Tonya Duncan Ellis's Blog, page 4
March 15, 2023
Tonya Duncan Ellis HarperCollins Book Deal!
I have a new book coming out next year that will be published by a Big 5 publishing house! I’m thrilled to finally announce my book deal with Balzer+Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins, for my upcoming picture book, THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM. Scheduled to release in 2024, the book tells the story of Houston’s Emancipation Park, site of the first Juneteenth celebration.
This is truly a project of my heart, and I’m so thankful to my agent, Sara Megibow of KT Literary, for believing in me and helping me partner with my amazing editor, Jordan Brown, and talented illustrator, Jenin Mohammed. I am over-the-moon excited and can’t wait to share more details in coming months!
Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join my email list for a FREE gift! HERE
The post Tonya Duncan Ellis HarperCollins Book Deal! appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
February 14, 2023
My SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference Experience
The call came in early fall. Laurie Miller, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator’s (SCBWI) Manager of Events and Special Projects, invited me to lead a marketing intensive at their 2023 Winter Conference. I would teach two, two-and-half hour marketing classes for authors.
“Sign me up!” I said, doing a happy dance as I clicked off the Zoom meeting.
Things got even better when I learned that Jane Friedman, a publishing industry guru I’ve followed for years, would be teaching a segment on author websites as part of the marketing intensive.
Five months later, I was on a plane headed to New York City for the organization’s first in-person conference in three years. I give most of my talks to children at school visits, so I felt a little nervous, but I was excited to share marketing tips I’ve learned through my experiences in self-publishing and studies as an MBA graduate.
At the registration desk I was excited to run into author friends, who I’d only interacted with virtually.
Author Nadia Salomon
My agent sister, Robin Pizzo. The evening before the conference officially started, my literary agent, Sara Megibow of KT Literary, treated me and some of her other clients to a delicious dinner at a nearby Asian restaurant. It was great to socialize with other creatives.
Fun dinner with literary agent sara megibow and clients. The next morning, the conference kicked off with a bang with an incredible keynote by Marlee Frazee, award-winning author of the movie-adapted picture book, The Boss Baby. Most of us were in tears as Frazee poignantly touched on how she weaves her personal experiences into her stories to make them more impactful.
“It’s what’s personal and specific to us that resonates with other people,” she said.
Once Frazee wrapped up, we were released to begin the intensives, and I headed to the breakout room for my class. Every chair was filled in the medium-sized room, and the students were eager to get information on marketing their books. It was fun sharing my knowledge and learning from the class as they participated in the discussions.
In the afternoon, Jane Friedman gave a great talk on web design that reminded me of updates and enhancements I need to make on my own website. That evening there were fun socials where were offered drinks and light bites as we networked.
Awards were announced on Sunday, and a panel of agents gave their take on the state of publishing. Afterwards, I hosted my final session, focused on social media marketing.
My group was very engaged and added plenty of thoughtful insights during the presentation. At the end, we created a Google docs form so that we could follow each other and stay in touch.
I skipped the afternoon session and keynote to eat and rest a bit before the closing book signing activity, where I chatted with other featured authors and attendees who’d bought my book.
author kristen kiesling. 
author winsome bingham.
author alexandra penfold.SCBWI’s 2023 Winter Conference was an exhilarating whirlwind that ended all too soon. I would definitely return to a national SCBWI event, even if I’m not a featured speaker. The learnings and connections made are invaluable, and it was a great experience I’ll never forget!
Tonya Duncan Ellis Tonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post My SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference Experience appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
November 28, 2022
Sophie Washington Cyber Monday Sale
On Cyber Monday, November 28, 2022 through December 2, 2022 all Sophie Washington print books are 20% off at my website www.tonyaduncanellis.com!! Use the coupon code “cyber” to take advantage of the savings. Grab your holiday reads and stocking stuffers today. Happy Shopping!!
Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post Sophie Washington Cyber Monday Sale appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
November 15, 2022
Texas Book Festival 2022: Making Memories
The Texas Book Festival holds special memories for me. My first time there as an exhibitor in 2018 I made tons of librarian and teacher contacts, getting my Sophie Washington series books into the hands of children across the county. During my second visit in 2019, famed children’s author Kwame Alexander, stopped by my booth on his way to give a speech, bought some books, and later gave me a shoutout during his presentation that had me sold out by the afternoon.
After being away due to the pandemic it was great to head to Austin, TX for another stint as an exhibitor this fall. On the three hour drive from Houston, I enjoyed the sights, after the sun rose, and stopped at Buc-ees travel center (a Texas institution) to gas up and get snacks.
Once I arrived at the festival site, near the Texas State Capital, I felt the excitement in the air as vendors prepared for thousands of book enthusiasts to arrive. It was the perfect day for a book festival with sunny skies and a cool, comfortable temperature.
Book lovers came out in droves. I was on my feet and talking from the time the festival opened, and things got so busy by afternoon that I barely had time to eat. It was wonderful to meet readers and see their excitement about books. People enjoyed being out in the community. It was great to be back! I hope to return to this festival again in the future.
2022 Texas Book Festival
Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post Texas Book Festival 2022: Making Memories appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
November 9, 2022
Tonya Duncan Ellis at SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference in New York!
I’m teaching marketing for authors at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) national conference in New York City! The event takes places February 10-12, 2023 at New York Midtown Hilton Hotel.
Market Your Way to Success: Build Your Own Bestselling Book Marketing Plan is the title of the intensive that will help you develop marketing strategies to move the needle on your book sales. I’ll teach two, two-and-a-half hour courses on developing your own marketing plan and social media marketing for authors. As part of the intensive, book publishing guru Jane Friedman will teach the basics of creating an author website.
This is the first in-person SCBWI Winter Conference since the beginning of the pandemic, and there are wonderful writing craft intensives and book critique and networking opportunities in addition to the marketing intensives.
Get registration information for the SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference HERE. And if you can’t swing the in-person event there’s a virtual option HERE.
Hope to see you in the Big Apple!
Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis holds an MBA degree with a marketing concentration from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a 2022 SCBWI Book Launch Marketing Award Winner. Author of the independently published 13-book Sophie Washington series, her books have generated over 150,000 sales and downloads and over 4,500 reviews. She is member of the Highlights Foundation/The Brown Bookshelf sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort and winner of the Austin SCBWI 2021 Cynthia Leitich Smith writing mentor award. Tonya lives in Houston, Texas and is represented by Sara Megibow of KT Literary.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post Tonya Duncan Ellis at SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference in New York! appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
November 2, 2022
Fun at the 2022 Louisville Book Festival
The first in-person Louisville Book Festival was an wonderful celebration of reading! Over one hundred selected authors and readers from across the nation gathered for the two-day literary gathering at the beautiful Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Louisville Free Public Library and Jefferson County Public Schools gave away hundreds of books to student groups. I was born and raised in Louisville, and it was exciting to see my entire Sophie Washington book series included in my hometown library system. I enjoyed seeing old author friends and meeting new ones.
Author Friend Brittany J. Thurman
It’s a thrill to see my books in my hometown library system.Panels of experts discussed various topics on writing, publishing, and book marketing. I had a great interview discussing my books and author journey with Perks of Being a Book Lover podcast.
Visitors left with bags of books and goodies and memories to last a lifetime. Wish they had events like this when I was growing up! Kudos to organizer Make-A-Way Media for pulling together this amazing event!
Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post Fun at the 2022 Louisville Book Festival appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
September 26, 2022
My Week at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center
From the time I saw pictures of the beautiful, Highlights Foundation Retreat Center online I’ve dreamed of visiting the campus. A year prior I’d done a virtual Highlights summer camp, where I upleveled my writing craft and made invaluable connections, so I knew that the experience would be even more impactful on-site.
The Amplify Black Stories inaugural cohort group I’m part of announced its reunion at Highlights, and I signed up immediately for the chance to meet authors I’ve interacted with online for the past year in-person and to stay at the retreat center. I was thrilled when Highlights invited me to come up a few days before my reunion to facilitate at a “Begin Your Chapter Book Series,” course. This allowed me to spend seven days in this magical place.
As soon as I was picked up from the airport by the Highlights shuttle driver, I felt pampered. During the drive he gave me a history of Honesdale, PA, where Highlights headquarters is located and the holiday tune, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, was written. After we pulled up to the Highlights Retreat Center sign, I thought about how much I looked forward to receiving Highlights magazine in the mail as a child and how it fostered my love of reading. Never would I imagine that I’d get a chance to work on my own writing in this historic place!
Nestled in the Pennsylvania, Poconos mountains, the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center is like Disney World for writers. There is the perfect balance of solitude, peer interactions, and space to create. I loved hiking on the trails, breathing the fresh, fragrant air, spotting deer, rabbits and other wildlife and eating mouthwatering meals in this idyllic setting.
Visitors stay in quaint cabins, a lodge, or the Myers family farmhouse. Some cabins are dedicated to specific writers and have their complete works inside the cabin. I was assigned a cabin in honor of Author Jim Giblin. The cozy house overlooked a beautiful field of wildflowers and a hiking trail. A couple of mornings I glanced out my window as I was writing to spot deer and rabbits scampering by. There were comfy rocking chairs on my porch to write or take in the view. At night, the sky was filled with stars.
I was also excited to tour a cabin dedicated to famed author/illustrator, Floyd Cooper, who wrote some of my favorite picture books.
There are areas all around the campus to relax, write, and reflect. One nook overlooking a stream includes chairs under a canopy of trees. There is a neat Word Garden with rocks that have inspiring words carved on them. There is also a fun “Art Coop” building with craft supplies, where I spent time painting one afternoon.
Though I was brought on to work at the first camp I participated in, I also sat in on sessions and soaked up valuable information to help me improve my current work-in-progress. I learned even more at my reunion retreat later in the week, where we discussed business-related and mindset issues in addition to writing craft topics. It was great to share with other writers who “get” my struggles and challenges as a creative and to support each other. I also had a good time playing “fan-girl,” getting signed books and interacting with admired authors and mentors.
The food at Highlights is amazing. Chefs prepare three, fresh meals a day, and there is a happy hour with tasty appetizers each evening, and after dinner, fireside, s’mores. All the food is farm fresh, and there were unique menus for all three meals the entire time I was there. Snacks, water and soft drinks, and ice cream are available all day. Before I left, I begged the Highlights chef and kitchen staff to consider selling a cookbook! The staffers are committed to making sure guests are comfortable and relaxed to get the most out of the experience.
enjoying after dinner s’mores.
I would highly recommend that any writer looking to improve their craft and network or needing a tranquil place to focus attend an on-site Highlights Foundation retreat if they get the chance. I’ll forever cherish my time there and look forward to returning.
Amplify Black Stories inaugural cohortTonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post My Week at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
September 4, 2022
Sophie Washington Books Now At Blue Willow Bookshop
Sophie Washington books are now available in-store at Houston’s Blue Willow Bookshop! It’s always exciting to see my books out in my community, and I was honored to find copies of Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach and Sophie Washington: Lemonade Day during a visit to one of the city’s favorite indie bookstores.
If you’re in the area, please stop by Blue Willow Bookshop to check out great new reads and update your Sophie Washington series collection!
[image error]Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post Sophie Washington Books Now At Blue Willow Bookshop appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
August 10, 2022
What You Need to Start Your Email List
Email lists are invaluable to your business. They are a direct link to followers and fans that you own, unlike social media. And with a 21% average open rate, email is one of the best ways to reach potential customers.
Here’s what you need to get your email list started:
1. Target audience. Figure out who you want to reach.
2. Website (include a signup page and pop-ups ).
3. Email provider. Mailchimp is a free option
4. A free giveaway offer to encourage signups (coloring pages, tip sheets, ebooks, course, etc.)
5. Social media posts/ads to attract online signups.
6. Signup sheets or electronic tablet signups at live events. Consider giving away a small trinket or swag for signups.
Good luck!
Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post What You Need to Start Your Email List appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
August 1, 2022
Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach Review Tour
SOPHIE WASHINGTON: TREASURE BEACH is going on a review tour August 4-25! Bloggers will post reviews throughout the month on various websites. Follow along to get information about the book and be entered for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Thanks to those who have already posted reviews for the book. They mean so much. Hope to see you on the tour!
August 4: Gina Rae Mitchell
August 4: Andi’s Middle Grade & Chapter Books
August 11: Kit ‘N Kabookle
August 11: Fabulous and Brunette
August 18: Our Town Book Reviews
August 18: Sandra’s Book Club
August 25: Locks, Hooks and Books
August 25: The Reading Addict
August 25: Novels Alive
Tonya Duncan EllisTonya Duncan Ellis is author of the bestselling, award winning Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, Black Creators in KidLit and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation Sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort.
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
Like Us on Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks
Follow Us on Twitter: @tonyaDEllis
Follow Us on Instagram: @tonyaellisbooks
Join Sophie’s Club for a FREE ebook! HERE
The post Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach Review Tour appeared first on Tonya Duncan Ellis.
