Every conference I've ever been to involves the "swag bag." Literally. It's a tote (with author / store / publishing house names printed all over it) that's jam-packed with business cards, bookmarks, postcards, pens, keychains, band-aid dispensers (yes), mints with personalized wrapping, and any other thing the author / pub house could think of to get the average person's attention.
And when it's all in a big fat pile like that, you learn fast what works and what doesn't. Poor quality printing and pixelated jpegs stand out like a sixth finger when we all know there's only supposed to be five.
Yes, business cards are fast, easy and cheap. Yes, pretty much everyone has them. So why do they continue to prevail? Exactly because they are fast, easy and cheap. When I want to direct someone to my blog do I want to just say the name of my blog and hope they remember it? Or take out a pen and scribble the name of my blog on a napkin and hope that 1) my writing is legible and 2) they don't mistake it for trash and throw it away later?
No, I really don't want to do that.
I want to hand them my card with the site on it and my other pertinent social media contacts (Twitter, Facebook, etc). Later they can find the site, bookmark it (or hey - follow me!) and then toss the card. Not a loss to me - I spent .08 on it and I already got my return if they visited the site. And if they couldn't give less of a crap about me or my blog? They throw it away, and that's .08 I'll never see again. Not a huge loss.
Big swag items are fun - printed shirts, hats, totes, teddy bears, underwear (you know I want that for Writer,Writer Pants on Fire, right?), but in the end they're serving the same purpose as the card - drawing attention to me or my blog. And after the person has gone to the blog, they might be thinking, "Well, that's great and all, but now I've got this shirt / hat / underwear I'm never going to wear again..." Yet because they've met you, or perhaps because they are keenly aware that you went that extra mile and spent real money on your swag they feel guilty throwing it away... so they keep it.
And if they're anything like me, they kinda resent the teddy bear with your name on it that they can't quite bring themselves to pitch. I don't really want my name associated with resentment, or even guilt if they do indeed go ahead and toss the stuffed critter.
What are some of the most effective forms of swag you've seen? Do you think swag can have impact without being expensive?
You Can't Trust Me, I'm the Marketing Man
Too many authors think of self-promotion as the equivalent of a used car salesman. I can't tell you how often I've heard writers say they just don't feel comfortable pushing themselves - or their book - at people.
There's a neat little trick to get around that feeling of icky - give people something they already want and make the fact that it has your book, your links, or even your face on it just a useful sidebar. They get something free, you're giving away yourself without feeling pushy.
That sounds totally easy, right? Ugh.
NOT A DROP TO DRINK is fast approaching cover time, which is exciting and intimidating at the same time. I need to start thinking about innovative ways to get my book out there, without rehashing the same stuff that everyone has seen a thousand times over. In my opinion the exception to that is the business card, which I don't think will ever cease to be a staple, which I’ve mentioned before.
There are options, sure. Pens, pencils, band-aid dispensers, t-shirts, personalized mints, postcards, bookmarks... and everything else you've seen a dozen times and conditioned your mind to stop noticing. DRINK is a genre-buster; I want something new and fresh for my debut baby.
Unfortunately the rest of the world has already discovered what I had originally wanted to do for DRINK - customized water bottle labels. How perfect is that for a book built around the idea that the world has run out of fresh water? However, I recently took an author branding class that addressed swag. One of the big rules for swag is that in order for it to be cost-effective it should be something that the recipient will use more than once, not toss away.
I don't know many people that use a water bottle more than once, but I think the simple idea of tying my book to the idea of a water bottle could have a heck of an impact. The obvious water message is an easy association, and even if they throw away the bottle I put my cover on, the next time they take a drink out of a bottle they might think... "Oh hey! That book looked pretty cool. Too bad I threw the bottle away..." But with a name like NOT A DROP TO DRINK they might be able to remember it in connection with water, and a Goodreads or Amazon search might just land them in my lap.
I don't see this working for bookmarks in the same way. Someone might think, upon seeing another bookmark, "Gee I wish I hadn't thrown away that other bookmark..." but unless the name of the advertised book was NOT A BOOKMARK LEFT I doubt their brain will be able to make the association leap for a good Google result.
And giving away water would hardly make me feel smarmy. Everyone needs it. Most people like it. It's very useful, and I have yet to meet someone allergic to it.
What do my fellow readers and writers think? Is there a magic swag item out there that you've always wished someone would put your brand on or that you've wanted to see handed out?
Blogging with Shannon Messenger
I’ve ran across a lot of really awesome people, and culled an enormous amount of information from blogs. As I raided my brain – yes, I picture myself on the prow of a Viking ship, approaching my own gray matter – for more people I’d like to interview, it repeatedly offered up names of bloggers. And so, the third series; Bloggers of Awesome. Yeah, it’s the BOA.
Today's BOA guest is my fellow Lucky13 and Friday the Thirteeners member Shannon Messenger! Shannon has not one but TWO books coming out soon... as in, one week for her MG title KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES. Her YA paranormal romance, LET THE SKY FALL, will be coming March 5, 2013. I've had the luck to read LTSF, and those of you with heart strings are in for it!
So you run an excellent blog over at Ramblings of A Wannabe Scribe. What made you decide to take the approach you do on your blog?
Aw. *blush* THANK YOU! And honestly, it’s funny. I don’t know that I have an “approach” to my blog. I’m just me. Whether that’s rambling about cupcakes, confessing to recent writing struggles, whining about deadlines, or gushing about books/authors I love, I’m just 100% Shannon, because that’s the only way I know how to be.
I know a lot of aspiring writers who are intimidated by the idea of blogging. They want to, but they are worried it will cut into their (already precious) writing time. You're a prolific blogger - how do you recommend one be both a successful blogger and writer?
Well, first I want to say that I don’t think anyone should blog because they feel like they “should.” If you don’t enjoy it—or are too busy for it—don’t do it. People will be able to tell by your posts that you aren’t having fun. I happen to really enjoy blogging, so I don’t mind the time that it takes. Plus, I’ve learned that if deadlines are piling up or life is getting crazy, it’s okay to miss some posts until I catch up. My followers will still be there when I come back. The rest of the time I try to keep my posts as short as I possibly can and write them the day before, so I can schedule them to post in the morning without having to get up early.
What is your genre, and what led you to it? Does your genre influence the style of your blog?
Um… I’m not entirely sure what you mean by genre (sorry, I am SO jet-lagged right now!) My blog itself doesn’t really have a genre. It’s pretty much just there for whatever I want to post about though I TRY to keep it mostly books/writing related. And part of the reason I keep it more generic like that is because I write two very different series in two very different age categories, so my posts need to appeal to readers of either.
It looks like you’re a big reader - do you set aside time for that?
YES—I think it’s absolutely essential for any writer to be a prolific reader, and I do my best to keep up with the new releases so that I stay current with what’s “out there.” When I’m not on deadline I aim to read 1-2 books per week. And when I am on deadline I’ll still sneak a few chapters here and there—but I’ll only read books in the age category I’m working on, otherwise it messes with my head as I write.
You do a lot of reviews. Have you ever given a bad review? Why or why not?
Personally I feel that—as an author—it’s not my place to negatively criticize the work of my colleagues. So no, I’ve never given a bad review. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still have review standards. My review policy always has and always will be: if I love a book I will gush and rave and champion it to the world. If I don’t love it, I quietly set it aside and say nothing. So there are many books I read that don’t end up getting featured. I only feature something if I genuinely recommend it.
Do you think blogging is a helpful self-marketing tool?
Yes and no. I do think it helps—but I don’t know that it helps as much as we’d all like it to. And what I mean by that is, I have over 2000 followers, and almost as many subscribers—but I would never expect that to lead to a comparable number of book sales. I think the real value of blogging comes from the connections you can make from it. I found my critique partners and most of my closest writing friends through the blogosphere, and having people to turn to when I’m buried with deadlines or have questions about publishing or need someone to talk me off the ledge is absolutely priceless.
What other websites / resources can you recommend for writers?
Eek, that’s hard because there are so many amazing ones. But I still think the best is Nathan Bransford. As an author and a former literary agent he’s seen publishing from all sides and has some truly amazing advice. It’s the best place for any newbie to start.
Any words of inspiration for aspiring writers?
KEEP WRITING! Rejections and discouragement happen to everyone in this business, and I firmly, firmly believe that the only differences between an aspiring writer and a published author are time and perseverance. Keep going and you will get there eventually—I promise.