Chapbooks

Maggie Toussaint at Sweeter Romantic Notions has written up an article on her experience making a Chapbook. A chapbook is basically a little booklet with an excerpt in it that you use for promotional purposes.

Check out Maggie's post if you want to create your own chapbook!

T It Up

Who doesn't love a good t-shirt? They're fun, they're cute, and people look at them... that is if you can actually get anyone to wear them. And the best part? They cost you little to no money to design and sell, as long as you use free services.

Of what services do I speak? Why, print-on-demand t-shirt services of course. Here are the ones I've found:

Cafe Press
Zazzle
Spreadshirt

I'm sure there are others, but these should get you started. You design the image for the shirt, slap it on a product, and stick it up in a free store. (Example: Here's the Promo-Ho.com store.) Easy as pie.

But what do you put on the t-shirts?

Well, there's always your book cover. Your publisher probably has a clause in the contract about not using your cover image to make money, so you won't be allowed to take in profit from the sales of your t-shirt with your cover, but that doesn't mean you can't make the t-shirt. It's a promotional tool if you're not making a profit, and most publishers are a-ok with that. Still, check the fine print in your contract. The problem with book-cover t-shirts? Well, frankly, they're boring. Pretty much only your biggest fans (like, maybe your mom and your critique parter) will wear a shirt with your cover on it in public, and then they might only do it when you're watching. Ha. The other problem is that covers (unless you're in print and distributed to Big & Nice bookstores) won't give people enough information to find your book easily.

So here's my recommendation for must-haves on promotional t-shirts:

1. A catchy slogan that applies widely, not just to your book. For example, if you have a cowboy romance, maybe your shirt says, "Save a horse, ride a cowboy." Haaa. See how that gains you a wider audience? Lots of people think that's funny, not just your mom and your critique partner.

2. Your website address. I'm saying that this is WAY important. Way more important than your name or even your book title because this is where people will go to find out more. Now, of course, it goes without saying that you have to have an easy and memorable web address. www.freesites.biz/~!/authors/novels/romance/ western/chick-lit/secret-baby/asmith.html is not an easy and memorable web address. It should be yourname.com and nothing else. Cough up the dough for the domain name, people. I don't ask you to spend money on anything else, but you have to spend it for that. Ahem. You should also place your website address where it's easy to see, maybe underneath your slogan in slightly smaller print or, better yet, across the back of the shirt in big print.

3. Your name, the title of the book, and the publisher. This is the third and least important piece. Remember, you want people to be able to find your book, but first they have to look at your shirt. If you don't have a website (shame on you), you could put something like your book title and then, "Available at YourPublisher.com" if you have to. If you do have a website, I think the title of the book would suffice, as long as it's easy to find from the very front page of your website.

Other stuff you might consider for use on a t-shirt:

1. Your cover. I know you think I totally dissed using covers on t-shirts already, but I didn't. I just dissed using your cover and nothing else. So in combination with a cute slogan and your website address, you cover could be an awesome addition.

2. Fun graphic artist-y things like pictures and designs. Check sites like iStockPhoto for free/cheap stock images that you can use. Don't steal stuff from random websites though. Chances are it's copyrighted and you'll be in big trouble if you use it on your t-shirt.

3. Inventive colors and styles. A lot of t-shirt places give you way more options than just a plain white t-shirt. Consider going for a baseball jersey or a black long-sleeved t-shirt instead of the standard.

4. Don't limit yourself to t-shirts! A lot of these websites let you slap your design on anything you can think of: bags, hats, magnets, thong underwear (I kid you not). Go wild. Sometimes the best sellers are the ones you did as an afterthought. My Promo-Ho.com license plate frames are really popular. Whoda thunk?

Have fun! T-shirts are a cool way to get your name out there, and they're fun to make besides.

Sonja Foust
Author of LOVE IN SHADOW (The Wild Rose Press)

SRN On Marketing

Check out Sweeter Romantic Notions today for a blog on getting started marketing yourself as an author. Maggie Toussaint shares what she's learned since she began:

With my almost a year of marketing experience under my belt, my best advice is to take a deep breath. It doesn’t do any good to run in circles screaming and shouting (been there, done that). If your publisher doesn’t have a welcome packet to initiate you into the world of promotion, or even if it does, it’s a good idea to find a mentor. Someone who knows the ropes in your genre can shave hours off your time spent in promotion...

Read the rest of the article!

Promoting At Conferences

Erica Ridley has put together an article on self-promotion at conferences. With RWA National Conference coming up in a few short days, this is timely and helpful!

Read the article!

6 Free Marketing Techniques

Author Regina Paul shares 6 free marketing techniques that work. We like free stuff that works. My favorite tip from her article is to offer free reads on your website or your Yahoo group.

To read the article, click here.

Regina Paul
Author of DESTINY'S CHOICES (Amira Press)

So what the blazes is schwag?

No, it's not pot, though that's another name for it. I'm talking about the stuff authors give away that's emblazoned with either their name or the name of their latest book. It's fun stuff. However, I caution against overspending on schwag as a method to sell more books because costs can easily get out of hand. Giving away this stuff may work to get your name remembered for more than a nanosecond, but there are less pricey ways to do that. Still, let's go over a few schwag items that won't break the bank as you get the buzz going about your book.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Karen Duvall
Author of DESERT GUARDIAN (The Wild Rose Press)
Join Karen's Yahoo! Group