kais Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 SO. If you were cruising around a con or something akin, and you saw a publishing table, what type of merch / small giveaway items would entice you A) to come over and B.) maybe to pick up the book? Bookmarks? Pins? Pens? Posters? Or is a cover enough for you to go "Oooo! Pretty!" and roll from there? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vreeah Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 I like what this foreshadows. The cover is enough for me, since I usually don't buy the cool extras until I'm already a fan. That said, I'm attracted to pretty or durable display objects. Metal wire art/figurines, paperweights (or anything with some weight to it), and jewelry are my favorites. They don't really need to be for sale to draw me over. I wander by and idle if there's something uncommon. Some nice atmospheric music is a big plus. A short blurb printed on the walls would be convenient—something that tells me more about the genre and story without having me crack open a book. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kais Posted March 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 Thanks @Vreeah! I should probably clarify--I was thinking about free stuff that you could just pick off the table, not things you would purchase. Little things to get your attention, mostly. But sounds like the wall coverings and cover pretty much does it? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neongrey Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 tbh I so rarely see free stuff at any cons I go to that anything free at all would stick out to me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinski Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 2 hours ago, kaisa said: Little things to get your attention Fungus? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
industrialistDragon Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 Postcards, business cards and bookmarks are common for things like this. If you have some killer art and a large marketing budget, mini posters. Hm.. personalized pencils and pens, post-its, erasers, lanyards.... I'm trying to think of what I've gotten in swag bags at various cons. The collections agency cons were big on alcohol from plastic glasses etched with their logos... uhm. ARCs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
industrialistDragon Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 mini stress squeezies... those goofy not-quite-tyvek cheapie shopping bags... I once got a deck of cards and a drawstring backpack as part of a swag bag... I think one place gave away paper pinwheels and hand sanitizer (stamped with logos and whatnot of course)? ... Honestly, ARCs, ashcans, business cards, postcards and miniposters are most of what I recall seeing at book-related places. Can you, like, make some like 1/4-inch round bits of wood and like stamp your name and publisher info on them? or something scrap-wood-related that would be cheap and easy to personalize? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinski Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 29 minutes ago, industrialistDragon said: mini stress squeezies... Nuggel stress balls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yes!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle of the Forest Path Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 Stickers can be good. And picking up from @industrialistDragon's wood suggestion, keychains maybe? Though that could get expensive quite fast. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamon Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 (edited) I've been pondering this question myself, as I'll have a table at NC Comic Con on the 18th and 19th. The main problem is that anything custom you make quickly gets expensive enough to overcome the profit on a book, and if people are walking away with them and not buying something, then you have a loss. Author income on a paperback may well be something like $2-$4, and anything nicer than a piece of printed paper eats into that a lot. I have a poster with each book cover printed out from Vistaprint ($20 each) which I hope will help draw people in with pretty pictures. I'm planning to arrange the books in some sort of artistic way, and I'll have a pile of business cards, which also have the covers of the books on them (a couple different versions). I thought about doing bookmarks as well, but I already use business cards as bookmarks, so I thought it was redundant. I'll probably get a bowl of candies or chocolate, which may draw some people in, but I've also hear horror stories of people dumping a whole bowl in their purse/pocket, so take that as you will. I also have the cost of the table/space itself to pay back, which will be the biggest expense. I have no idea how many books I'll sell, but the attendance is several thousands, so hopefully some! I'll report back with how it goes. EDIT: I'll also have one book on a Kindle countdown deal, so it will only be $0.99 that weekend, and I'll have a sign to that effect. I'm hoping if someone doesn't buy a physical book, they'll maybe buy an electronic version. Edited March 8, 2017 by Mandamon 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinski Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 3 hours ago, Mandamon said: I'll also have one book on a Kindle countdown deal, so it will only be $0.99 that weekend Yeah - I think that's your hook right there. I would spend a buck for a book without hesitation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kais Posted March 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 Thank you everyone, for your thoughts! I ended up hiring a graphic artist to do really nice book business cards, simple book marks, and some pins. I'll likely only get the cards printed for now, but it's nice to have some designs handy in case I want to do cons or something. Thanks again! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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