Friday, February 25, 2011

Promo Items--What's Your Fantasy?

Cue the Ludacris...and ignore me if the music reference makes no sense.

As you all know (or now know), the Romantic Times convention is fast approaching, and we Nine have spent far too long agonizing over the best promo stuff--yes that's the Official Author Term. Instead of wringing my hands and trying to guess what readers (which includes other writers) want from us, I'm asking you!!


So...if you were going to a conference, what non-book swag do you want to leave with? Bookmarks, postcards, excerpts, tchotchkes, pens/pencils...temporary tattoos? Magnets?

And aside from what items are cool, which ones have/would make a lasting impression on you--something unique, practical, pricey, etc?

Personally, I like leaving with pens because they're useful--we're writers, after all. But if 100 writers all offer pens, well, single names will get lost in the fray and really, I don't need that many writing utensils. That being said, if a certain group of almost-ten awesome writers were to offer badass pink pens, I'd be stocking up there. Just sayin'.

I also like cover flats, but they're less practical, unless they're signed. And even then, they'll probably just find their way into my memory box to never again see the light of day.

Your turn! Help a Naughty out!

4 comments:

Donna said...

I like pens if they have a sexy picture or snarky saying on them. I also like things like pot holders/hot pads for the kitchen. We have been using for 10 years or so some that were handed out by a crematory-lol. I would bet you could come up with some hot pictures or a really pithy comment about hot books to put on yours. For a bigger gift, like for a drawing, how about laptop skins? They are becoming more popular and I think they would be a terrific prize. They sell for $10-12 so I would think buying in bulk might bring them down to a reasonable price for a drawing. Or, in the same vein, how about those vinyl things that stick to anything without glue. They could be placed next to the touch pad on laptops or on a car window or bathroom mirror. Yep, I would like that.

Let me know what you come up with!

Hugs,
Donna

PS Please let me know if you decide to go the hot pad route. Mine are about to wear out and I would bet you guys could come up with something hotter than anything I might cook up in the kitchen! You could even sell them on your website...okay, too far, I know. (sigh)

PG Forte said...

On a beach with black sand. Oh, sorry, that wasn't really the question you were asking was it? ;)

GREAT topic! And, please, readers, let's hear from you!

Donna--that's something we hadn't thought of. Hmm...must go research. Thanks!

Skylar Kade said...

Donna, you are just full of great, unique ideas! Now I want to write a chef story just to give out pot holders!

Donna said...

Hi Skylar, for the pot holders you could just use a slogan like "The Nine Naughty Novelists: With Stories Too Hot to Handle", with a picture of a book with lips on the cover and steam rising from the pages. Certainly you creative people can come with better than that, but along those lines. ;)