Sheila met Jim Mockford at a Willamette Writers’ virtual coffee morning, and was fascinated by all the ways he was planning to advertise his book, so she and Jean invited him to speak to us and were delighted when he accepted. We were even more delighted when he joined our group as a new member a few months back!

What prompted him to write this book?

Jim started writing The Kite that Touched the Sky when his first two grandchildren were born, continents apart—one in China and on in the US. He wanted to create a bilingual picture book involving his grandchildren and kites. His daughter Jenny Famer is the co-author.

As Jim reminded us, there was once “pingpong diplomacy” between our two countries, back in the seventies. In the eighties, “kite diplomacy” began, and Jim won a truly amazing dragon kite trophy at the 1987 Weifang International Kite Festival in Weifang, China. He’s also been involved in the World Kite Festival at Long Beach WA (the longest beach in the world). As Jim worked on his book, displaying and engaging in readings from a preview copy, his Chinese contacts results in an invitation to visit Wuhan… just before Covid. The visit, of course, was cancelled. But the book release continued.

How did he decide to self-publish the book?

Jim’s daughter was interested in business, so after meeting people at a Willamette Writers Conference, Jim decided to self-publish with help and support from Luminare Press: https://www.luminarepress.com/ Conferences are a great way to meet people, find out what has worked for other people, and get suggestions and contact information.

The book is published by Kumquat Kids Productions: https://kumquatkids.com/.

How did he find an illustrator?

Theresa Johnson illustrated childrens picture books about Rojo the Llama, and… well, a dragon-kite in the air is not so different from an animal on the ground. If you go to Theresa’s website, https://theresajohnson.com/, you’ll not only see the sort of books she’s worked on, but also learn about concepts such as character design, storyboard art, and more.

How does translation work in a bilingual book?

The initial translation into Chinese was done in the US by Willow Zheng. Jim’s Chinese daughter-in-law, Lynn Xiaoyu Wang Mockford, then made revisions based on how the language would play to young listeners. If you’re looking for serious translation, you should start with a translation of the text, then “test” your translation on your intended audience.

Also, a bilingual book might be used for ESL education, so Jim used used https://lexile.com/  to check on the reading level of the English text.

How did he make the cover?

The “preview copy” had a cover, but the final cover uses different fonts for the Chinese text. Fonts matter!

How did he advertise the book before its release?

• Jim (and family) gave readings from the “preview version” of the book and translation from 2018-2019, making appropriate changes over time. These would happen at:
  • Libraries
  • Chinese immersion classes in elementary schools
  • Locations related to the book (such as the Kite Festival)
• Jim set up social media accounts, which provide a way to connect with people who have similar interests – children, picture books, China, dragon-kites etc, not just with fellow writers, and gave him a good place to advertise his book:
  • Facebook – Kumquat Kids Productions page on Mockford link to book groupsFacebook
  • Instagram – Kumquat Kids  Productions page on Instagram
  • Twitter–Kumquat Kids Productions Twitter account
  • Linkedin – Jim Mockford https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmockford/ (and yes, LinkedIn does have children’s groups!)
• And he set up his website with the help of Waterlink in Portland, https://waterlinkweb.com/. He’s got a very cool logo there, and logos definitely help.

The book launch was scheduled for 2020, with release parties at the Willamette Writers Conference and the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators https://oregon.scbwi.org/). Of course, Covid turned the conferences into virtual events.

How do you do a reading (or virtual reading) for children?

Props help. The story is about a baby seeing a kite on the ceiling of his room and wanting to reach it. Then he sees dragon kites and wants to fly them. Then he visits Portland… In reading to children, Jim uses a model kite to attract their attention. And in readings for larger groups, where he’ll read to the children and interact with the adults afterward. His website includes coloring projects for kids, which would keep them occupied while he talks to the parents.

Where would you do a reading?

Having real locations in the storybook helps with community engagement, as do real-world details. For example:

• the arrival in Portland includes an image with the PDX carpet
• Kite-flying includes the World Kite Festival in Long Beach, WA
• Chinese language offers the chance to speak at Chinese immersion programs such as the one at Woodstock Elementary.
• The Chinese Garden
• Chinese museums

How did he plan to market and advertise the book before Covid?

• SCBWI 2020 – plan for announcement at Summer Spectacular
• Willamette Writers – Member News
• Kiting Magazine – World Kite Museum and American Kite Association, WFGKC “5 Kite Stories from 2020”
• Chinese Language Schools – International School, Woodstock Elementary, Chinese Language Teachers Assoc. OR
• Orion Mandarin Authors and Illustrators Book Fair – California
• China related organizations: Lansu Chinese Garden, Portland-Suzhou Sister City Association, S Northwest China Council Chinese New Year 2021 Door Prize,  Portland Chinatown Museum Winter Book and Art Bazaar
• Independent Publishing Resource Center – Zine
• Independent Bookstores – Dicken’s Children’s Books Vancouver WA –closed. Powells PDX Airport store closed-
• Local – Green Bean, Broadway, Annie Bloom’s, Powell’s online, etc.
• Libraries: Words & Pictures Festival Fort Vancouver Regional Library, Multnomah County Library
• AMAZON – Review, Other online stories such as AbeBooks, Alibris, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Goodreads,etc.

How does he market now, with Covid lock-downs?

Jim uses his website and blog, posting lots of pictures.

• Starting from pictures of Jim holding his book in different locations, he goes on to:
• Holding the book in front of local bookstores, with info on how to order it locally to support struggling businesses (sadly, some of those stores have gone out of business)
• Holding the book in specific locations related to the book
• Letting a statue hold the book for “book sightings”
• Fastening a mask on the book, for a “book unmasking”

He wanted to sell through local bookstores first, but was frequently asked “is your book on Amazon.” Although local stores won’t buy if you publish through Amazon (he published through IngramSpark https://www.ingramspark.com/) they do like to see an author page and book reviews, which are easiest to get through Amazon.

Various community organizations are hosting virtual events too:

• Northwest China Council  https://nwchina.org/
• Portland Chinatown Museum  https://www.portlandchinatownmuseum.org/
• Lansu Chinese Garden https://lansugarden.org/
• Multnomah County Library It’s Storytime  https://multcolib.org/its-storytime
• Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – Oregon  https://oregon.scbwi.org/
• Willamette Writer’s  https://willamettewriters.org/
• World Kite Museum http://www.worldkitemuseum.com/

Plus, his website offers a place to “meet” him and his book. There’s a QR code on the back of the book which takes readers to his website. And on Instagram he advertises with an Instagram square.

Thank you Jim, for a really entertaining and informative session.