When I published my first children’s book, I set myself the goal of getting 100 Amazon reviews within 5 days of my launch date. Would I be able to do this all by myself? Almost certainly not. Did I do it? You bet I did.
But before I get ahead of myself, let’s rewind a few years.
A message for my kids
When I was growing up, I struggled with making mistakes — and I know my kids do, too. I remember when my daughter was making a birthday card for one of her older cousins. She made a mistake writing one of the letters in “Happy Birthday” and was immediately overcome by anger and tears.
Although I stepped in and reminded her that it’s okay to make mistakes and we can always try again, my daughter still gets overwhelmed by her emotions from time to time. To help both my kids overcome perfectionism, I decided to write a picture book that would teach them the value of learning from their mistakes.
A magical but relatable protagonist
Thus, Scribbaloo was born: a magical creature on Color Island whose drawings spring to life. Scribbaloo is child-like and full of creativity, with big dreams but also big emotions. I chose the name “Scribbaloo” because he is a character who scribbles in frustration after making mistakes, which is what my children and many other children experience when drawing or coloring.
One day, in a fit of rage, Scribbaloo accidentally creates the Color Cruncher, a monster who starts gobbling up the rainbow and turning everything gray. Scribbaloo must learn not to give up and to overcome setbacks as he embarks on a mission to find the Golden Crayon and defeat the Color Cruncher.
Color for Color Island
I had a story; now I needed pictures. I didn’t have an exact image of what the characters and environment should look like, but a book set on Color Island naturally called for bold illustrations. While browsing profiles on Reedsy, Tadgh Bentley’s beautiful and adventurous portfolio spoke to me.
As both an illustrator and a picture book author himself, Tadgh had plenty of expert advice and tips, but he always let me have the final say. He asked me several questions to clarify my vision for the characters, while also adding his own whimsical touch.
I told Tadgh I wanted Scribbaloo to be a small, child-like creature who loved to draw but was anxious about making mistakes. Tadgh sent me several variations of his character sketches, and then I chose the one I liked best.
For the Color Cruncher, it was a similar process. I had envisioned him as being a giant clump of scribbles, and later decided he needed googly eyes to appear a bit less scary for kids.
Email, Facebook, and Amazon
Tadgh’s illustrations were beautiful and I now had something worth buying — but I needed to actually sell it, and that would take a lot of work.
Online resources and Facebook groups for authors taught me the importance of leveraging reviews as social proof on Amazon, especially within the first 30 days of launching a book. I chose to set a goal of 100 Amazon reviews in 5 days because I wanted to challenge myself — and I knew that even if I fell short, I would still have a good amount of reviews to help launch my book successfully.
But I didn’t wait until my launch date to work towards my goal. A full two months in advance, I created an author website and mailing list on MailerLite. I offered everyone who signed up a free digital flipbook copy of Scribbaloo and encouraged my subscribers to leave an Amazon review on the book’s launch date — although I made it clear it wasn’t mandatory. I even sent out instructions on how to post an Amazon review in case readers hadn’t written one before.
Setting up the mailing list was easy; the real challenge was finding strangers to sign up to it (family and friends can’t leave an Amazon review). I shared the sign-up link in various Facebook groups for authors, ARC readers, homeschool parents, and even my local community.
A little help from my friends
This worked to an extent, but three days after my launch date, I only had 45 reviews. That’s when I realized that even if they couldn’t leave reviews themselves, I could leverage my personal network to find more strangers. I reached out to all my Facebook friends who had heart reacted to a personal post announcing that I was officially becoming a published author, and asked them to pass on this message to their friends and neighbors with kids:
One of my friends just published a new children's book. You can get the free e-book here (insert link to the free e-book) until (insert date here). If you enjoy it, please consider leaving an honest review to support their book launch this week, but it’s totally optional and not required to enjoy the free e-book.
This tactic worked even better and pushed me past the 100 mark on day 5. The reviews on Amazon and from independent critics have been overwhelmingly positive, showing that my story has struck a chord with parents and children.
This engaging tale not only captivates with its whimsical drawings but also imparts valuable lessons about embracing imperfections and finding creativity in unexpected setbacks.
~ Carol Thompson, Readers’ Favorite
This book was a hit with all three of my kids! … It’s not only adorable, but it also teaches kids how to bounce back from failure and navigate tough emotions. Such a meaningful and helpful addition to our bookshelf!
~ Ciara Watkins, Amazon
It’s pretty hard to get 60 third-graders to settle down and listen two days before school is out but this book did the trick! The storyline is fun and silly with a heartfelt lesson that every kid needs to hear.
~ Anonymous Amazon user
I’m delighted to see my book fulfilling its purpose — and I hope to write many more Scribbaloo adventures with Tadgh. With the existing fan base I’ve curated, I might hit 100 reviews even faster next time!
