{"id":6821,"date":"2024-01-16T04:20:19","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T09:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apexauthors.com\/?p=6821"},"modified":"2024-01-09T14:21:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T19:21:42","slug":"author-swag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apexauthors.com\/author-swag\/","title":{"rendered":"A Field Guide to Author Swag"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Swag (or tchotchkies if you\u2019re a traditionalist) describes free items companies give away to help spread the word about their brand. That fridge magnet you get every year from your insurance agent is swag. So are all those pens with a business name on them that keep accumulating in your junk drawer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Swag can get strong a response from potential readers, and can make the day of people who are already your fans; plus it\u2019s fun! There are few stronger ways (other than writing great books) to start forging stronger connections between yourself and the audience you want to write for.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But you have to choose the right swag and deliver it to the right people, in the right way, for the right reasons. So that is what we will talk about today.<\/p>\n<h2>What Can Author Swag Do For You<\/h2>\n<p>The downside of author swag is that it costs money. <\/p>\n<p>What can you expect from that investment?<\/p>\n<p>It won\u2019t be easy to calculate direct Return on Investment, but applied well swag can bring some solid benefits:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sets you apart from your competition at fairs, meetups, and other events<\/li>\n<li>Puts the idea of your book in places where you can\u2019t just leave books, like cafes, restaurants, and libraries<\/li>\n<li>Creates a way for fans to accidentally (or intentionally) advertise you and your work while they wear or use the swag you gave them<\/li>\n<li>Generate social media posts as people talk about their swag<\/li>\n<li>Encourage conversation \u2014 online and in person \u2014 surrounding you and your work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2019m not saying author swag is necessary for a successful book launch or author career \u2014 but I am saying it can be a powerful tool in the box for both.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>20 Kinds of Author Swag<\/h2>\n<p>The default piece of physical author swag is the branded bookmark. It\u2019s topical, has lots of surface for graphics and text, and is inexpensive to both make and ship. But that\u2019s just the tip of the author swag iceberg. <\/p>\n<p>Consider these other options to help you stand out from the crowd:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Coasters<\/li>\n<li>T-shirts<\/li>\n<li>Flashlights<\/li>\n<li>Notebooks<\/li>\n<li>Flash drives<\/li>\n<li>Mugs<\/li>\n<li>Tote bags<\/li>\n<li>Stickers<\/li>\n<li>Chapstick<\/li>\n<li>Candy (with branded wrapper)<\/li>\n<li>Water bottles<\/li>\n<li>Hats or caps<\/li>\n<li>Pen knives<\/li>\n<li>Small stuffed animals<\/li>\n<li>Key rings<\/li>\n<li>Stress squeezer balls<\/li>\n<li>Self-care kits<\/li>\n<li>Custom socks<\/li>\n<li>Workspace organizers<\/li>\n<li>Phone and tablet stand<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>All of these put your book at the center of the proud owner\u2019s attention at least once a day, and most of them are things they\u2019ll flash in front of others through natural use. The trick is to choose which ones match your fandom the best. A sci-fi fan might prefer the flash drive, while readers of cozies might opt for a nice mug or warm socks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You know your fans best. Just be aware that, with current printing technology, you can make almost anything branded for your book, your series, or yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some people also suggest using non-physical swag like banners, art, or exclusive content. Although these can be useful, I don\u2019t recommend using them <i>instead of<\/i> physical swag. There\u2019s something about stuff you can hold in your hand that\u2019s just <i>better<\/i>. If you go this route, go all in.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Managing Budget and Quality<\/h2>\n<p>I said it earlier, but I\u2019ll acknowledge it again: swag costs money. Premium swag (like a high-end self-care kit) can cost a <i>lot<\/i> of money. That can create some tension between what you want and what you can afford.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a general rule, aim for quality. Part of the purpose of swag is to develop a relationship between people and your work by giving them a reminder they interact with every day. If that reminder is shoddy, or breaks, then that relationship you\u2019ve established creates a bad feeling.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When in doubt, buy small swag of high quality over bigger swag of questionable quality. You can work your way up to the big stuff once the little swag starts doing its job.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>12 Places to Give Swag Away<\/h2>\n<p>Once you have your swag, it\u2019s time to figure out where to send it. Here\u2019s a list of a dozen ideas you can use as-is, take some of while ignoring the rest, or simply as inspiration for your own unique list for distribution:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Create a gift bag of your swag for attendees at book launch parties, readings, and similar events.<\/li>\n<li>Use them as prizes for pre-orders of your next book to encourage early engagement.<\/li>\n<li>Send them to some new and existing subscribers to your newsletter. (You can use a raffle-style system so you\u2019re not giving one to every single person on your list.)<\/li>\n<li>Partner with small businesses \u2014 like cafes and indie bookstores \u2014 to keep a few on hand and give to likely customers, or to give away free with a purchase of your book.<\/li>\n<li>Send to reviewers, book bloggers, and other influencers to get your work on the top of their pile.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Find locations near you that are similar to locations in your book, and work with management there to carry your swag (and maybe even your book!)<\/li>\n<li>Partner with other authors to create swag batches, with one item from each of you, and have all of you work to distribute them far and wide.<\/li>\n<li>Have a contest among your online fans as to who can get the most likes, shares, or similar impressions on their social media about your work.<\/li>\n<li>If you have a regular job, talk about how you could give something away there. Don\u2019t settle for a little spot in the break room though \u2014 figure out how to make it an event that gets real notice.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Find events related to your subject matter \u2014 a fencing competition for a pirate novel, for example \u2014 and \u201csponsor\u201d the event with swag for participants.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Connect with a friend who sells things on eBay or Etsy and include your swag with relevant items they ship for a limited time.<\/li>\n<li>Send <i>really good swag<\/i> to a popular author in your genre as an opening salvo for mentorship, reviews, or even blurbs.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Final Thought: Bootstrapping<\/h2>\n<p>One way to manage the cost associated with printing and distributing swag is to bootstrap it the same way you might a marketing budget.<\/p>\n<p>Start with a small batch of swag, applied tactically in the best possible place to the best possible potential readers. Keep track of how much money that brings in. Earmark some of that money for a larger move with better (or more) swag. Keep track of how much more money that brings in.<\/p>\n<p>Rinse and repeat until your swag is of the size, quality, and distribution your work deserves.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swag (or tchotchkies if you\u2019re a traditionalist) describes free items companies give away to help spread the word about their brand. That fridge magnet you&#8230; <a class=\"btn btn-secondary read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/apexauthors.com\/author-swag\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3070,"featured_media":6822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[386,1518,1519,1520],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Field Guide to Author Swag - Apex Authors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apexauthors.com\/author-swag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Field Guide to Author Swag - Apex Authors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Swag (or tchotchkies if you\u2019re a traditionalist) describes free items companies give away to help spread the word about their brand. 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