QoW: Think Big (and small)
This week's QoW is all about marketing. What works, what doesn't, what YOU can do. I'm focusing on the last part.
Though I'm pleased to report that Scholastic has a ton of super fun marketing and publicity plans for the March release of my book, A Little Friendly Advice, I wanted to think of something small, cheap and effective that I could do myself.
Aside from the obligatory website and bookmarks that every author should have, I thought about creating special little give-aways that could be fun and appealing to readers. I myself love to collect little 1-inch band buttons. I've got several jars full. They are inexpensive to make and super adorable. I wear several at a time, on purses, jean jackets, shirts. And it just so happens that in A Little Friendly Advice, the boy character named Charlie also has a button fetish. As in, he makes them and gives them out to people. I suddenly had a very do-able idea that was also specifically relevant to my book.
So, with the help of my oh-so-talented boyfriend, I made a special set just for ALFA.
The hello button and the chick button come right out of the text. The camera is a huge part of my story and the title is...well, the title! What you can't see is that my title, website and publishing info is also printed around the side of each button. Pretty awesome right? I was so pleased.
And, the best part is that I shared my little art project with the folks at Scholastic. They liked them so much, they've decided to give them away at conventions...including NCTE in November! They'll be distributed in sets of four, inside little plastic zip-lock bags. They'll also have little copies of my cover and publishing info inside the bags, printed ala business cards. Awesome!
So, the moral of my own marketing story is that you can think small and still get big results.
-=siobhan=-
Though I'm pleased to report that Scholastic has a ton of super fun marketing and publicity plans for the March release of my book, A Little Friendly Advice, I wanted to think of something small, cheap and effective that I could do myself.
Aside from the obligatory website and bookmarks that every author should have, I thought about creating special little give-aways that could be fun and appealing to readers. I myself love to collect little 1-inch band buttons. I've got several jars full. They are inexpensive to make and super adorable. I wear several at a time, on purses, jean jackets, shirts. And it just so happens that in A Little Friendly Advice, the boy character named Charlie also has a button fetish. As in, he makes them and gives them out to people. I suddenly had a very do-able idea that was also specifically relevant to my book.
So, with the help of my oh-so-talented boyfriend, I made a special set just for ALFA.
The hello button and the chick button come right out of the text. The camera is a huge part of my story and the title is...well, the title! What you can't see is that my title, website and publishing info is also printed around the side of each button. Pretty awesome right? I was so pleased.And, the best part is that I shared my little art project with the folks at Scholastic. They liked them so much, they've decided to give them away at conventions...including NCTE in November! They'll be distributed in sets of four, inside little plastic zip-lock bags. They'll also have little copies of my cover and publishing info inside the bags, printed ala business cards. Awesome!
So, the moral of my own marketing story is that you can think small and still get big results.
-=siobhan=-
posted by siobhan vivian at 4:28 PM
9 Comments:
Oh, my...these are the cutest things ever. Is there any way someone who's NOT going to NCTE could get a set?
And could you please say HOW you made the buttons? Is it like postcards, where you send info away to a company and they print them up for you? I'm just boggled that your info could be printed around the edge of those tiny buttons.
hey sara! i'm so glad you like them! and yeah, i'm thinking i will get some extras made to give away to people who write me and ask for a set. so...you know...write me! : )
and the company is called busy beaver buttons, out of michigan. they provide you with a design template that you fill out and send back to them, complete with the little side portion. their prices are SO reasonable. check 'em out!
The buttons are adorable! Congrats on creating some cool marketing giveaways that represent your book so well.
Oh man, Siobhan, those are sooo adorable. What a great idea! I can't wait to get my hands on them.
I WILL be getting my hands on them, right?
those are so awesome- i am not surprised scholastic jumped all over them! and they represent your book so well. they are going to be such a hit at ncte!!
um, those. are. the. cutest. i want 'em!!!!
Sio, if you bring me a set during fall writing retreat, I will wear them all over DC! I'm your southeast marketing arm!
The buttons are very cute and portable. As a scrapbooker and artist, I make assemblages based on my books to take to IRA, ALA, BEA, etc. For Seeing Sky-Blue Pink, I made a little album in a small lunchbox, because the character carries a lunchbox everywhere. But I love the button idea!
Candice Ransom
I thought it was very clever that for the book Reaching for Sun there were seed packages with the book cover on the front and the publisher info on the back. Very cool.
Post a Comment
<< Home