Discover Your Readers

When the idea for the The Writing Barn first sparked, it included a desire to help writers by providing a great space to create and the know-how for a successful career. With the space up and running, we’re now getting into the know-how.

As well as hosting such wonderful instructors as Dean Lofton and Jennifer Robenalt, The Writing Barn will soon be home to a series of its own workshops helping to boost the creativity and careers of writers.

Kirsten Cappy
Kirsten Cappy

The first Writing Barn Presents event is Discovering Your Readers, a Low-Residency Course in the Sane Self-Promotion of Children’s Books, taught by the fabulous children’s book marketing guru Kirsten Cappy of Curious City.

The five-month, limited-attendee course includes four meetings at The Writing Barn, monthly half-hour one-on-one phone sessions with Kirsten and a private class blog where the attendees can post questions and gain feedback.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Kick-Off Class
Sunday, Oct. 7th, 2012
1:00pm – 5:00pm
Kirsten will be onsite for this class and all attendees must be at The Writing Barn

Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012
2:30pm – 5:00pm
Kirsten will teach remotely and attendees may be at The Writing Barn or join via conference call

Sunday, Jan. 6th, 2012
2:30pm – 5:00pm
Kirsten will teach remotely and attendees may be at The Writing Barn or join via conference call

Friday, Feb. 8th (same weekend as the Austin SCBWI Conference)
10:00am – 1:00pm (Lunch included)
Kirsten will be onsite for this class and all attendees must be at The Writing Barn

ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS

Each writer will have a half-hour phone sessions with Kirsten each month of the course, equaling four complete hours of one-on-one sessions, where progress is reported, assignments are given, and additional ideas are brainstormed.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  • You have a published children’s book or books (eBooks are welcome ) that will be published within a year of the course.
  • You download and complete the application outlining your book’s marketing history and marketing goals and email it to kirsten@curiouscity.net
  • Upon acceptance to the course, you provide Curious City with 2 copies of your book by Sept. 1, 2012.

COURSE PRICING

$800 with half due upon the approval of your application and half due on Sept. 30, 2012.

Kirsten Cappy is the owner of Curious City. Formed in 2003 to tackle projects that forge a stronger relationship between children and the literature created for them, Curious City designs and implements creative theme-based marketing for children’s authors, illustrators, and publishers.

Curious City has designed reader engagement and other marketing work for award-winning authors Grace Lin, Melissa Sweet, Phillip Hoose, and countless other talented creators. Her publishing clients include Simon & Schuster, Candlewick Press, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, and other grand institutions. Each marketing plan from board book to young adult is a unique approach based on the book’s story and potential readership.

Kirsten Cappy has been a part of the book industry for more than 20 years. Starting out as a bookseller, she quickly became a buyer, and then a sales representative helping select books for stores throughout the Northeast. Working with more than 200 bookstores, she observed what forms of outreach by authors worked for booksellers and what forms of outreach by booksellers worked for readers.

After running an independent book fair program that put her in communication with thousands of readers and hundreds of educators, Cappy discovered that bookstores and libraries could only reach a percentage of potential readers and formed Curious City to help children better access their literature and children’s book authors and illustrators better access their readers.

For more information on this course, email Kirsten at kirsten@curiouscity.net.

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