I’ve been thinking a great deal about promotional items for
authors as I’ve recently signed up to appear at two multi-author signings. This
raises two questions: ‘What do readers expect in the way of ‘author swag/freebies’
when attending such events?’ and ‘Which items will hit home with them?’
Whenever I’ve given a talk to a group, presented a workshop,
or attended a local literary festival, I have always provided bookmarks,
postcards and ‘signed by the author’ stickers to grace the cover of any book
sold.
But are these the best promotional items and do they garner any sales?
And how many of them end up in the bin.
Unless you have a proven sales record and are a
multi-publisher author earning big money like James Patterson or J K Rowling, most
publishers no longer provide a budget for such items; in fact, all promotion is
often down to the author.
Paper promotional items are relatively inexpensive form of
swag. So how do you go about providing the perfect bookmark or postcard?
Anyone with access to a computer and printer can produce a
bookmark; but bookmarks that say everything about you as an author and your
novel. These need to look professional if they are to connect with the reader
and seduce them into buying your book. So don’t use a stock image, use the
cover of your book, tagline and website address.
Most likely you will wish to hire a designer, but don’t
panic, you’re not going to have to pay huge agency fees. A quick search of the Internet
reveals many sites and graphic artists offering such services, but before you
sign up or part with your hard earned cash, ask to see samples of their work.
I recall the first writer’s conference I attended in America
some years ago. The conference bag was crammed full of bookmarks and postcards.
Did any of them fly home with me? Only those for novels I was interested in
reading. The rest ended up in the bin.
Paper is cheap and ‘everybody’ uses it. So if I can consign
fellow author’s bookmarks and postcards to the dustbin, what chance do my own
paper promotional items have of making it home with a reader?
These days however, it seems that anything goes when it
comes to author swag/freebies, especially at conferences and large events such
as the Romance Writers of America annual conference.
- ·
Pens
- ·
Mugs
- ·
Key Rings
- ·
T-Shirts
- ·
Tote bags
- ·
Coasters
- ·
Fridge Magnets
- ·
Notepads
- ·
Computer Mouse Mats
- ·
Chocolate
- ·
Lip Balm
- ·
Small bottles of hand cream/sanitizer
- ·
Badges
The list is almost endless.
While there is no doubt some of the items on the above list are useful,
(especially tote bags for all those books your reader buys) but do they really
say anything about YOUR book?
All these items cost money, and when the average author
earns around £11,000 annually, finding something that readers will think is
clever, and which entices them dig into their wallet to purchase your book, are
difficult. Setting a budget for such
items is essential, as no author would wish to spend more than they are likely
to earn in sales at such an event.
So, not only does my promotional item have to be unique and
say something about my book, it has to be relatively inexpensive and useful. Before
you empty your savings account and splash out on 250 T-shirts, pens and mugs
etc, (remember, the more you buy the cheaper the individual cost per item), work
out who your audience will be and where you are going to use your promotional
items.
Rather than just handing out postcards at my next signing
event, I am going to place a sticker on the back of some with the message
‘Email me and request a free copy.’ It will be interesting to see how many
requests I receive.
In the meantime, I would love to know what other authors
provide by the way of swag/freebies. What do you use as give-aways? How have
they supported your sales?
