Have Swag, Will Travel: What to Bring to a Book Sales Event

Dear Readers, I have a practical, info-packed Have Swag Will Travel guest post for you today. 

Author Tracy. C. Gold's next book, CALL YOUR FATHER (illustrated by Vivian Mineker, Familius, 2026), comes out this spring. It's a companion to her gorgeous earlier title, CALL YOUR MOTHER. Tracy has visited the blog a few times before, and each post has been fantastic!

As the author of multiple books, Tracy has participated in several unique book events. Today she shares her experience and tips for planning and obtaining the various supplies that are helpful for these events. 

by Tracy C. Gold and Vivian Mineker

Take it away, Tracy! 

Have Swag Will Travel: What to Bring to a Book Sales Event

by Tracy C. Gold

I am ramping up an exciting spring full of book events because I have a new book coming out this spring, yay! Book events mean SWAG! Swag for the kids, and swag to keep you organized and sane.  

"Call Your Father,"  illustrated by Vivian Mineker and published by Familius, is my fifth published picture book. So this is not my first, second, or third rodeo. Of course, I bring different stuff depending on the type of event. Below, I’ve attempted to break down my packing list by event type. 

 Every author has a slightly different approach. This is what has worked for me so far. I am always looking to learn, so please weigh in on the comments if you have additional suggestions on what to bring. 

Note: I bought a lot of my stuff a long time ago, so buy links are not necessarily helpful. I do, however, have a post on my own website with links for buying some of this stuff. Check it out here!

Second note: As an author-only, my profits on each picture book sale are pretty low. That means it’s very easy to spend more on swag than I make at an event. This is not an industry for the weak of heart or wallet. So I have a few rules for myself: 

·      Only do book events that make me happy

·      Only get swag that makes me happy

·      Never spend money on book marketing that I need to put food on my table 

I do believe that going to book events does benefit your career beyond the money you make on book sales that day. All of these efforts help build real relationships with readers, booksellers, and educators. I have booked school visits because of connections I’ve made doing book events, or in one case, just from being listed on an event’s website. You can also take pictures and videos for your social media. Just go into buying book swag with a realistic view of whether you’ll ever earn that money back.

What I Bring to Most Book Events 

A folding wagon or rolling bag—Buy one of these and thank me later—that is, if you are driving to a book event. If you are flying or using public transportation, you’ll have to minimize this list. Getting stuff in and out of a bookstore or event venue can be a slog. Sometimes you can park very close and sometimes you have to hike. Evaluate the containers you keep your stuff in (I use Container Store bins and a variety of bags) and see if you can fit them in a wagon (I have two) or rolling bag (I have one from Hulken) so you don’t have to make a gazillion trips. Your wagon needs to fold so you can stash it somewhere out of the way. The good news is that these wagons can be a business expense, but they come in handy way beyond book events. I use mine all the time for groceries, sports equipment, Christmas gift schlepping, and cleaning out my endlessly messy car. That said, I currently have three different rolling thingamajigs and I’m not 100% happy with any of them, so if you have *the most amazing* wagon, please let me know. My dream wagon would be light, folding, large enough to carry 2+ Container Store bins, and have a brake. I have not found this dream wagon yet, but a heavy wagon is better than no wagon. 

Clear bins: I like Container Store brand clear bins because they fit into my Ikea Kallax shelving at home, but it is great to have small, stackable bins to hold all this stuff. Now, this can get onerous and you may be able to get away with bags if you’re just going to a bookstore, but if you are hauling copies of your books around, you may need more. I would go with clear so it’s easier to see what’s in there. 

Copies of my own books—I can’t tell you how many times bookstores have run out of copies of my books at an event. This is a lovely problem to have. If you bring a few copies of each of your own books, you can normally sell them to the bookstore at a wholesale discount, normally somewhere between 40 and 60%. Know what you paid for your own books, including shipping, so you are at least not selling them at a loss. Sometimes bookstores will ask to order new stock and swap copies out instead of paying you. That is normal but can be logistically complicated if you don’t live near the store. More on what to bring when you’re selling your own books in the next section. 

Don’t forget to bring out-of-season books! My Halloween book, "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat,” sometimes outsells my Mother’s Day book, "Call Your Mother,” at spring events. What can I say, kids like cute bats. 

A fun craft—Nothing brings kids to an author’s table like a fun craft! At festivals I have crafts sitting out at all times. At more structured events, I end a story time with a craft session. For "Hide and Seek, Nuts to Eat" and "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat,” Sourcebooks made an adorable activity kit with coloring pages and a word search. My go-to craft from the kit involves kids coloring in a squirrel or bat, cutting it out, taping a string to it, and tying it around their wrist so they can run amuck with their little animal companion. 

Bat Craft

This means I am bringing printouts from the kit, kid-friendly scissors, crayons, tape, and string. Sometimes bookstores provide these materials—it’s worth checking! You can find cheap multi-packs of scissors and crayons online. I often go with Oriental Trading (yes, it’s still called that) for these supplies. If you don’t have an activity kit, you might also be able to find craft kits that are relevant to your book on Oriental Trading or a similar site. The costs of these kits can add up quickly, though. 

This picture is from a literacy event with Park Books 

Craft set-up for literacy event with Parks Books 

When you’re working with a book store, they often have supplies which can lower the burden on you. They had this adorable setup and printouts from my Sourcebooks activity kits. This was destroyed as soon as actual children got their hands on it, which is a good sign that everyone had fun. 

This is a picture of the “decorate a star” craft I do for "Call Your Mother" because there’s a star motif in the book. Kids can give their gem stars to Mom as a Mother’s Day gift! Yes, I did buy the gems for this one. 

Bookmarks or some other sort of handout to serve as a business card—Kids don’t really use bookmarks for picture books, but I’ve found it handy to have some sort of business card. Sadly, business cards and bookmarks can, again, cost more than what you earn on a sale. However, the people I give these out to tend not to be kids/families. They are booksellers or educators who are interested in future collaborations. This is one reason why you can’t judge the value of events solely on book sales: events can be a great way to get educators interested in school visits! Though it is up to luck whether educators happen to show up to an event or not, I do find they tend to come by festivals where there are a lot of authors in one place. I need to do a bookmark refresh, but in the past I’ve even made them myself using card stock and scissors. 

Mesh/clear bags to keep everything organized: I buy cheap laundry delicates bags in a variety of sizes to keep all of my supplies organized. Otherwise, my bigger bins and bags become a jungle of broken crayons and tangled strings. 

Sharpies for signing books: I’ve gone down quite a rabbit hole of figuring out what pens are best for signing books. While Sharpies are not archival quality, they are simply the best for not smudging. For my board books, I have found that only metallic Sharpies work. Don’t ask me why. I can thank The Ivy Bookshop for helping me figure this out. I can vouch for both gold and silver Sharpies. Make sure that whatever color Sharpie you buy shows up on the title page where you’re signing. 

Post-it notes: When I sign books, I always like to practice writing names before signing them in the books. I use post-its to do this. Sometimes when there is a long line, booksellers will get names written on post-its for me to make things move more quickly. You know, I do know how to spell Michael and Elizabeth under normal circumstances, but book events can be extremely overstimulating and overwhelming in a way that makes me question whether the letter M is really supposed to look like that after all. And you never know when it will be spelled Mykel or Elisabeth. Now, I’m a pro at drawing a heart doodle over mistakes, but it’s always best to test names out. 

Little white board: A little white board and dry erase marker is so handy. This is an instant sign that you can change so that it says whatever you want! I do use this more for book festivals than book store events, but it’s great to have in the kit. 


Book stands: Using the vertical space of your display is so important, particularly when you have multiple books. Really, I’d like to have an even better system for vertical display, but right now, I have book stands. These can also be used to prop up your white board if it doesn’t come with a stand! 

Tape: Even if you don’t have a craft involving tape, just bring tape. Sometimes you need to tape paper somewhere and sometimes you need to tape a tablecloth down. I don’t really know why I end up using tape so much, but just throw a roll of Scotch tape in your stuff. 

“Learn More” sign: I always bring a sign in a little acrylic stand with a link to my website. For book festivals, I bring more signs (more on that later), but it’s nice to have something to show that people (especially educators!) can learn more about you and your books. 

Personal amplifier: At any book event where I am reading, I bring an inexpensive personal amplifier. Now, I’ll be honest. I always bring this but I have yet to actually use it. I have an inflated sense of confidence in my own skills of projection. I always regret not using my personal amplifier after the event when my throat is sore and my voice is croaky. My goal for the spring is to use my personal amplifier at events. Now, this is not so important in a tiny space. But if you are outdoors or speaking to a large number of children, this is key. Plus, as my friend Kathy MacMillan points out, sometimes people have struggles hearing, and a personal amplifier can be helpful for them even if you do project well. 

Charging cords for all my devices: This is more important for events where I’m sitting all day, but I always make sure I have a charging cord for my phone and whatever payment device I am bringing (if I’m bringing one). Nothing drains batteries faster than a book event. Don’t ask me why! This is just a fact. 

Tiny things to give away: Ok, this goes back to my “just for fun” category, because especially when you’re only earning royalties and not selling books wholesale, it is hard to find a giveaway that’s cheaper than your royalties. In the past, I have done sticker sheets. They are SO CUTE and so fun—but cost about 50 cents each, if I’m remembering correctly. I got a few hundred for each book and gave them away as preorder bonuses and at events, but I’m not ordering more due to the cost. 

For my book "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat,” I’ve also done tiny plastic bugs, which are pretty cheap. I also give those away as “non-food options” at my house for Halloween, so they’re multipurpose.

Mask: I typically have a mask in my bookstore stuff. My first books came out during the pandemic, so I got in the habit. Now, data on whether masks work is iffy, but you know what they do work on? My mental health. The truth about doing events with small children is that they will absolutely get in your face and sneeze in your eyeballs. However, it’s really tough to engage when half your face is covered. I do like to have a mask though in case I’m feeling sick, to protect others, and in cases where I really don’t want to get sick (like if I’m traveling). 

Hand sanitizer: If you don’t have this on you normally, bring it to book events. See: young children are snotty. 

What I Bring When I Am Selling My Own Books

More copies of my own books: At festivals or events where you’re responsible for selling your own books, figuring out how many books to bring can be hard. If you can, I’d ask the organizer or other authors who have been there before what to expect. I’d also recommend bringing more than you think you need. It’s sad when you are sitting there all day and could have made more sales if you only had more inventory! Generally, I bring 5-10 copies per book, but I do have 4 books, so if you only have one or two, I’d bring 30-40 total. And let’s be real, I do normally leave some extra in my car just in case. 

Ways to take payment: I use PayPal’s credit card system because I already have a PayPal account. Make sure you have whatever device you need well ahead of time because you need to get it shipped and make sure it works. And, of course, bring a phone! I have found that I am swiping credit cards much less these days because of the growing prevalence of Venmo, Paypal, and Zelle. I’d love for credit card swiping to go away. I have had so many issues with connectivity. That said, if the wi-fi or data connection is bad, sometimes Venmo/Paypal/Zelle doesn’t work great either. 

Basic change: People do still pay in cash! I try to have some ones and fives. I also will fudge the pricing a bit if someone doesn’t have exact change. I don’t mess around with coins. I just figure out the sales tax on my end later. Cash means I’ve saved money on credit card processing fees anyway. But Venmo is the best because it doesn’t have fees! 

Sign with your payment info: Have a sign with a QR code for your various payment methods and your user name. QR codes don’t always work, particularly if the lighting is bad. Having a sign will save you so much time of having to spell out your user name. 

Sign with your prices: You should have a sign with your prices—or multiple signs—depending on how you are set up. Clarify whether or not you’re including sales tax. Of course, if people have to ask you how much things cost, that can increase interaction. But I think people like to be able to look and know. 

Plastic sign holders: I bring cheap acrylic sign holders and just print my signs as needed to swap them out. The sign holders help me use my vertical space. There is normally not enough room to have signs horizontal on the table, and they’re harder for people to see this way as well. 

Toys that match your books: Ok, plenty of people go wild making custom stuffed animals for their books. Unless your books are mega-popular, it’s going to be really hard to make money on these. They’ll cost you a lot of time and money to make, and people don’t really want a stuffed animal to match a character they don’t know yet. Personally, I look for stuffed animals that already exist on the market. Squirrels and bats are pretty easy. I don’t have a way to get them wholesale at the moment—and I’m not sure if wholesale makes sense at the low volume I do. I do think that having something else besides books to sell can help increase your profits if you’re sitting somewhere for a whole day. I also like to have toys on hand as I frequently donate my books to silent auctions, and being able to add a couple stuffed animals makes a basket look much cuter.

I will say that I once had toys out at the Chesapeake Children’s Book Festival and had to put them away. Multiple children asked their parents for a toy…multiple parents said no, we’re here for books. I watched some families avoid my table even though their kids were trying to pull them back to me for toys. So I put the basket away to lower the drama for everyone. In my experience, toys do better at events that are not purely focused on books. Now, if you can MAKE toys to go with your books, that could be an easier sell. I would not count on toys making you a lot of profit, so I go back to my rule: only get toys for your books if it’s fun! 

The above photo is from the Chesapeake Children’s Book Fest. Often, you have to cram your stuff into half a table! Of course I was happy to share with author Terry Catasus Jennings. I love that in this pic, you can see the cool dolls Terry has to match her characters—and big banners from Timothy Young (left) and Kathy MacMillan (right). My very fancy tablecloth here is literally a beach towel. You don’t always have to buy something new.

Baskets and bowls: What you need here depends on what you bring. I have baskets and/or bowls which I fill with toys. I sometimes also use a small cup to hold scissors and crayons. I don’t tend to need this when a bookstore is providing supplies, and I don’t bring toys to sell at bookstore events, since they typically have their own tchotchkes on offer. 

Tablecloth: You can see in my pictures that I have used a variety of items as tablecloths, including a beach towel and an old scrap of fabric. Tablecloths look nice, but more importantly, they cover up the underside of your table. That’s where you’ll need to cover your backstock of books and important things like your purse! It’s nice to have it hidden. I’ve upped my tablecloth game recently thanks to the cornucopia of tablecloths that can be found cheaply at Good Will. You can get cheap plastic tablecloths new, too, but it’s more fun to thrift! 

You can see a lot of my set up in the above picture! I have a whiteboard, basket of crayons, pages printed out from my activity kits, a sign about all my books, a basket of toys, a sign about my website, and a sign with my Venmo and Paypal info. Whew! I think the venue provided the tablecloth.  

Woohoo, I got a full table! The above picture is from the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland. In my experience it is rare to get this much space but you can see my full spread here. This was before "Call Your Mother" came out. I have a print-outs from my activity kits, crayons, scissors, yarn to tie a string to cut-out bats and squirrels, a white board, and baskets of toys. In the back you can see my “learn more” placard with my website. On the right you can see my pricing sheet for my books.

Here we have zoomed in a bit! You can see my very fancy tablecloth is just a random piece of fabric from some costume or other that has been roughly cut. On the left you can see that I’ve taped an example hanging bat so that kids can see the craft. Crafts bring kids to you! You can also see that I have a few little plastic bugs scattered on the table. I give these away for free if I can buy them cheap enough! You will also see my mask. 

This is author Rachel Kolar with her book “Mother Ghost” at an event at Park Books. You can see her cool skeleton props and fun witch hat! On the table in the forefront is a craft provided by Park Books—color your own spooky tote bags! I teamed up with Rachel and another local author, Rebecca Evans. It looks empty, but that’s because it’s a huge space and I was avoiding kid’s faces in this picture for privacy reasons. 

Things I Have Thought About Bringing but Don’t 

Email sign up list: So, I actually did this in the past, but very few people signed up, and it took up precious space. And then I’d actually have to send out an email newsletter to make it worthwhile. However, I probably should bring this as I do occasionally send emails. They tend to be focused more on writers than readers. Psst, you can sign up to receive content like this blog post here: https://tracycgold.com/newsletter/.

Banner or custom tablecloth: I’ve looked into getting a custom banner or tablecloth to bring more attention to my table. They are just so expensive. I’m lucky enough to have books coming out scheduled into the future, and I just couldn’t see myself paying for a new banner every time I had a new book come out. Now that I am five books in, however, I might do something with just a few of my books. Probably not, though, unless I can find a really good sale. 

Hoo boy! I think that’s it! 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and resources with us, Tracy! What a FANTASTIC prep-kit list for book events! I consider myself a book-event pro, but you've included some things on your list that weren't yet on mine. Thanks!  

And now, dear readers, you know what to do. The best way to thank an author whose insights have been helpful and/or inspiring to you is to support their work. Buy their books. Request them from your library. Read and share them with others. Tracy's books, including her latest, CALL YOUR FATHER, are available everywhere books are borrowed and sold, including your own local, indie bookstore, and through Bookshop. *Disclosure: As an affiliate of Bookshop.org I may earn a small commission from books purchased through links on this post. 

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Photo Credit: Shore Love Photography

Tracy C. Gold writes books that inspire kids to connect with nature and their families. She also works as a freelance editor, helping writers develop novels, memoirs, and children’s literature. Her published and forthcoming picture books include “Call Your Father,” “Call Your Mother,” “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby,” “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat,” and “Hide and Seek, Nuts to Eat.” She also writes short stories, essays, novels, and poems. Her work has been published in several magazines and anthologies. Tracy earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore and earned her B.A. in English from Duke University. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s playing with her kid or hanging out with horses and dogs. You can find out more about Tracy at tracycgold.com, by following her on Threads and Instagram at @tracycgold, or by liking her Facebook page. 

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Have Swag Will Travel is an occasional feature of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of multiple picture books including, Lucy's Blooms, Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, 16 books in the Story Time With Signs & Rhymes series, and the forthcoming title, Mama's Home (and Baby Too!). Dawn is a contributing author to the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud, and a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and educational conferences. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com. Subscribe to Dawn's newsletter and never miss an update.

Have Swag Will Travel: Yearlong Author Residency, by Tracy C. Gold

Dear Readers, I have a very special Have Swag Will Travel guest post for you today. 

Author, Tracy. C. Gold, just launched a beautiful, new picture book into the world: CALL YOUR MOTHER (Familius, 2024). As the author of multiple books, Tracy has participated in several unique book events. Today she shares her experience and tips for planning a yearlong author residency.  

by Tracy C. Gold and Vivian Mineker

Take it away, Tracy!

Have Swag Will Travel: Yearlong Author Residency

by Tracy C. Gold 

I have done quite a few events now that I’m on my fourth picture book, but since I debuted during the pandemic, school visits have been slow. So I was absolutely thrilled when school librarian Alicia Danyali reached out in summer 2023 about setting up an author residency for the next school year. 

She works at Krieger Schechter Day School which is local to me (so—have swag, will travel ten minutes down the road, in this case). She wanted to revive an author residency program the school had before Covid, the Silverman-Brown Residency. We had the opportunity to work together to shape a post-Covid version.

I jumped at the chance and had a really fun idea, if we could make it work. Ever since my book "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat" came out in 2021, I’ve been looking for a school that would install a bat box to go along with a school visit. Hint: do NOT write emails with the subject line “A bat in your ear,” even if you know the recipient well, as this does not go over well with those with a phobia of bats. Oops!

KSDS is a certified Maryland Green School, with a gorgeous community garden and a commitment to serving the environment, so they were up for the bat box! After trading lots of emails, talking on the phone, and meeting at the school’s beautiful campus, Alicia and I made a plan. 

We would do three visits, and on the last, the school would install bat boxes. Alicia involved the Art and Woodshop teacher Gigi Smith, who helped the fifth graders make bat boxes themselves. So cool! 

Here’s a quick recap of each visit, and then some tips for pulling something like this off: 

Visit One: October 2023

I met with first grade and kindergarten all together, with lots of help from teachers. I did a quick presentation about how I get my ideas, read "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat,” and then set the kids loose to color and cut out their own bats from an activity kit Sourcebooks made for the book. 

Then I met with second and third grade. I did the same talk about how to get my ideas, but with these more advanced learners, we embarked upon a yearlong project: making their own books about wildlife (well, this ended up being a book about anything they wanted, but a lot were about wildlife). For their activity, they looked through library books and made lists or mind maps full of ideas.  

Image Source: Tracy C. Gold, Mind Map

Then, teachers collected their brainstorming documents so we could save them for my next visit, which would focus on drafting. (Kudos to Alicia’s organizational scheme that kept track of all of these over the course of the year!)

Visit Two: January 2024          

We crammed a lot more into this visit! I met with fourth graders and talked with them about the drafting process and structure in picture books. Then I read "Hide and Seek, Nuts to Eat,” and asked them to identify which structures I had used. We ended with a freewriting exercise.

I did a similar presentation for second and third grade, but instead of freewriting, we pulled out their ideas for books, and they started drafting a book. I pushed them to add some structure—maybe a plot with a beginning, middle, and end, or for a non-fiction book, perhaps they could chronicle a year in the life of an animal. 

I also did an interview with the school podcast, and talked a little bit about the ecology of bats with the fifth graders who were making the bat boxes. Whew! 

Visit Three: April 2024

The final visit! I had been in touch with Alicia throughout the year, and she confirmed that the bat boxes were well on their way. 

She also sent me a few pieces of student writing to review ahead of time before meeting with a few students in pairs or individually. This was so fun! KSDS has some wonderful budding authors and it was great to hear their excitement. One of them even gave me a book that she had written and self published with her grandfather. Then, I had a quick meetup with some fifth graders. I talked about how I get ideas and shared my newest book, "Call Your Mother.” 

Image Source: Tracy C. Gold, Meeting with Students

After that, I got to see the second and third graders for the third time! They were familiar faces by now, though I admit I didn’t remember names as much as I had hoped to. We talked about revision, and I shared some of the revisions I had done on "Call Your Mother.” Then, it was time for them to revise their wildlife books and start transferring them to cardstock to be stapled into actual books. As we expected, we didn’t have enough time for all of the students to finish. Alicia will be helping students finish during their time in the library.

Last, it was time to install the bat boxes! Facility and maintenance employee Ray helped hang them alongside the community garden. We celebrated the installation with the fifth graders who built the bat box. A photographer from a local paper even came! (To be determined if the photo will run in the news, but thanks to my publicist at Sourcebooks for reaching out to local media!)

Image Source: Tracy C. Gold, Student with Bat Box

Of course, expect the unexpected with school visits—a parent expressed concern that children might end up accidentally handling bats in that spot, so the bat boxes will be moved to a more remote location soon. I’ll keep this in mind for future schools interested in a bat box.

By the end of the residency, I had gotten to know students and staff and felt like part of the KSDS community. I would love to do a yearlong residency with other schools! This was a really special experience. 

If you’re thinking about doing this with a school, here are some tips and lessons learned:

· Alicia Danyali, the school librarian, put in a ton of work to make this happen and to arrange the schedule so that students from as many grades as possible could participate. (Without making my head explode.) She came up with a plan, involved several stakeholders within the school, and did a huge amount of work wrangling schedules. I don’t think this residency would have been possible without Alicia’s hard work. 

· I would probably only try this if you have more than one book published. I’m not sure three visits would have made sense with only one book. It was great to have a different book to share for each visit. 

· Don’t try to cram too much into a day. I was grateful that along the way Alicia sent me a proposed schedule. As excited as I was to meet all the students…I did have to push back and say “let’s spend more time on fewer things,” which, in hindsight was a good call. We ended up fitting most of the schedule into the mornings, because that worked best with everything else going on at the school. I honestly don’t know how teachers manage their fully scheduled days. Sure, it’s partly that I’m meeting all new people in an all new place and trying to bring my max energy, but whew! Respect to teachers! 

· Expect the unexpected. We had a few hiccups along the way but were always able to make the best of them. On my end, whenever I plan a school visit, I block out the whole day on my husband’s schedule so that he knows he’s on the hook for watching our daughter if she can’t go to school. Good thing I did that—for my April visit, my kid’s school was closed due to a water main break. That was a fun email to get in the morning. Because my husband knew I would be unavailable that day, he could take off work without major issues. Funny enough, in the past I’ve also had to reschedule a school visit due to a water main break on their end! What is with these pipes?

I think that’s it! I am happy to answer questions in the comments about the visit and share any advice! 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and insights with us, Tracy! This sounds like such an excellent series of visits for all involved. And yes, props to the school librarian who was with you in this all the way! (And to ALL of the educators who give so much of themselves to young learners each and every day.)

And now, dear readers, you know what to do. The best way to thank an author whose insights have been helpful and/or inspiring to you is to support their work. Buy their books. Request them from your library. Read and share them with others. Tracy's books, including her latest, CALL YOUR MOTHER, are available everywhere books are borrowed and sold, including your own local, indie bookstore. 

Photo Credit: Ruut DeMeo

Tracy C. Gold loves writing about families and nature. She is an author, freelance editor, and mom living in Baltimore, Maryland. Her published and forthcoming picture books include “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby,” “Call Your Mother,” “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat,” and “Hide and Seek, Nuts to Eat.” She also writes short stories, essays, novels, and poems. Her work has been published in several magazines and anthologies. Tracy earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore and earned her B.A. in English from Duke University. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s playing with her kid or hanging out with horses and dogs. You can find out more about Tracy at tracycgold.com, by following her on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram at @tracycgold, or by liking her Facebook page. 

Have Swag Will Travel is an occasional feature of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of multiple picture books including, Lucy's Blooms, Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, and 16 books in the Story Time With Signs & Rhymes series. Dawn is a contributing author to the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud, and a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and educational conferences. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com.  

Birth Stories for Books: TRICK OR TREAT BUGS TO EAT, by Tracy C. Gold

Today I have the pleasure of bringing Tracy C. Gold back to the blog for another interview. Her latest book TRICK OR TREAT, BUGS TO EAT (illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff, Sourcebooks Explore, August 2021) is super fun--and informative! So let's get right to it. 

Dawn Prochovnic: Welcome back to the blog, Tracy. TRICK OR TREAT, BUGS TO EAT is such an awesome title! 

In our earlier interview, you shared a bit about how the idea for this story came to be. Can you recap that a bit here? I’d especially like to hear about the process and timeframe between your initial idea and the story that was formulated fully enough to submit to an editor. 

Tracy C. Gold: My agent Carrie Pestritto suggested that I write a Halloween book, because editors were asking for them. While I was brainstorming, I remembered seeing millions of bats fly out from under Congress Bridge when I was in Austin, Texas for a friend's wedding years ago. 

Images Courtesy Tracy C. Gold

TG: The book took shape as I played with the rhyme and researched bats. I sent the book to Carrie without much revision because I wanted to see if the idea was viable. I just found that early draft, and some of the stanzas were...questionable, haha, so I am glad Carrie didn't say no on principle. Some really bad rhymes were in there, but she liked the idea. I cut probably half of those early stanzas and wrote others, including one I was a little sad about, because Carrie (rightfully) didn't think kids would quite get it...here it is: "Flying ants! Do a dance! I'll have to wear my stretchy pants!" 

DP: Ha!

TG: I sent the book to critique partners, and then worked on it while at an “unworkshop” at Highlights Foundation in October. I find with rhyming picture books I really have to turn off my internal editor and let myself write stanzas that might be "bad" because sometimes if you see them through they turn out to be brilliant, or can be combined with other stanzas, or lead you to even more ideas. In the second draft I sent to Carrie, I actually included two different versions of most of the stanzas, and for one stanza, I included four different versions. Then it's easy not to get emotional about saving one stanza because you have lots of good options. Carrie and I had a lot of back and forth with the book in Google Docs, because sending Word Documents back and forth when you're lasering in on punctuation and a word here and there can be annoying! After oodles of changes, we finally decided it was ready to send out. 

DP: It's so interesting how each manuscript takes shape and evolves over time. That really sounds like a collaborative process. 

When you compare one of your earliest drafts of this story to the version in the published book, what stands out for you in terms of what is most different? Likewise, is there anything in particular that stands out that was included in your earliest drafts and survived the revision process?

TG: Well, for one thing, I added the back matter, which is a few paragraphs about bats, after Carrie and I felt pretty secure that this book would be worth sending out. I think sometimes people spend a lot of time writing back matter when it might be better to completely drop a book and move on to the next one. I also wrote probably 30-40 stanzas before narrowing down the final 11 stanzas that are in the book. Interesting enough, the first and last stanza have stayed the same the whole way through. That is pretty typical for my writing process; I have a good vision for the beginning and the end and figure out the rest later. 

DP: That's interesting to hear. I tackle rhyming stories in much the same way--I would agree that it's the beginnings and endings that anchor my vision for a story and the middle that goes through quite a few renditions.

This book is described as "An adorable rhyming Halloween book with educational nonfiction elements woven in, perfect for classrooms and libraries!” Can you tell us about your research process, and how you decided what nonfiction elements to put into this book and what you decided to leave out?

TG: Sure! I did a lot of research as I wrote and revised, looking at a lot of information widely available online as well as write ups of bat fecal studies (which were paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic at some point during my research). I also reached out to Liz Mering, a friend of mine who had studied bats in her career as an environmentalist. She helped me with fact checking the text and illustrations. The book does take creative license; the bat in the main part of the book is not exactly realistic, while the bats in the back matter are more scientifically accurate (but still altered for cuteness). I spent hours poring over which types of bugs bats ate, and found out that scientists have observed bats eating many types of bugs for sure (like moths), but otherwise gave their best guesses for what bugs bats might eat. Because bats fly at night, it is hard for scientists to observe their diets, thus the fecal studies that are hopefully back underway. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos of bats to give me a sense of how they moved and hunted. 

DP: I love all of the new things we authors learn when we undertake book projects! 

Another of my favorite parts of being an author is connecting with young readers at school, library, and bookstore visits, and I’m always looking for new pro tips.  This is the second book you’ve launched during COVID-related restrictions, and I know from our chats that we share a preference for connecting with readers via more interactive formats. Now that you have plenty of pandemic-era book-launch experience under your belt, what professional advice or suggestions do you have for fellow author/presenters in terms of planning successful (in-person and/or remote) events? 

TG: Personally, I have found that in-person events involving gatherings of children have not been popular. I actually had a reading set up for my neighborhood pool and thought some kids were coming to hear me read, but when I asked them if they wanted to hear a book about bugs, they ran away! After dying of embarrassment, I did end up selling quite a few books that day; the kids were just too preoccupied with the pool to want to sit and hear a book. I am waiting until kids are vaccinated to proactively schedule more in-person events. I've had great luck with more of a "signing" format where I camp out at a bookstore and sign books for kids, parents, and grandparents that happen by. Shout out to The Ivy Bookshop and Bethany Beach Books for hosting me! When I am doing something virtual that is available to the public, I like to try to keep it short and "on demand." I've had a lot of fun teaming up with book reviewers, fellow authors, and even a baby sleep expert to record short videos for Instagram. Those videos can then be reshared and watched indefinitely! 

DP: Love those ideas. Thanks!

Switching gears a bit, I suspect that you have also developed some good insights into the book promotion aspect of children’s book publishing. As you compare and contrast your marketing plans for this new book, what aspects are you intentionally replicating from your first launch, and what aspects are distinctly (and maybe intentionally?) different for this new book? 

TG: "Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat" is so different from "Everyone's Sleepy but the Baby" in so many ways! It is for 4-8 year-olds rather than babies and toddlers, and it is a holiday book, but came out months before the holiday itself. That is actually kind of nice, as I am still setting up promotions and events for October. I am sure there will be a big rush starting soon but for right now it still feels like I have a little time. And because it's a holiday book, I'll be able to circle back and do events for it every year with perhaps a little more timeliness and relevance than for a book without a holiday connection, where the "launch" feels a bit more important. I always try to keep in mind that the royalties I receive per book are very very small, so all of the marketing work I do should be fun, because I may never get that money back or get compensated for my time. 

I know we've chatted a lot about multimedia; I've actually hired Instagrammer @baristart to make and post a video of coffee art based on the cover, and I've hired Instagram celebrity baker @sugarcoatesbakery to make a beautiful cake based on the book. Luckily @sugarcoatesbakery is local to me so I will be able to enjoy eating the cake with my family on Halloween! 

DP: Oh my goodness. What fun, fun, fun! 

TG: I also get a real thrill whenever promotions come through from my publisher that I've had nothing to do with. It's always a fun surprise and they often know about resources that go directly to teachers and libraries, so it is fun to see reviews come through from outlets like "Youth Services Book Review." 

DP: Congrats on the great review!

Do you have anything you’d like to tell us about what you’re currently working on? 

TG: I'm really excited about my 2023 book with Familius, "Call Your Mother." I just worked with editor Stephen Wunderli who is also an author himself on the book and he had some great ideas...we will see how it turns out once an illustrator gets their hands on the book! This book is about all the times a child might need their mother, from the time they are a baby to when they are a parent themselves. In this case I'd had a draft of something about how your relationship with your mom changes once you become a parent yourself sitting on my computer, not shared with anyone, for a long time. Then, Christopher Robbins, the founder and CEO of Familius (yes, that is really his name and he does not live in Pooh's Corner), mentioned they were looking for Mother's Day books. I actually sat down and wrote "Call Your Mother" from scratch and only realized later that I had a very similar book sitting on my computer. I think I had to write that old draft, which wasn't as good, to be ready to write this one. 

DP: What an awesome concept for a book. I can't wait! (And it will be a great companion to my 2024 book with Familius, MAMA'S HOME, about a child's joy welcoming mama and a new sibling home.)

Thanks so much for sharing your Birth Story for TRICK OR TREAT, BUGS TO EAT  with us, Tracy! 

And now, dear readers, you know the drill. The best way to thank Tracy for sharing her time and expertise with us is to support her work. TRICK OR TREAT, BUGS TO EAT is available everywhere books are sold (but you know by now, I'm partial to the indies!) 

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Tracy C. Gold loves bringing characters to life. She is a writer, freelance editor, and mom living in Baltimore, Maryland. She has published two picture books, “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” from Familius and “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat” from Sourcebooks, with more to come. She also writes short stories, essays, novels, and poems. Her work has been published in several magazines and anthologies. Tracy earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore and earned her B.A. in English from Duke University. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s playing with her toddler, or hanging out with her horse and dog, both rescues. You can find out more about Tracy at tracycgold.com, by following her on Twitter and Instagram at @tracycgold, or by liking her Facebook page. 

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Birth Stories for Books is an occasional feature of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of multiple picture books including, Lucy's Blooms, Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, and 16 books in the Story Time With Signs & Rhymes series. Dawn is a contributing author to the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud, and a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and educational conferences. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com.  

Birth Stories for Books: EVERYONE'S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY, by Tracy C. Gold

Hello readers! Get yourself a cuppa, and settle in for a bit, because it's time for another Birth Stories for Books post, and today's interview with fellow author, Tracy C. Gold, is loaded with helpful info.

Let's get right to it:

Dawn Prochovnic: I’m so glad to have you on the blog, Tracy, and I’m really looking forward to your forthcoming book, EVERYONE’S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY (illustrated by Adèle Dafflon Familius, April, 2021). The cover art is absolutely adorable. 

I’d love to hear how the idea for this story came to be. Reading the title, and knowing that you have a daughter, I’m guessing this story draws on personal experience. True?

Tracy C. Gold: Absolutely! I first had the idea for this book when my daughter was a few months old. Everyone in my household—including the dog—was completely exhausted, but my baby would just not fall asleep. My daughter is almost three now and we still have the same problem! One day I know she’ll be an adult who loves a good afternoon nap but has to work and she’ll regret not napping all those times she had a chance as a child!

DP: My kids (both now in college) were not sleepers when they were little, either. They DEFINITELY know how to nap, now! 

I’d like to hear about the process and timeframe between your initial idea and the story that was formulated fully enough to submit to an editor.

TG: Looking back, I actually wrote the complete draft of this book on my phone! (The book is very short.) I’m not actually sure on the timeframe because my memory is telling me it took a few months, but all the dates on my computer/phone notes are from one day, June 25th, 2019. In my first note, I wrote this one stanza: 

“Sleepy mommy 

Sleepy daddy

Sleepy little dog 

Everyone’s sleepy 

Except for baby

Yawn yawn yawn.”

For my next version, I wrote five more stanzas and used “but the baby” instead of “except,” because it sounds better. From there, I created a word doc and did something I would never advise other writers to do…sent it out to a few publishers! I then immediately panicked and thought I’d completely embarrassed myself, so I reached out to a few freelance editors. This was one of the first picture books I’d ever written and I hadn’t gotten many (any?) critiques on my picture books. One of the freelance editors told me not to pay her to work on the book because it would never sell. She didn’t think a book marketed for parents rather than babies would work. My heart sank. I had made a fool of myself after all! Then…another editor wrote back and said not to pay her to work on the book because it was perfect as is! What?! I am so glad that my publisher, Familius, agreed with the second editor! Literally days after I heard from her, they wrote me and said they were interested in publishing the book. It was only 7 days from my submission to my initial offer from them. I was floored! Familius has a line of board books just right for something short and sweet like this. Of course it wasn’t “perfect” as is—I did make changes before publication—but that whole story just goes to show how subjective the publishing world is. I wrote more about the journey to publication here.

DP: That's a great (enviable!) path to publication story! And yes, this business is very subjective. I'm so glad you submitted to just the right publisher for this book!

When you compare one of your earliest drafts of this story to the version in the published book, what stands out for you in terms of what is most different? Likewise, is there anything in particular that stands out that was included in your earliest drafts and survived the revision process?

TG: Considering that the draft I sent to Familius was only 89 words, not including the title, a lot about the book changed as I worked with my editor from Familius, Laurie Duersch. I just counted and was shocked to find I only changed 7 words, but those seven words added more rhyme to the book, so it’s almost fully rhyming. With just those few words, I also added a whole “zoo theme” to the nursery setting, which looks so cute in the illustrations! I also reordered many of the different stanzas. Laurie and I went back and forth a bit on whether rhymes were close enough, but it was an extremely smooth process!

DP: In my experience, even seemingly small changes that a skilled editor brings to a book makes such a significant difference--even when a manuscript has been critiqued a multitude of times! I think the editorial process is somewhat cosmic in that way. 

Reflecting on the journey from idea to published book, is there any one moment along the way that you credit with opening the door for this particular story to find its way to publication? 

TG: I have to go back to before I even had this idea and thank Kathy MacMillan, the co-Regional Advisor of my region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Back in probably 2017 or 2018, when in-person conferences were still a thing, Kathy chatted with me about how much she loved her picture book publisher, Familius. She’s published 3 books with them and has more on the way. I didn’t mention Kathy’s name when I wrote to Familius, because I sent the book on such a whim. However, I never would have even known about Familius if it weren’t for Kathy.

DP: And now we enter the "It's a small (kidlit) world" part of our interview: Kathy is one of my favorite people that I've not yet met! She and I both teach sign language workshops, we both have books that incorporate American Sign Language, we both love libraries, and we've each contributed guest posts/interviews for each other's blogs. How great that Kathy's casual, positive mention of her publisher planted a seed that came to fruition for you!

You have another book that also launches in 2021: TRICK OR TREAT BUGS TO EAT (illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff, Sourcebooks). What a FUN title! When you compare the path to publication for these two books,  what are some of the key similarities and differences in terms of the publication journeys for each?

TG: It's so different! Jennifer Rees, the same freelance editor who loved SLEEPY, suggested that I look into getting an agent for my picture books. I had been querying agents with my YA novels for years with no success so Jennifer’s comment gave me some much needed confidence to try again with picture books. In the past, I had interned for Carrie Pestritto, so I wrote to her to let her know about my book deal and sent her a few of my other book ideas. I knew she didn’t represent a lot of picture books, so I was mostly writing to ask if she had any agents to recommend or refer me to. But she offered to represent me herself! I was thrilled to accept. We sent a few books on submission without success. Then, she suggested that I write a Halloween book, because editors were asking for them. I adore bats, so I came up with the idea for Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat, and revised the book, along with some others, while at an “unworkshop” at Highlights Foundation in October. Carrie sent the book on submission after that, but it didn’t sell until March 2020, right as the world was shutting down due to Covid. It was definitely a whirlwind! I would say “Trick or Treat” was a more collaborative process, as I worked on revising it with Carrie and critique partners before we sent it to editors. Sourcebooks is a much larger publisher than Familius and publishes more books with non-fiction angles, so it was great for a fun book with bat facts. I expect I’ll see more similarities and differences along the way. One similarity is that it has been amazing to see illustrations for both of these books! 

DP: Yes! Seeing an illustrator's interpretation of my words is one of my favorite aspects of writing picture books! (And how wonderful that a past internship opened the door for your agent to represent you.)

In addition to authoring books, raising your daughter, walking your rescue dog, and riding your former race horse, (!) you taught an online course this past fall, and you also have a freelance editing service. How do you balance the time between your different book projects and the different aspects of the publishing business alongside an active personal life?

TG: Well, my house is an absolute disaster on the best of days . . . I’m really not kidding. For me the only way to keep all of those balls in the air is to forget about anything that’s not important and/or urgent. Laundry, picking up toys, and vacuuming often fall into the “not important and/or urgent” category and I’m not afraid to admit that! I am lucky to have a lot of help—my husband is very engaged, we had a wonderful au pair for almost two years, my daughter is now at an outdoor preschool, and my mother helps out a lot too. With Covid that has all been up in the air a bit. My daughter’s preschool recently had to close to wait for one of her classmates to get Covid test results, so I am writing this Q and A thanks to Daniel Tiger. 

DP: Hooray for Daniel Tiger...but Ugh! Yes, Covid has impacted so many things. I will say I've definitely vacuumed less since March, given that we've not done any indoor entertaining. Maybe I'll need to maintain my dust bunny indifference post Covid!

Your bio indicates that in addition to your forthcoming board book and picture book, you have also published in magazines and anthologies. I have always wondered how it is that someone’s work gets selected for an anthology, and I’d love if you could shed some light on that experience.

TG: Three out of the four anthologies I’m in were simply “word of mouth”—writer friends posted or emailed about the opportunities, I submitted, and I was lucky enough to be accepted! Covid or not, we’re really lucky to live in a world where it’s so easy to connect to other writers via Twitter and Facebook. I made great friends via the #pitchwars and https://writingchallenge.org hashtags! For the fourth, and most of the magazines, I found out about that opportunity via a website called Duotrope which keeps a database of publication opportunities. If you write and submit a lot of short stories, poems, or essays, I’d definitely recommend subscribing to Duotrope.

DP: Great tips and resources, Tracy! Thank you so much! 

I know from your social media accounts that you have a robust pre-order campaign for your book, and you publish an occasional newsletter for your readers, both of which I’m sure also takes a fair amount of time to keep up with. For those of us who might be pondering if it’s worthwhile to engage in this type of outreach, what are the pluses and minuses of these types of reader outreach, from your perspective? 

TG: Ask me again after both books are published! My goal is to get to about 300 preorders, and I’m only at 40 so far, but I have a lot more planned to spread the word. My newsletter is about 100 subscribers so far and I generally use it for updates and news only. I round up whatever I’ve already put out in the world and send it in my newsletter, so I’m not creating much original content for the newsletter, which makes it take less time. I’m planning on offering coloring pages and other newsletter exclusives to build my audience there soon.

DP: That's super helpful info, Tracy. Thanks! 

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your pre-published self? Or, said another way, what do you know now, that you wished you would have known a bit earlier?

TG: I would have told my pre-published self to start writing picture books earlier! Of course, I don’t think I would have been able to write them as well if I hadn’t read ten million with my daughter first. I think in general writers shouldn’t say “I don’t write XYZ genre” because you never know until you try! I also would have told myself to hang in there—after all the rejections, good news was on the way! It is really hard to keep going after getting literally hundreds of rejections, spread out over many different writing projects, and I’m so glad I did.

DP: I'm so glad you hung in there, too, Tracy! And, it's my hope that fellow creatives in the midst of rejection will be inspired to hang in there, too, after reading this! 

Do you have anything you’d like to tell us about what you’re currently working on? 

TG: My long-term career goal is to write books for every age of kid, from picture books to middle grade to young adult. Right now I’m working on a few more “fun twist on non-fiction” picture books. Mainly, though, I’m working on a young adult historical novel about a ship of Jewish refugees turned away from the US, Cuba, and Canada in 1939. This book feels very relevant amidst ongoing refugee crises and ties into my own Jewish heritage. I’ve been working on this book for years, so if it eventually gets published, it will have a very different birth story than my “accepted in a week” first picture book!

DP: Wow! That's an ambitious goal! I look forward to hearing more about your YA historical novel. It sounds very timely, indeed. (My late father-in-law was a Holocaust survivor and a Jewish immigrant. I recently had the amazing opportunity to share his life story with a local musical duo, who turned his story into a song.)

Thank you so much for sharing your Birth Story for EVERYONE’S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY  with us, Tracy. I've learned so much from you--and I've really enjoyed getting to know you!

Friends: Let's help Tracy reach her preorder goal. Her books are available everywhere books are sold (and you can get the details about her preorder promotion, here.)

And, if you'd like to WIN a copy of EVERYONE'S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY (or a picture book critique), follow both Dawn and Tracy on Twitter (@TracyCGold and @dawnprochovnic) and reply to one of our tweets with the blog post tagging a friend before 11:59pm EST on March 1st (U.S. addresses only.) 

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Tracy C. Gold loves bringing characters to life. She is a writer, freelance editor, and mom living in Baltimore, Maryland. She has two picture books forthcoming in 2021, “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” from Familius in April and “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat” from Sourcebooks in August. She also writes short stories, essays, novels, and poems. Her work has been published in several magazines and anthologies. Tracy earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore and earned her B.A. in English from Duke University. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s playing with her toddler, or hanging out with her horse and dog, both rescues. You can find out more about Tracy at tracycgold.com or by following her on Twitter or Instagram @tracycgold.

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Birth Stories for Books is an occasional feature of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of multiple picture books including, Lucy's Blooms (Spring '21), Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, and 16 books in the Story Time With Signs & Rhymes series. Dawn is a contributing author to the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud, and a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and educational conferences. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com.