I was thinking about inviting a few authors to send in some promo items. You know like bookmarks, pens, lil notepads and whatever…. promo stuff… And I was going to add in stuff when I send out books to contest winners.
Like with TLP each person got a bookmark or two from different authors, one person got this nifty notepad that came in the Avon books (the cover is the exact cover of a soon to be best seller I lurve), another something else… so forth and so on.
I love post-it note pads. Those are certainly the promos that I use the most (and not just from authors, but at work, too:)). I have noticed that many authors have them, although they aren’t the cheapest gimmes to make.
The only thing I don’t get is cover flats – what is their purpose? Other than that bring on the freebies! Of course….books are best!
Freebies – what’s not to like? 🙂
I’m with Gwen – what’s not to like about freebies?? 😀 Especially like bookmarks!
I do the bookmarks thing with everything I send out on BookMooch. I’m working through a stack of Lara Adrian bookmarks at the moment.
I’m thinking of getting pins made up. Never thought of notepads/sticky pads.
Pens – I always love pens. And bookmarks are nice too.
I think the pens are cool. Post it notes are cool. I once saw an author do compacts up with her website and name on the top. Of course I can’t remember the author. I had a magnet on my fridge for a long time that had some cute saying on it.
One thing that I loved was from Lois McMaster Bujold who sent these card sized bookmarks with her recent book releases, but I also think it could be used to list the backlist of authors so we readers could stick those in our wallets and pull them out in the store.
Is it just me or would you rather have the author’s bibliography (for that series only or for single titles only if the author’s written lots of stuff) at the back of a bookmark rather than blurbs from various people?
Definitely the bibliography because if I am picking up your bookmark something has peaked my interest. I liked the card sized because it fits in my pocketbook.
So far Karen Kelley has the cutest promo I have seen (which really isn’t much) and I am wearing one of them now. I will have to see if she has photos anywhere.
They are the cutest lil alien earrings to go with her last release Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind. She also did soap with the same charm in it. Of course for that stuff you have to be crafty.
I love pens, bookmarks and have seen more and more of the notepads and post-its. If done well I could see that as being the best thing because notes and shit get given to other people and if the authors name is on it… score.
ok so I will send a few emails and add a few things to future contest winners…
You want bookmarks? I got bookmarks. 🙂
Seriously, I have lots. And I have to say they are some really good bookmarks — about twice the size you usually see and on nice, thick paper. Let me know if you want ’em, and I’ll send them out.
I like anything an author gives for free – obviously I would prefer the book but bookmarks or pens with the authors name on are nice too 😀