Did you know that there are chocolate business cards? I did not know this. Apparently you can get your name carved on almost anything.
I'm currently reading a lot about book marketing. One of the things that keeps coming up is the book promotion paraphernalia. I'm talking about bookmarks, postcards, business cards...things you can give to bookstores as bag stuffers or hand out at libraries.
There seems to be a lot of talk in the blog-o-sphere about what is old news and what is hot in terms of marketing tools right now.
For instance, there is the business card. It can come in all sorts of forms from weird origami contraptions to thin sticky notes. The possibilities are endless...just look at one of the sites I found. Pretty, yes, but are they effective? I have no idea.
Then there is the postcard. A bigger space for your book cover and blurb...but I'm worried people will just toss these. And they're more expensive than business cards, yet are ideal for mailing to prospective bookstores. So there's that.
Bookmarks are the tried and true go-to marketing tool for writers. I used to work in a bookstore and we were constantly stuffing bags with bookmarks of the latest release. They're useful and practical. People do use them for their own books and they're inexpensive.
My question is which is more effective? Have you bought a book based on a postcard or a bookmark? Let me know what you think.
Until next time...Go Write!
Photograph by Googlisti.