We were recently invited to be speakers at an author workshop sponsored by Toastmasters, Write Here, Right Now

At the workshop, we told the story of why we started our “Bash and Lucy” books about six years ago: We were trying to overcome grief over the death of our golden retriever, Lucy. We decided to write a book, Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence, that showed how dogs can help kids feel more confident, featuring, of course, Lucy.

Since then, we have written three “Bash and Lucy” books and produced three audiobooks featuring the voices of Michael, his friends and his family members.

Since we began that journey, we have appeared on the Today Show, on AM Northwest, in the Oregonian, in Disney’s Babble and other media outlets. The writers at the author workshop asked about our PR strategy.

Rather than submitting our book to book editors and requesting reviews, we sent out press releases that invited editors to do feature stories about our efforts. The first story, a half-page spread in the living section of the Oregonian, focused on writing through grief.  A few months later, Michael was featured on the Today Show for his love of reading and YouTube book reviews. At the time, Michael, age 5, reviewed only dog books. We’ve expanded that effort with the Roving Reader Leaders, a group of Kidlit lovers who meet to talk about books, do book reviews and also interview authors. The Roving Reader Leaders were featured in a fun article by the Beaverton Valley Times. Michael and another reader also appeared live on Portland Today to discuss their love of reading.

We also talked about the importance of partnering with organizations that provide a public service. At our book release parties, we raise money for the Oregon Humane Society. We also work with Skype in the classroom, teaching kids how to write and publish books. You can find learn more about our Skype lessons here.

Blogging, YouTube videos and utilizing social media are also part of our marketing efforts. We also try to appear in person as often as possible. In November, we’ll be selling books and audiobooks at Michael’s school’s Entrepreneur Fair.

Meanwhile, we’re excited to be working on our fourth book and audiobook.

We enjoyed meeting the aspiring authors at the Write Here, Right Now event and are happy to visit with writers and students. Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com

And don’t forget to watch our book trailer, created by an award-winning teen videographer when Michael was five and Hudson was a puppy: