Sex, Drugs, and Marketing Madness- by Brinda Berry
Part of social media is determining your image and how to get it across to the public. It is important to examine your future promotional images and items with the careful eye of a marketer as well as from the viewpoint of a consumer.
As a funny example, I’ll tell you a story about my most recent book cover. My YA fantasy series consists of two books to-date and both show the same female model in different poses. The girl on the cover fits the physical image of my character, so I’ve been pleased. I’ve heard stories from fellow authors who had characters on the cover who in no way resembled the protagonist. The hair would be a different color or the age would be off by decades. When I got my first cover, I only noticed that the cover model fit my main character. I was surprised when people commented on her clothing and bust size.
Let me say that most authors are unable to get a cover changed. (Or so I’ve heard.) My publisher kindly sends me a review copy when the cover is completed and before final approval. When I received the review copy for Book 2, Whisper of Memory, I had the following conversation.
Me: The colors are great and I love the winter scene. There’s one problem. All I can see is nipple. Do you see that? Since it’s a YA book….
Publisher: LOL. I didn’t even notice. Of course, we will get the artist to air brush that.
Me in reply email: Thanks so much. Although if we left it in it might sell more books…JUST KIDDING.
The nipple outline was one of those things where once you see it, you can’t unsee it. No, I’m not showing you the draft cover. I wonder if I’d have noticed it if not for several remarks I had about the cover model’s bust size. Listening to the comments of friends and readers helped me to see the book cover as a consumer. I realized that I had studied the first book’s cover as an author.
This new life as an author isn’t my first exposure to marketing. In a not so distant past, I had the pleasure of working for a small IT company. One of my many hats was to act as a marketing manager. With no formal background in marketing, I made efforts to learn as much as possible in the best place I had found. The internet was full of courses, blogs, and products. I learned, and I still occasionally blundered. I’m most proud of designing a full page ad for a national magazine distributed by the General Services Administration (GSA). The ad featured a laptop sitting poolside and some text about letting someone else worry about network security while you enjoy life. I had other marketing experiences where I scored a high-five and pat on the back.
I’ll share with you the ones that made me want to crawl into a hole. It’s easy to remember the blunders and ask, “What was I thinking?” I ordered promotional items with our company logo. I shipped said items to a conference across the nation where I would be an exhibitor at a booth. Problem? The letter opener I ordered had a visible sharp razor blade. One attendee stopped and almost took one. Then he said, “I hope people don’t try to take these on a plane.” Huh? This was post tragedy of 9/11. Yes, it certainly looked like a weapon.
Another attendee said, “Wow, you’re giving away drug paraphernalia.” Another dumb look from me. What? It had looked like a simple note holder when I ordered it from the catalog. It looked like something else to this person.
This is just great, I thought. I now have a promo item that looks as suspicious as the razor blade and mirror combo.
Let’s fast forward to the present and talk about book swag. I chose to print romance trading cards for a promo item for my YA books. I’ve been pleased with the decision. I even saw a prize of romance trading cards at The Hunger Games premiere. Cool!
Here are the reasons why I like them for my YA books:
- My book covers get exposure. I want to up the “recognizable” factor.
- They were inexpensive. I paid gotprint.com $59.10 for 2000 cards (1000 for each book in my series). This includes taxes, shipping and handling. This is roughly $.03 each.
- I can send them to conferences for goody bags when I can’t attend and shipping is inexpensive. Readers seem to like to collect cards. Jessica Aspen put a call out for additions to bags being put together by ParanormalFreebies.com for Rom Con this summer. I sent her my cards for inclusion. WOOT!
- There’s enough room on the card to also print my website addy and a QR code.
- I can easily carry them in my purse and hand them to people I’m talking with about my books.
- They will never look suspicious going through airport security. LOL
My friend, Cynthia d’Alba has a book out this year, Texas Two Step. Prior to the release, she handed me a jar opener promo piece. She must have sensed my trouble with salsa jars. It’s very original and handy. I’ll use it and think of her. I hope readers do the same. On the other hand, I’ve tossed all the bookmarks I’ve received over the past couple of years since I read ebooks now. Hey, I just cleaned up my office and I plan on avoiding clutter. I’ve kept items if they are useful. I love a good pen.
So, let’s talk book swag. Do you have any experience with it? Do you have preferences as a reader? How much would you as an author spend per piece (if anything)?
BIO: Brinda lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She’s terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality.
At least they were willing to alter the cover for you!
I was grateful for that.
Brinda, these are excellent questions to ask (and good for you on getting your cover changed)!
I’m interested in what people love to receive as promo. Thanks for reading!
The publisher’s great…and I admit I scrolled down and had a good look at the book cover. Good for you for doing the trading cards, they must work perfectly. I suck at marketing 😦 When I was a teacher I was chosen (poor choice) to sell some courses. I’d go round companies and, when I told them the price, I’d say, “I know, it’s awfully expensive, isn’t it?” I was soon transferred to routine teaching 🙂
I’m not a great salesperson either, so I truly understand your feelings on the matter.
Thanks for showing a picture of my jar opener! And I hope it’s found a permanent home in your kitchen
It’s my one and only author branded jar opener. 🙂
Glad they were OK to change the cover..It is hard to find the perfect promo stuff. People have such different preferences and some say they like the bookmarks and stuff, others hate it. I have trading cards as well and love them. They are handy and you can sign them to give away. Readers are excited to collect them.
I’ve seen your HOT collector cards. They are fabulous. Did you buy the matte finish or glossy? I’m wondering about signing on them. Mine are glossy and it doesn’t work well or I’m using the wrong pen.
I loved a lip balm I got at a conference so I ordered some. I have not done trading cards, but I like the idea, so I may do that next. You’re right, some of the stuff is expensive and it ends up getting tossed by the recipients. Thanks for sharing! I laughed out loud, I have that exact letter opener on my desk. Now I know why the recruiter gave me a box of them to give away at my site!
OmG! I would love getting lip balm.
Lip balm is a great idea! So useful, and has more stay-power, I think, than most pomo items
OMG! Where do I get lip balm? Any swag sites you’d recommend? This is like a whole new world to me. I need a catalogue–though I may very well get carried away.
4imprint.com is one, I think that is where I got it. 🙂
I want to see the unaltered cover for myself. I think the whole “nipple” thing is quite funny.
It’s funny looking back at it. I might be the only who noticed it.
Marketing. Cringe. Smile. At least you learned from you first marketing blunder and were able to come back strong for your novels. I love your trading cards and Cynthia’s boot jar opener! Great ideas and advice. Thanks Brinda! And thanks Gloria for hosting!
I didn’t want to spend a lot, so the cards fit my budget. I love Cyndi’s boot. I think it’s very original.
Years ago I was told, Don’t spend your own money on promotional items. Since publishing, I’ve amended that advice to, Don’t spend money on items for the sake of having promotional items.
My book is in print, not e, so I printed bookmarks, but didn’t add bling because that would have driven up the price. I fully expect 75% will end up in someone’s recycling bin. My madness, or method, is psychological. Visibility leads to familiarity leads to sales. The cover image is on the bookmark, making the bookmark one more place potential readers will see the cover, even if only for seconds before they toss it. LOL
I only have 2 other promo items, both print, both author rather than book specific, so I can use them for years to come. First, my business cards with my brand logo. Second, postcards, with my brand logo, my images, and craft (not story) specific quotes from reviews.
I still love print books, so will hang on to bookmarks so long as I have the book the bookmark goes with. Otherwise, in the recycling bin it goes. Hence my acceptance that most of my bookmarks will meet the same fate.
My favourite swag is notepads or sticky pads.
I love sticky notes!! I’m not a bookmark hater. REALLY! I would keep yours because I know you or maybe I’d keep one that was special.
That’s quite a funny story about your cover! Thank goodness you caught it before it was published and not after!
It was also good of my publisher to take my input. Some people aren’t so lucky with change requests. Thanks for dropping by to read!
I like sticky notes. refrigerator magnets, and pens. I am not a postcard collector. Every year I get a Christmas card from a favorite writer or on occasion a postcard from one author with a recipe. I save the recipe if its any good and make a tiny gift box from the christmas card. Spending a lot on promotional items is hard to do in our current economic climate.
The cards are the only investment I’ve made on a promo item since getting my books published. I agree that it’s tough to spend money when you don’t know the return on investment. That’s a cute idea to make a gift box from a card. I always hate throwing out beautiful Christmas cards!
Great post. I learned about what could work and what can be a mishap.
I love the interaction on Gloria’s blog. Now I’m going to have to look up prices on lip balm. I’m afraid it may be beyond my budget.
OMG, Brinda, that’s a funny story with your book cover 🙂
Great idea with the trading cards. Thank you for posting the link – I’m going to look into this. I wanted to have some kind of cards with my QR code printed and here I found what I was looking for!
I’m glad you can use it. You may already know this, but it’s handy to make your QR code at the bitly.com site. Then you can track how many people actually scan it from your card.
I always love your posts, Brinda.
I may be the only one who keeps book marks. I have a few books going at once, so I use them.
I won your trading cards and they are lovely, Brinda, thank you. I would also love lip balm, great idea, sticky notes or pads I would keep as well. I like a fine tip pen, so it would depend.
I’m a sucker for anything with candy attached at conferences. It pops out at me from the tons of paper on a table.
As a former exhibitor, the key to a successful booth is a bowl of chocolate. Then you give them the real “promo” item after luring them in. 🙂 Thank you for the compliments!
Brinda, you are hilarious! I was truly laughing out loud as I read this post. (Loved the post script too, Gloria). I’ve kept anything useful… pens, magnets, pocket mirrors, sticky notes.
I could have given you a handy mirror!!! I agree that I like the useful items.
Good laugh Brinda/Gloria. As a guy I’d have to say that you were unlikely to be the only person who would notice the nipple thing 🙂
Cheers!
That’s what I thought!
I like the trading cards. I think they’re a perfect size to slip in a handbag or ship anywhere. They’re also good to give someone during a casual meeting. I like that.
As for other promo swag I’ve decided that while it might be nice to hand it out, the promo doesn’t necessarily translate to sales. Also, from NZ swag works out to be expensive.
I agree that it’s difficult to translate it to sales. That’s why I chose something inexpensive. I can’t imagine postage from NZ!!
Yay for airbrushing eh?
I loe the idea of cards.
Marketing, there is so much to it.
X
I wish I knew more about marketing. We authors are so new to marketing ourselves. We have to learn from others about what is working and what isn’t.
You are so lucky they altered the cover. I’ve been told, “you signed a contract, we have final say.” Yep, that was it, no compromise at all.
Swag has gone great and tanked for me. I’ve ordered business cards and bookmarks that were not usable, but others were great. I love my wristbands, they are popular. And I have some clock bookmarks that are large paperclips with clocks at the top. People just think they are cool. 🙂
Can’t wait to read the next installment!
I forgot to say that I ordered business cards in the beginning when I went to my first conference. I put all the wrong things on my business cards. I’ve already pitched mine in the trash. I’d love to see your wristbands and paperclips.
And here I had my bookmarks all figured out using the banner on my website. Guess I won’t order so many whenever the time comes. I’ve seen trinkets with small loops to go on cell phones. I also have a jump drive from my son’s company with their logo. I usually keep the really pretty bookmarks and recycle the rest. I have a lifetime supply of pens from a single conference season. The pretty ones with refills are kept. The wristband idea is cool and collectible. All these ideas are going in my marketing notes. Thanks, Brinda and Gloria.
I haven’t seen the cell phone trinkets, but that sounds interesting. We ladies sure like our bling! Thanks for your ideas.
I love the romance cards. Very cool. Only Brinda, you didn’t sign mine 😦
Oh Brinda! I love the marketing errors. I’m sure I would have done the same. And your cards rock! Thanks for sending them. 🙂
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