QR Code for Children’s Books

Using a QR code for books? QR codes have been around for a long time, but up until now, haven’t really been used to their full potential – at least not by us authors. 

Some swear by them, others think they’re not worth it. Those that believe the latter often haven’t yet discovered and explored its incredible versatility. So today, I’d like you to keep an open mind, as there are so many fun and creative ways we can use these codes in and for our children’s books. And best of all, it’s absolutely FREE.

In this article, I will share the following:

• What a QR Code is
• The many fabulous places QR Codes can be displayed and shared
• All the great things we can use these QR Codes for
• How to create your own (With step-by-step videos)
• And how to add your fun personality to your QR Code

So let’s dive right in!

What is a QR Code & why are they FANTASTIC?

First, let’s look at what QR codes are. QR code stands for Quick Response code, and is a type of barcode that has been around since 1994. This barcode is an optical, machine-readable label that contains information about the item to which it is attached. 

What caused me to reconsider using QR codes is that with a smartphone, we no longer need to download a separate app to read a QR code. Now, the code can be read by a smartphone’s regular camera. And that change is HUGE.

Oftentimes, our website’s domain is too long, or is difficult to spell. And our book’s Amazon link has lots of numbers in them. And that’s where QR codes can be so helpful. Because in places where we can’t share a clickable link, QR codes provide an easy way to access a website more quickly than by manually entering a URL. 

Where can QR Codes be displayed and shared?

Because QR codes help others to access our information more easily without having to type in or remember a URL, there are so many different places where we can use such a code.

Here are a few examples that I’ve used QR codes for:

1. QR Codes for Books: Inside my Children’s Books

If you’ve read my How To Self-Publish a Children’s Book, then you might know that I always like to display and share some of my other written work at the end of each children’s book.

Whether or not you share covers of other books you’ve written, this is a wonderful opportunity to share the link to your website.

And if you don’t plan on including such a page, you can add a QR code that leads to your website below your Author Bio section.

2. Marketing Materials: Table Runner

I created this table runner a few years ago. It’s something I place atop a dark tablecloth whenever I’m attending events where I’m sharing and selling my children’s books. 

This one right here I designed using Canva, and then ordered it on Vistaprint. Vistaprint also offers a great number of banner options.

3. Marketing Materials: Business Cards

Business cards are the PERFECT place to add a QR code to! This card right here I, again, created a few years ago. It holds the logo, my tagline, and my contact info in the front. And the QR code is placed on the back. 

Here, the QR code is especially useful, because my URL is just soooooooooo long. 

Just like the table runner, I used Canva to design it, and then ordered it on Vistaprint.

4. Marketing Materials: Stickers

Stickers are a great place for QR codes as well! Because having them as stickers, you can then literally stick them anywhere, such as on envelopes, your laptop, or even on packaging.

I always have a number of stickers on hand in multiple sizes, the smallest ones around 1.5 inches, and the largest around 3 inches. 

For the stickers, I like using Moo, because they let you upload as many different designs to your order as you want. So instead of having to order all your stickers with just one single design, you can add 5 or 6 or however many different designs you want.

And here are some other creative ideas you can add your QR code to:

• Bookmarks
• Flyers
• Banners
• Envelopes
• Anywhere else where we can’t add a clickable link

What can we use QR Codes for?

Now that we know where QR codes could be displayed and shared, let’s look at what we can actually use them for. That is, what information could we be sharing with them?

Here, again, I’ve tried to come up with a few different ideas. These are actual, working QR codes, so feel free to scan them to see where they go to and what information they are sharing.

I’ve divided my ideas into two categories: (1) DIRECT LINKS, where the QR code takes us to a direct URL, and (2) OTHER LINKS, where the QR code will display additional information. 

You can view them and experiment around by using the left and right arrows.

1. DIRECT LINKS:

All these are pretty straight forward. I love having these available, since they are the ones I use most often, especially the QR code with the Direct Review Link, that allows you to direct your readers directly to your book’s review page on Amazon. To see how you can create a direct review link to your own book, be sure to read my Amazon Sales Page article. 

If you have a book series, having a QR code that leads to Amazon’s sales page is so helpful as well, because it allows you to share all the books that are part of this series. Alternatively, you can also create a code for your Amazon Author Page, which will hold ALL your books, not just those that belong to one and the same series. 

Here are a number of additional ideas on how you can use a QR code for books:

• Amazon sales page
• Giveaway page
• Optin page (like a Newsletter or Launch Team signup page)
• Paypal Me link

2. OTHER LINKS:

Besides leading to specific websites, we can also use QR codes for a variety of other things. Here are a few that I’ve been playing around with. Feel free to check those out as well by using the left and right arrows.

I love using the email option, because this will automatically open a new email message in your preferred email provider, with the TO and SUBJECT lines already filled in for you. You can also set it up so that the first sentence of your email is already pre-loaded. That’s what I did with my email QR code above. 

The provided Contact Info for Smartphones is one of my favorite options! This one, I keep on my phone as my profile picture in my contacts. And whenever I want to share my info with someone, all I have to do is let them scan my QR code, and all my contact information automatically creates a new contact on their phone. 

If you have a number of different links you would like to share in one single place, you can use something like Linktree. Once you’ve added all your links to it (like your social media links, and perhaps even your Amazon book link), you can then create a QR code to your Linktree page.

And if you have your very own website, you can also simply skip using a service like Linktree and create such a page on your own website. That’s what I did and it works really well. You can see how I’m using it by scanning the Multiple Links in One Place QR code above.

How to create your own QR Codes for Books

QR codes are so very versatile. And to be honest, I had so much fun creating them. So if you too are looking to create one of these codes yourself, here are all the how-to steps and the FREE resources I’ve been using.

STEP 1: Creating your QR Code for Books

To create your own QR code, I use a QR code generator. There are many different options available, and the two I prefer using are these right here:

• QR-Code-Generator
• Kindlepreneur QR-Code-Generator 

When To Use Which Generator

I use the first QR-Code-Generator when I’m just looking to create a non-branded QR code, or when I want my QR code to automatically open someone’s email provider with my email address already pre-generated so they can email me quickly and easily.

With this generator, the trick is not to sign in or sign up when using it! That way, you will be able to use any of the codes you’re creating for free, without them expiring. There are additional features that come with the paid version, like extra design features, extra customization options, and editable and trackable functionalities. So if these things are important to you, feel free to sign up for the paid version. Otherwise, simply follow these steps I share with you in this video right here:

If, on the other, hand I want to add my logo to my QR code, I love using the Kindlepreneur QR-Code-Generator. It’s absolutely free and was specifically created with authors in mind. 

STEP 2: Branding & Personalizing your QR Code

As you can see above, most of my QR codes are branded. One of the reasons I personalize each is to be able to tell them apart. And not many people do so, so this is yet another way to set yourself apart from the crowd. 

If you decided to go with the paid version of the QR Code Generator in Step 1, you will be able to personalize your code there. However, if you’ve been using the free version like I did, you can create a branded QR code using the Kindlepreneur QR-Code Generator. 

Here is what the tool looks like:

And that, my friend, is how to create different QR codes for your children’s book that you can either use in the book itself, or on any of your marketing materials. 

Here are a couple of Best Practices, to make sure you’re getting the most and best out of your own QR codes for books:

BEST PRACTICES:

• Always check your code before using it on any of your marketing materials. With the free version, you won’t be able to make any changes to your code once it’s been downloaded, so you don’t want to purchase all your marketing materials only to find out that the code isn’t working properly.
• Remember that not everyone has a smartphone. So be sure to still add your actual URL wherever you’re sharing your QR code, just in case.
• If you’re using multiple different QR codes, make sure you’re naming your files properly, so you always know which one is which, especially if you’re not personalizing or branding them like I showed you above in VIDEO 02.

Now it’s your turn!! I can’t wait to hear what other ideas you come up with. 

And if you haven’t yet, it would mean so much to me if you would take one single minute to leave a heartfelt review for my How To Self-Publish A Children’s Book. Every review counts so, so much. And by using this QR code right here, this will also give you a great opportunity to check out your camera’s scanning capabilities on your phone… Thank you so much!

Have a beautiful remaining day, my sweet friend!

~ Eevi

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