Social Media & Publicity

During my time at Portland State University, I discovered experimenting with social media techniques and crafting unique publicity plans for books is quite fun. Things change so fast, and what works for one project might not work for the next. It’s an exciting challenge.

Social Media

I was an intern for Ripple Grove Press, a family-owned children’s picture book publishing company, for six months. During my time there, I helped with writing copy, acquisitions, research, event staffing, and design. One of my projects was to design a social media marketing push, creating a company Instagram and Tumblr account and generating content for it. I also created content for their existing Twitter account.

During the two months I was in charge of their Instagram and Tumblr, I generated over 170 new followers for the company. There was also a noticeable uptick in Twitter followers and click-throughs to the Ripple Grove Press website. Here is a link to my Storify account for some of the Instagram-specific content I created and utilized for their company. 

Since my time at PSU, I’ve developed my own social media platform as an author, focusing mainly on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Publicity 

Publicity Campaigns & Pitch Letters
During my time at PSU, my final project for my Transmedia Marketing class was to create a how-to guide for a digital scavenger hunt. I crafted this entire publicity campaign, filling out the first section as if Ooligan would pursue it for their Young Adult title A Series of Small Maneuvers. Additionally, we had to create a theoretical pitch letter and a media artifact for specific companies as if we were asking them to partner with us in a campaign for Small Maneuvers. This is my theoretical pitch to the 4-H Club, detailing the project, some social media posts, and a media artifact.

Sales Plans
During my time at PSU, one of the projects for my Business of Book Publishing class was to create sales plans for imagined books and authors, as if we were acquiring them for our mock publishing company. This is a theoretical sales plan for an imagined YA Fantasy book called Magics of Aluraia.

 Press Releases
During my time at PSU, for my Book Marketing class we got the chance to create a theoretical press release for the Hawthorn title White Matter. This allowed me to stretch my InDesign skills and design a press release with some pizazz. You can find that press release here. 

Real-World Application
Since my time at PSU, I’ve used all the skills I learned to market my own books as a science fiction and fantasy author. I’ve created my own publicity pushes and press releases, obtained numerous panel and vendor opportunities, secured many interviews and guest posts, and more! Take a gander at my Press page to see the great interviews and guest posts I’ve secured and keep an eye on my Books page for upcoming events!