Most authors will agree that the creative part of the job is where we excel, the business and marketing side, slightly less. It’s lovely when the two can meet in the form of SWAG – Shit We All Generate. I’ve invited some published authors to share with us their secret to swag… little freebies that can sell a book longer after the author is no longer standing in front of a prospective reader. In order to create great swag, you have to be crafty – in more ways than one.

Today’s guest for the SWAG is Azzura Nox. Cut Here, her debut paranormal urban fantasy was inspired by a nightmare. Some of her favourite authors include Anne Rice, Oscar Wilde, Chuck Palahniuk, and Isabella Santacroce.

Finding something that represents your book and hasn’t been played out by a million authors before is difficult. What’s your swag?

I get creative when there are giveaways. I'll have limited edition one of a kind SWAG that is limited to only THAT book. Like when I had skull crocheted scarves for the launch of My American Nightmare. But usually, I find that bookmarks, postcards, or business cards are effective in getting the word out too.

How much money per piece did your swag cost out of pocket?

Nowadays getting things printed isn't so costly, especially if you use sites like Vistaprint who are always running promotions.

Do you find that swag helps you stand out at an event? (or) Does your swag draw people to your table at an event or conference?

When my first Women in Horror Anthology, My American Nightmare released, one of the authors from the anthology participated in a Halloween Con and I had a lot of different SWAG prepared to promote the release of the book. I had T-Shirts, bookmarks, candies, and posters. By far the candy and bookmarks were the most popular of the SWAG and what ended up selling out.

What do you think of big item swag pieces versus cheaper, yet more easily discarded swag like bookmarks?

I would say it's safe to invest in one or two bigger pieces so you can use for promotions or giveaways, but think that ultimately bookmarks or postcards are the quickest way to get your book noticed. Ultimately, you're trying to promote your book and have your book sell so the focus should always be the book. Bigger pieces are just perks, but I wouldn't advise going bankrupt trying to buy a ton of expensive swag.

What’s the most clever / best swag by another author?

I like it when authors have swag that pertains to the book within the story. Such as Erin Stewart who had wing pendants for her book launch of Scars Like Wings. The symbol of wings was very pertinent to her novel and so it was a clever way of promoting.

And the biggest question – do you think swag helps sell books?

Honestly? Good writing sells books, but awesome swag can help in getting the word out. But at the end of the day having a cool shirt and bad writing won't make your book sales rise. So it's best to invest in making your work the best it can be and cool swag is just the icing on the cake, but not pertinent to a book's success.