10 Tips for creating classroom resources to promote your novel.

Have you written a novel for kids or teens?

One way to reach your audience is through schools--lots of kids there!

How can you get your book into the classroom? One way is to offer author talks at your local schools--you can speak about the novel and offer a few fun activities for the kids. Another way is to create classroom resources that teachers can download from your website.

That's what I've been busy doing and I have a whole worksheet booklet prepared for download:

Click on the image to open the PDF

If you want to create classroom resources for your book, here's a few tips:

1. Make it a PDF, it'll be easier to share and download. I use Adobe InDesign for mine.
2. Include images. Straight out text can seem dry and boring. You want it look life fun! I mostly use Shutterstock for images, they've a huge range and they're cheap.
3. Check curriculum and syllabus requirements on the Education Department's website. I aim at years 6-7 English (novel studies, genre study and themes), but if you have a historical novel you might find it fits in History studies.
4. Include activities that enable students to explore their own opinion on topics. Don't just have questions where the answer is right or wrong. Allowing children to reflect on their own experiences and express their ideas is just as valuable, if not more, than testing information retention.
5. Relate to a variety of subjects. I include creative writing, essay, craft, art, puzzles, poetry and genre study in mine. This means teachers can choose to use your worksheets any time through out the school year.
6. Include games. I have doubts that a wordsearch really tests any skill. You don't even have to know how to spell to find the word. BUT kids enjoy solving these and they're easy to create. Just Google 'create your own word search puzzle'. You could include mazes, or crossword puzzles or anything that adds a bit of fun to your worksheets.
7. Promote your website. Every page should show your web address, or some way for potential readers to find your books. I list my www.charmaineclancy.com address on every page.
8. Prepare for sales. If a teacher loves your resources and wants to acquire a class set, are you ready with information on price (class sets can be up to 30 books, and budgets are usually tight). Can you offer a discount? How will you handle distribution?
9. Don't make it all about your novel. What? Isn't that the idea? No. It's not. You're offering a resource to enhance the education of children. My novel is a humorous horror for kids, so I include exercises on the horror genre that do not mention my book. Your web details will still be available on the sheet.
10. Create a link to your PDF on your website/blog. On Wordpress you can insert the PDF right onto your blog (I created a Wordpress page to host mine). There may be a widget for Blogger, or you could use Google Docs or Scribd. Place a link in your navigation bar. Make it easy to find!