Back-to-school season is one of the busiest—and most competitive—times of year for children’s book buying. I’m experiencing it firsthand as I get my own kids ready for their very first year of Pre-K. Whether you’re promoting a read-aloud picture book or required high school reading, here are some of the best ways AdBiblio can help you reach back-to-school shoppers at every age.
Pre-K, Kindergarten, & Elementary
Picture books are one of our most popular campaign types, and we’re almost always running several at once. Here are just a few of the ways we can help you reach back-to-school shoppers for your youngest readers. Along with parents and grandparents of young children, we can also reach K-12 English & Reading teachers (New!), homeschooling families, and librarians who are:
- reading Pre-K and/or Kindergarten content – New!
- seeking SEL resources – New!
- classic and nostalgic children’s lit fans – New!
- interested in STEM education and resources
- seeking children’s educational resources
- seeking special education resources
- back-to-school shopping
- interested in autism and autism resources, etc.
We can also reach book buyers interested in beloved picture book authors like Jacqueline Woodson, Derrick Barnes, Audrey Penn, Drew Daywalt, Eric Carle, Mo Willems, Julia Donaldson, Mac Barnett, and more.
Middle Grade
Middle grade books are another one of our specialties. Whether you’re promoting classroom favorites, STEM-focused titles, or middle school book club picks, we can help you reach the readers and the adults buying books for them. Beyond parents of tweens, grandparents, and middle grade teachers, we can also target interests like:
- children’s science and engineering kits – New!
- topics such as poverty, homelessness, wealth inequality, and social welfare programs, etc. – New!
- adventure and fantasy books
- STEM education
- fans of popular middle grade books and series
- graphic novels and comics
- manga and anime
- Japanese media / Studio Ghibli
- youth sports like basketball, soccer, and cheerleading
- environmental education, etc.
Gaming, in particular, has become one of our most effective targeting strategies for engaging middle grade book buyers. As comics, manga, and graphic novels continue to grow in popularity—especially among reluctant readers—we’ve found that gaming audiences often overlap with book audiences. Beyond audiences like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox players, we can also reach RPG gamers, tabletop gaming enthusiasts, Twitch streamers, video game influencers and their followers, and other highly engaged gaming communities.
High School
Teens are discovering books from more places than ever—from BookTok and streaming adaptations to fandom communities and vibe reading. In addition to young adult readers and book buyers, we can reach parents of teens, high school teachers, guidance counselors, and librarians who are:
- highly engaged BookTok readers – New!
- fans of YA dramas – New!
- fans of YA fantasy movies – New!
- planning for college
- fans of YA TV shows
- Goodreads users
- YA book influencers and followers
- fans of book-to-screen adaptations
- legends, mythology, folklore and fairytale readers
- fantasy / romantasy book influencers and followers, etc.
Keywords are another effective way to connect with teen back-to-school shoppers. Teachers and librarians searching for classroom titles often use different terms than parents do — think required reading list for high school, AP English reading list, novels with discussion questions for students, and YA books with teaching guides. Beyond author names and comparable titles, we can target readers engaging with this type of content, along with other seasonal interests that naturally spike as students head back to school.
Ready to get your books noticed by back-to-school shoppers? You can reach me at marybeth@adbiblio.com!
