We recently connected with John Butler and have shared our conversation below.

John, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The mission of Chase Books is to provide children with stories and free, family-friendly events that feature African-American characters and authors. Chase Books began as a way to solve a very personal problem. I needed to purchase a gift for a family member, and the book store that I went to did not have any children’s books that featured African-American characters. I used my passion for writing to help solve the problem.

Six published books later, Chase Books has grown to an organization that not only introduces children to stories with diverse characters, but also encourages representation for the next generation of young authors. Early in this journey, a child asked me during storytime, “Why are the characters in the book Black?” I explained to him that the characters are Black because they look like him, they look like me and so many other people who read books. The young boy replied, “I didn’t know you could do that.” It is that conversation that drives my work each and every day.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Chase Books utilizes the published work from our series of children’s books to provide storytime and writing workshops for elementary and middle school students. Our youth activities focus on Social and Emotional Learning to ensure that each student understands that their unique stories, ideas and overall well-being are valued and appreciated. Titles like Chase Learns to Share, Chase & the Case of the Missing Jersey and Sage Does It All reinforce themes like overcoming obstacles, handling stress and creating positive words of affirmation. Through this work, we are helping schools and libraries grow the literacy skills of the communities that they serve.

At the core of our business, we are focused on ensuring that young people have the literacy skills required to be successful in this world. We approach learning in a way that excites young people to discover new skills and challenge themselves to become stronger readers.

What sets us apart from other organizations doing similar work is our ability to connect to both the children and families that we serve. As a North Philadelphia native, I recognize the effects that illiteracy has on urban communities. 50% of adults in the city of Philadelphia are considered functionally illiterate. 65% of fourth graders in this city are reading below grade level in our city. So when we work with organizations like the Baltimore City Public School District, the Free Library of San Diego or Barbershop Books, we understand the impact that access to diverse stories can have on a community. In order to combat these staggering statistics, we must meet children where they are and make reading as interesting as all of the other things that are grabbing their attention. Something as simple as including the names of local pizza shops in a story, or incorporating a favorite sports team in conversations with young people grasps their attention and provides a meaningful opportunity to be a partner in their growth. We are proud of the smiles on children’s faces when they are holding up their copies of books from the Chase series right next to the stories that they have written on their own.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Several times throughout the year, we host free, family-friendly events that focus on reading. Our biggest event is the annual Chase Books Father’s Day Read-a-Thon. During this event, each child in attendance receives free books, lunch and an opportunity to meet local authors. This event is all about giving back to the community that consistently supports our work. We are connecting families to resources that are available to them throughout the year. We are taking the extra step to promote diverse childhood literacy by sharing the spotlight with other local authors and illustrators. As a result, potential clients recognize just how passionate we are about educating and serving young people and their families. Consistently hosting these community events for seven consecutive years proves to potential clients and customers our commitment to our mission.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Our most effective strategy for growing clientele has been connecting with administrators and educators at community events. These individuals see the quality of the Chase Books series and a light bulb goes off as to how they can implement our work into the curriculum at their schools and libraries. Being able to connect with people and follow up with detailed marketing materials has been a game changer in our ability to secure larger clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ChaseBooks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_chasebooks/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-butler-iii/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjMjm4BRDTULBPQ1Oxh3laQ