Where do you go for your Children's books and what influences your purchases?

[RoosRainbowAdventures]

I'm a relatively new Children's picture book author/illustrator and I'd like to try and understand more about marketing my books to the right people.

What are the places you go to for your Children's books - Do you buy from Amazon or other online stores? Do you prefer using a local bookshop? Do you ever buy Children's ebooks?

What influences your choice? Do you just search a specific age range/topic/price? Do you look at reviews on pages like Goodreads?

I am self-published and so any feedback here would be really helpful. Thank you!

I wish I did use bookshops, but for ease and cost we tend to buy on Amazon or at the supermarkets to take advantage of the cheaper deals. I buy so many books, I can't afford bookshop prices. I do visit The Works a lot too, to take advantage of the 10 for £10 offers, but obviously those don't tend to be new releases. It's often where I pick up books for school though, finding titles in the deal which I know are good as we already have them at home.

My biggest influence, as a parent and teacher, is familiar authors and online recommendations. If I'm familiar with an author's work, I'll follow them on Amazon and social media to get early info on their new releases. I will often pre-order, if I trust the author. I'm a member of some teaching FB groups centred around reading for pleasure, so will often see new releases recommended on there too. I've been influenced into buying work by unfamiliar authors, if I think it sounds good. This has included some self-published authors who have either advertised their own work on there, or have been recommended by someone. Definitely get posting on FB groups to get your work out there.

The last few kids books I have bought (bar a couple that were regarding a specific topic) have been self published authors selling on tiktok actually.

As a teacher:
I use a lot of social media for recommendations there are some amazing book reviewers.They often link to Amazon but if possible I will use my own (Irish) bookshops but usually online for ease . If not available I will use Amazon . It's not that I don't want to use Amazon but I like supporting local
As a parent:
Bookshops all the way . I want my children to look at the cover,the blurb and pick books that way. One is still at the picture book phase and one if novels. I find the cover influences my 10 yo dd hugely to pick up the book initially. She has met some authors of her favorite books and this is a huge incentive to buying the next book. If a local bookshop could put your book on a read of a week stand it could do very well.
Going to buy books is a treat and they often get book tokens for birthdays.

I have used Goodreads to read more about a book I see online .
I don't use ebooks for my kids (even though I am only a Kindle user myself) just because I like the idea of a physical book that they pass onto friends .
Again I'm in Ireland but do your teacher unions /organizations have magazines, I recently ordered a self published book from an author that was reviewed in the magazine. A beautiful picture book that I have gone on to recommend to people.
Best of luck.

Never bought ebooks for kids, would always buy books, use numerous places, Amazon if I’m looking for a specific book as usually cheaper, book shops for browsing and looking for something new as you can see the actual book, places like the works for bulk buying, for example the hairy mclarey books, where else realistically can you get 10 of them for £10, I’ll always look at new authors works but that is definitely where the bookshops come in

Actually, after reading other people's replies I feel compelled to add that I do love looking at books in bookshops, and it definitely does influence me if I come across a book I like the look of, as it's nice to be able to properly flick though. I'm ashamed to say that I'm likely to go away and order it on Amazon though. I just can't justify paying, say, £7.99 when Amazon are asking for £5. I buy so many books and it all adds up.

For DS11 buying specific books is mostly through Amazon as it’s cheaper and more convenient although if we’re heading to a supermarket anyway, we will always browse the books there.

We do tend to go to our nearest big town though once every school holidays and have a browse and a buy in Waterstones then sit in the cafe with a cake and have a read.

For deciding what to buy its normally by looking at the front cover and back cover synopsis or it’s by an author he’s already reading so for example Rick riordan does Percy Jackson and many others so he’ll get different series. If there’s an author he doesn’t like after one book it tends to put him off any other book by that author.

I also do get toppsta and good reads emails so I check those for anything I think he might like then add to my Amazon basket and we’ll review it every so often.

These are all really helpful - if allowed, would anyone be able to point me to the right FB groups? TIA

I’ve always bought from charity shops because of price. They always have a really good selection for most age groups.

For anything special, I go to Waterstones.

I flick through and skim the story, which is just as important as lovely illustrations.

The main ones I use are 'Reading for Pleasure in schools' and 'The Reading Realm - For parents and teachers who love children's books'.

I buy most books through Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks and World of Books... because we do not have a local bookshop anymore! The only books sold in town are on tables in the supermarkets, or sometimes in charity shops.

If I am in a place with a bookshop, then I will peruse the shelves for hours!