I honestly wish I had started this WAY sooner as a self-published children’s book author. This one thing completely changed the way I market, launch, and grow my publishing business long-term… and most authors completely overlook it. A lot of people focus only on publishing the book itself, but they miss the part that actually helps create long-term momentum, audience growth, and repeat sales! If you want to sell more children’s books without relying on paid ads, I really think this video will help you. 👇

I recently started testing Amazon ads for my children’s book, Curls, Coils, & All My Colors: A celebration of hair, feelings, and being yourself. This has been a learning process because I’m trying to understand how to market my children’s books in a way that feels aligned, thoughtful, and not overly pushy. For this first test, I’m starting small with a sponsored products campaign focused on the paperback version. The book already has a few ratings and has received some recent paperback orders, so I felt like this was a good title to begin testing with. The book centers around natural hair, emotions, self-expression, and helping children feel comfortable showing up as themselves. My hope is to reach parents, educators, caregivers, and readers who are looking for diverse children’s books that affirm identity and emotional expression. I’m not expecting overnight results. I’m treating this as a learning campaign so I can better understand what keywords, messaging, and audience signals connect with readers. As an indie author, marketing can feel like its own separate journey, but I’m learning that the goal is not to force the book in front of people. It’s to help the right readers find it. For those who have tested Amazon ads for children’s books, did you start with automatic targeting, manual keywords, or both? I’d love to hear what helped you learn the most in the beginning.

Hello friends! After launching my book and vending my book at a market for the first time on the 1st weekend of May, I realized I needed to establish an IG handle solely for my author/illustrator stuff. I was thinking it would be lovely to connect with fellow authors and illustrators part of this group on here and get a vibe of what everyone is posting and sharing. Let's inspire one another on this journey. The market I vended at did something similar and thought it might be fun to share here. ~ Follow me and I'll follow yours ~ Drop your Instagram handle in the comments and let's follow each other!

I wanted to share a creative business win today. My lifestyle brand, Kismet Wonders, officially relaunched. Even though this brand is separate from my children’s book work, the process has taught me a lot about storytelling, visual identity, audience connection, and building a creative ecosystem around the work we make. As authors and creatives, I think so much of what we build is connected by voice, purpose, and the stories we want to tell. Today I’m celebrating the relaunch of Kismet Wonders as part of that larger creative journey. Website: www.kismetwonders.store

Lately, I’ve been reflecting a lot on creativity, storytelling, and what it means to return to something with more intention. As I prepare for the relaunch of my creative brand, Kismet Wonders, I created this short video around the idea of “kismet” and how some things continue to call us back, even after periods of uncertainty or growth. At the same time, I’m also preparing another free promotion for my Skin Series books on Amazon this week, and it’s been interesting seeing how storytelling, branding, and emotional connection all overlap. The Skin Series (2 book series) Kindle Edition Would love to know if any other authors here have experienced stepping away from a project, only to realize it still had a hold on you creatively.