A story time event is your chance to bring your children’s book to life, connect with readers face-to-face, and hopefully sell a few books while you’re at it. But before you step up to the mic, there’s a little preparation to do. From practicing your silliest voice to remembering those all-important Sharpies, here’s what you need to know to make story time a success!
Once you’ve secured a date and time for your story time (check out our guide to planning a launch event for more info on the planning process), you’re ready to promote it! Leverage your friends, family, and social media to spread the word and drum up an audience. If your story time is happening in a bookstore, see if you (or the store) can put up a sign advertising the event to customers.
When the big day does arrive, make sure to bring plenty of pens or Sharpies (three at the minimum, just in case the ink in one spontaneously decides to stop flowing) and a water bottle to keep your voice hydrated. Check with your venue to see if there’s anything else you need to bring, such as a table or chair (most bookstores and libraries already have these on deck). Bring anything else you’d like to personalize your event, such as flyers, banners, bookmarks, toys or merch related to your book, or maybe even treats for book buyers. (Pro tip: If you have a newsletter, bring a sheet of paper for parents to write down their names and email addresses so you can add them to your recipient list.)
Now, let’s talk about the story time portion itself. You may want to prepare a short intro speech to deliver before diving into the book. This is where you can introduce yourself, thank your audience for coming, and explain a bit about what your book is about or why you wrote it. The key word here is short. Parents have great attention spans, but you don’t want your young listeners to check out before you’ve even hit “Once upon a time”! Aim to keep your intro speech to thirty seconds max.
Unlike readings for adults, where authors choose an excerpt from their book to read aloud, children’s book authors typically read their entire book during story time. (If your book is a chapter book or an especially long, multipart picture book, you’ll probably want to pick an excerpt instead for the sake of time.) You know your book best, which means you know exactly how it should be read! Don’t be afraid to go big, get into character, do silly voices, and interact with your audience. Props can be fun tools to help animate your story. Stuffed animals are great—and real animals are even better. If your pet inspired your book (and is good with children and public places), ask your venue if your furry friend can come along for story time!
We recommend preparing some activities or crafts related to your book to help engage your readers once you reach “The End.” Here are some examples:
- Bring crayons, colored pencils, markers, and paper. Encourage kids to draw one of the book’s characters, draw themselves as a character in the book, or freehand whatever their heart desires!
- Using those same coloring utensils and sheets of paper, ask kids to rewrite the ending of the story.
- Open the floor for a Q&A (either with you or the kids asking the questions) to connect with your audience on a more personal level. Older kids are typically a better audience for this activity, but littles can ask some very entertaining questions too!
Once you’re done with the reading and activity portions, you’ll move on to the last phase of the event: signing books and chatting with your readers face-to-face. This is what it’s all about! Be warm and friendly, engage both the child and their parents in conversation, and thank them for coming and supporting your work. Personalizing your signature by writing the child’s name is always a nice touch. Most importantly, while you’re shaking hands and kissing babies, take a moment to celebrate that your book is out in the world and on its way to children’s shelves.
Blue Balloon Books is committed to being with you throughout every step of the publishing process. Our marketing team can help you coordinate in-person events, including story times. To start your publishing journey, submit your book idea today!