Creative Mind Podcast Episode 27: Hannah Moushabeck Markets Books for Kids

February 12, 2021

On this episode of Creative Mind, we talk with book marketer Hannah Moushabeck. She is a first-generation Palestinian American and a second-generation book nerd.

Born into Interlink Publishing, a family-run publishing company, Hannah learned the value of literature at a young age.

“Books can be such an incredible way to help children along the way, and it’s such a quieter and healthier way than television or movies where commercial gains is much more prominent in that industry as opposed to books, which has a more of a noble quest.”
Hannah Moushabeck.

A 2020 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree, and current member of the executive board of the Boston Teen Author Festival, Hannah has also worked editing and marketing children’s books for Chronicle Books, Interlink Publishing, and The Quarto Group. With that background Hannah brings a wealth of knowledge to one of the most important steps in the world of books, getting books into the hands of readers.

“Marketing children’s books gets a little bit more complex, if I can say that, than adult books, mostly because you can’t market directly to children, it’s actually illegal. So, you really have to look at who is the purchaser of that book and who are the gatekeepers in a child’s life.”

Hannah points out that she works to develop relationships with those who are the people in a child’s life that are there to guide their education. “I actually think that what makes it really special and really fun because the gatekeepers in kids’ lives are like the best people in the world. They’re librarians and they’re teachers and they’re booksellers, so my job is a lot of talking to other adults who are very passionate about children’s books, which is so fun.”

Books are Guiding Hand to Life’s Different Phases

Hannah’s specialty is books that focus on diversity and exploring the issues that children deal with every day, books more in the non-fiction section but still highly enjoyable and beautifully presented. A sample of the books she works with include This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on how to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewel and illustrated by Aurelia Durand, Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders and illustrated by Carol Rossetti, and An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing and illustrated by Paulina Morgan.

Hannah points out, “There are books that will help us at different hard times in our development. I remember my first bodies book that I got when I was a kid. I remember when my parents went through a divorce and I got a book about divorce and it really helped me through that time.” Books, as we know are there to help as much as entertain.

In regards to marketing in the time of COVID, Hannah and others are developing new ideas from online meetings and conferences, to virtual playdates and sing-a-longs. She points out that while the goal is to sell books it is still about how you market, especially when children and parents are involved. “When marketing to children ever, it’s important to be conscious of the information that you’re putting out there, post with intention, create content that is going to be valuable in some way.”