The Power of Proof Drops

A powerful method of raising awareness of books before publication

Last week, the very lovely Summer Lanchester (Campaigns Executive at Little Tiger) and I zipped across London to visit bookshops to hand-deliver proof copies of Yomi and the Fury of Ninki Nanka.

Proof Drops are when proof copies of the book - also known as an ARCs (advanced reader copy) - are dropped off at bookshops for booksellers to read before the book is out. These drops are designed to get your book into the important and essential hands of booksellers who are instrumental in their roles of getting books into the hands of readers.

However, before I get into more details of my own proof drop, I would like to present my reaction to when I saw the proofs of Yomi for the first time!

Davina Tijani @davinatijani

🌟ARC UNBOXING!!!!!!🌟 So happy to have the proofs of YOMI AND THE FURY OF NINKI NANKA in my hands!!! Thank you to @nocturnalreader, @ADougieBag, @Mattie2507, @KarelleT and the rest of the Little Tiger Team for making this happen Pre-order here: linktr.ee/davinatijani 🐉🐉🐉

Starting around 10 in the morning and armed with loads of chocolates and copies of Yomi, we went across London to different bookshops, speaking with booksellers, talking about Yomi and taking loads of photos of our day. A copy of photos of the day are below.

Little Tiger Books @LittleTigerUK

YOMI PROOFS ARE HERE! What a lovely day out and about with @davinatijani visiting London bookshops - next stop @bouncemarketing conference! 📚📚

It was an exciting day, something I've been looking forward to since I signed my deal with Little Tiger. I got to talk about a book which is so important to me, not only is it my debut but it channels one of my greatest loves: Mythology. I got to meet so many friendly booksellers across the city whilst also visiting some bookshops I hadn't been to before, such as Hatchards (Piccadilly) and Waterstones Finchley Road O2 Centre. All together, we visited 10 bookshops:

1. Waterstones Kensington High Street

2. Foyles (Charing Cross)

3. Waterstones Westfield (Shepherd’s Bush)

4. Waterstones Finchley Road O2 Centre

5. Daunt Books (Marylebone)

6. Waterstones (Piccadilly)

7. Hatchards (Piccadilly)

8. Waterstones Covent Garden

9. Waterstones Tottenham Court Road

10. Waterstones Trafalgar Square

Click below for a video summary of the day.

littletigerbooks

A post shared by Little Tiger Children’s Books (@littletigerbooks)

A huge thank you to Summer for being a great guide, mentor and companion over the day.

If you are an author with a book coming out, I encourage you to organise with your publisher to go on a proof tour, big or small. It is a fantastic way to create connections and spread awareness about your book. I plan to visit more in London and out of London which I will share more about on social media, please follow me there to see more about that.

---

You can order your copy of Yomi and the Fury of Ninka Nanka here