BEST OF THE ARCHIVES - SWAG AND PROMOTIONAL TOOLS

Sandra here getting ready for the RWA conference in July. I can hardly wait to fly down to San Diego and see my writing buddies?  Are any of you Seeker friends going?  If so, be sure and let me know as we want to have a Seeker get-together while there.  I'll be attending the FHL meeting and Awards assembly so maybe I'll see you there.

Even if you aren't planning to go to RWA, you might be attending other conferences or writing events. It is always good to have some promotional tools and swag on hand. Please read this post that was published in March 2015 for some great ideas.

Remember, its Archive Friday so no comments. Read for info and then spend time on your wip.

Last weekend I signed books at the famed Tucson Festival of Books. What a great experience. This festival is dedicated to publication, marketing, display and creation of books. What is not to like about that?

LeAnne Bristow found me in the crowd. Yay!

Over 100,000 people attend this event. One of my friends said, “This is like a swap meet for intellectuals.” So true.

Early Sunday morning before the crowds

So how do you make yourself known with all of these other authors? One of my fellow authors from Desert Rose RWA recommended making really nice flyers to hand out.  I have done this for over a year now and find it really helps. Actual print book sales have dropped because so many use e-books. When I meet people and they say they read e-books, I can hand them my flyer and they do take them home and order e-books and audio books. My Kindle sales always jump after these events.

Again, Sunday before the crowds

I am including the proofs for the flyer so you can see how I use it. It is made with a high quality glossy paper, which makes it a bit more expensive, but people value it more and tend to not toss it right away. It includes a blurb about each one of my books. Please note that I made this flyer before the cover of WITH THIS KISS was produced. I did know what picture the graphic artist would use, so my graphic artist at NW Print Solutions came up with a close replication so people would recognize it when they went to my Amazon page.

Outside page will be folded in half

These flyers come in handy in all kinds of scenarios.  When I meet people and they ask me “What do you write?” I can hand them a flyer and they will be able to peruse the books and go order one.

Inside page will be folded in half

Notice that I have the QR on the flyer also.  These are easy to obtain and young people use them a lot. It will take them right to my Amazon page and they can order on the spot with their phone. Yay!!!

There are other SWAG materials that are widely used as well.

Missy Tippins hands out bookmarks for each of her books.

Pam Hillman explains a SWAG that worked for her.  “Around Christmas, I had several speaking/signing events, and wanted something for readers to take away. I already had bookmarks with my first book (Claiming Mariah) on them and didn’t want to order more at that time. But I had several new books coming out in 2015, and wanted a way to show readers the covers, so I designed a postcard. Since I knew the bulk of these would be handed out and not mailed, I used the front and back of the postcard and was able to promote 5 books on the one card.

Since I already had a bookmark with Claiming Mariah on it, I included that with the signed books as well as a postcard.

Julie Lessman’s talented hubby makes book plates for her to include in each of her books. These advertise the whole series.

The Seekers provide SWAG when they attend conferences.  You may have seen it. Julie’s hubby designed our bookmarks. We have also provided pens and jar openers that had Seekerville printed on them.

My favorite SWAG items that I have picked up in the past are emery boards and letter openers with the author’s name on them. Of course, there are always food items, like candy, teas, energy bars, etc. But those wrappers with author names do disappear rather quickly.  A bowl of candy on your table at your booth does invite prospective readers to at least drop by and look at your books.

BTW does anyone know what SWAG stands for?  I asked Jeeves and many silly acronyms appeared. The closest that made sense was Something We All Get.

Sandra Leesmith writes sweet romances to warm the heart. Sandra loves to play pickleball, hike, read, bicycle and write. She lives in Arizona with her husband and during the hot sumers she and her husband travel throughout the United States in their motorhome where she enjoys the outdoors and finds wonderful ideas for her next writing project. You can find Sandra's books here on Amazon. Two of Sandra's most popular books are also audio books at Audible.  Love's Promises will be available on audio in April.

You can read more posts by Sandra here.



Keep your eyes open. COMING IN JULY a new Seeker Summer Anthology.  Cara and Myra have joined with me for a selection of Summer romances in LOVE WILL FIND A WAY.  Myra did the cover. Isn't it fantastic!!!    I love all the talent we have in this village. smile