Marketing and Mayhem!

  I have been thinking and working on new ideas for marketing 'Tween novels. They don't fit into marketing the way you'd do for YA novels. One huge reason is that 'tweens rarely shop alone or for themselves. They still go through their parents for much of everything they want or need.

I have found that book events are a great resource. In that moment you have the parent and the 'tween in front of you. You can sell the parent on the 'age friendly' content and you can sell the reader on the story. But there are only so many of these things that I can attend and keep my writing schedule and bank account intact.

So I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with new ideas. The standard ways of reaching out don't work so well for my audience. First they are technically too young for Facebook but we know some of them are there). Second, they text tons, but Twitter...not so much. Blogs and websites are okay, but how do you actively reach out to that age group without running the risk of being categorized as some kind of perv.

I am totally aware that the best way is word-of-mouth, but getting past the initial roadblocks takes some doing. So I'm watching kids in the mall, surfing YouTube, pouring through magazines, and talking to anyone that lets me--searching out new avenues of contact. Any ideas?