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Author Nora Nickum (over 3k followers on Twitter) is based in Bainbridge Island, WA, just outside of Seattle and currently works at the Seattle Aquarium as an ocean policy manager; she previously was a consultant project manager for the Governor's Orca Task Force, and this expertise led her to write Otto and the Flying Orca.
Illustrator Bao Luu is based in Houston, TX, although born and raised in Vietname; he has over 10k followers on Instagram and previously illustrated Where Thuong Keeps Love (sold almost 3k).
Will appeal to West Coast tourism market (all states visited by orcas, including AK, WA, OR, CA), educational/library children's market, and general picture book market?comp titles about orcas are strong sellers; specialty markets include aquariums and whale/marine conservation organizations.
Backmatter includes details on the real seaplane that inspired this story, information about orcas and how they feed, and resources on how we can help orcas.
Gift market/bookstore pairings could include orca stuffed animals, orca/ocean-themed coloring/activity books, and other marine-related sidelines.
Will cross-promote with other ocean-themed WMP children's books: The Sea Hides a Seahorse, Catastrophe by the Sea.
Book guide TK
Leveling TK
About the author
Nora Nickum is a children's book author, ocean policy
manager at the Seattle Aquarium, and former consultant project manager for the
Governor's Orca Task Force. She lives in Washington.
Summary
Inspired by a
real commercial seaplane in the Pacific Northwest, Otto and the Flying
Orca is a sweet tale of unlikely friendship and finding acceptance.
Otto the little orca
whale is excited to make a new friend in the sky: a flying whale named Zoom!
But when Otto tells his family about Zoom, they don’t understand why he would
want to be friends with someone so different. Zoom doesn’t look like a real
orca, and he doesn’t sound like one either. As salmon become scarcer, though,
Zoom’s friendship might just be what Otto and his family need.
Including fun facts about
orcas and the real-life seaplane that inspired Zoom, Otto and the
Flying Orca captures the curiosity and joy of unexpected friendships.
Foreword
AWARDS: submit widely to children’s picture book awards, PNBA/regional awards
ADVERTISING: boosted social posts/AMS awards, considering regional PNBA advertising
EVENTS: local author events in Seattle, WA with bookstores, libraries; partnerships with Seattle Aquarium
REVIEWS: byline, review, Q&A/interview outreach to children’s book media, including blogs, podcasts, bookstagrammers/booktok/booktube, national trade media, regional media
ONLINE: full social media campaign utilizing illustrations from the book; outreach to bookstagrammers
PROMOTION: DRC via Edelweiss and hard copy ARC available; outreach via author/illustrator’s networks/socials/websites; giveaways via Goodreads, LibraryThing
TRADESHOWS: giveaways/features at ALA, PNBA
