’s an excellent teacher and not someone full of bull, you know?

Here’s a video of Covey talking about it with Diabetes TV.

Post from: Blisstree

Video Interview with Steven Covey, Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People With Diabetes