Get Your Author SWAG On...

/

Recently, author Dana Claire of BookBrush did a presentation on SWAG (Stuff We All Get) for our Sisters in Crime chapter. She’s fabulous, and if you haven’t already, check out all that BookBrush offers authors. It’s a tool that you need to add to your marketing and promo kit.

She talked about all kinds of creative ways that authors can connect with readers for giveaways and prizes. She made me think about my SWAG and some advice that I’ve picked up over the years…

  • Your items need to tie into your brand (your style, color scheme, etc.) Readers need to know what to expect. A publicist told me to use pastels for my colors because my writing style was light and humorous. (I used to have my website design in black and red, and she said that projected more of a suspense/thriller/gothic vibe.)

  • Find creative things that you can easily mail. Mugs and larger items are cool, but if you have to ship them, you may incur costs that you didn’t bargain for.

  • I think bookmarks are a must. I do a new design for each book. Make sure to use the back and the front. Include your website and your books’ ISBNs. I always give everyone I talk to a bookmark, and I am often surprised after an event at the spike in audio and ebooks. Not everyone wants a paperback or a hardback.

  • Pens are great items. They can always be used, and they often get passed on to others. I made one batch up like they were from my character’s business. It was a fun conversation starter when folks read them.

  • My very first novel had an 80s music theme to it, so I bought a ton of small buttons with 80s throw-back sayings on them. I filled a candy dish at my events, and readers had the best time finding the one the wanted and strolling down memory lane.

  • Candy is always good but be careful. I had a lot of chocolate candy for an August event (in the south). That meant that I had mushy, messy candy.

  • I do a lot of online Facebook parties and take-overs, so I like to have gifts that are fun and easy to mail. I order all kinds of bookmarks on Etsy (e.g. Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, etc.). These make fun gifts to add to prize packages.

What type of SWAG has worked (or didn’t work) for you?