RTConvention

RT Booklovers Conference is coming up next week in Reno!  Unfortunately, I am going swag-light. I'm disappointed, but last month was full of much bigger disappointments.

What am I looking forward to?

1)      Meeting fellow writers.

2)      Meeting new readers. (AND getting to meet face to face some current readers!)

3)      Meeting readers passionate about the same books I love!

There are also quite a few writer’s craft panels that I specifically want to attend:

Make Marketing Your B*tch! (Wed)

Beyond Tall, Dark, and Brooding – Because… Mano. (Thursday)

Worldbuilding in Sci-Fi & Fantasy (Friday)

Oh, and I’ll also be sporting my Liaden outfit at the Steampunk High Tea Party (Thursday)  It’s not really steampunk, but I’ll get to wear my knee boots,spurs and saber. Don’t judge me.

Russian River, on the way to the sea! <3

Swag Phase 2 - The Imprint

Thank you so much for the feeback on the first survey!  (I'm still collecting answers in case you wanted to submit your answers.  

Now, onto the artwork!  I'm leaving out the artwork for just my name and website that would be all the space available for a pen or some of the smaller items.  Instead, I'm focused on the big ticket swag.  Pick the image you'd like to see.  If you'd like something else, let me know here or in the survey.

Swag Advice

As I do my own search for the most epic swag at a convention, I reached out to other writers for feedback. 

Aside from the general advice to know your budget and know your audience I received some great nuggets of wisdom.  And also an anti-swag voice.

Lucy Farago cautions that many swag-hunters are the grab-and-go type.  ‘Swag junkies,’ she says. I know this is true. I’ve seen people shovel handfuls of loot into their pack without even looking twice.  Lucy suggests that swag is not the best use of marketing money for authors who don’t have an established brand.  Her suggestion for new authors is to use swag for small reader events

Jo McNally recommends checking on the fine print before pulling the trigger on your purchase.  An item that seems cheap might be too good to be true.  Make sure you’re taking into account things like setup fees and shipping costs. You don’t want a $2 item to end up being $15 when you factor in all the minor charges.

Ava Cuvay remarks that readers/swag-hunters might not understand the use of certain items.  For example, the wine charms a reader thought were naval rings. (That’s quite some jewelry if you’re brave enough to try it. Owie)

She also notes that promotional plastic fans make for dual purpose ice scrapers. (Pro tip)

Now for the fun part!  Links to your swag shopping pleasure!

www.vistsprint.com – Great for paper promo items and pens. (My experience with Vista Print has always been great.  I haven’t seen much of their higher end product but have seen pens, mousepads and of course business/post cards.)

https://www.uprinting.com/ - Great for paper promo items.  (My experience with Uprinting has been spot on.  I created some large brochures and they came out great. Lots of options including mini & pocket brochures.)

www.stickermule.com/‎ -- Stickers and magnets

www.stickeryou.com – Stickers, Magnets and even Temporary tattoos!

www.journalbooks.com – Journals/Notebooks

www.4imprint.com/‎ -- Put your logo on everything! It is a deep, dark rabbit hole. You’ve been warned.

www.anypromo.com/ -- Another site with promo items to slap your logo on.

http://www.eversonbrand.com – Higher end swag

www.themagnetgroup.com – Higher end swag

http://www.logomark.com/ – Higher end swag

I’m sure there are more sites out there, this is just a scratch on the surface, but it should keep you busy shopping for a little while.  Thank you for reading and if you haven’t, please complete the survey.

Swag'tastic Swag

This Swag’s for YOU

Once again, I’m faced with the question of what to create for give-away goodies. I vacillate between the quirky that borders on downright goofy and cute, all the way to expensive, elegant items. The reality is that my budget doesn’t change just because I want my awesome readers (And future readers) to have high end swag.  This means I end up with options ranging from 1000 postcards or 1 custom framed map of the Spirit Lands.

The only way out of this mess is to cry for help! 

What do you like to take home as swag?  What sort of swag would encourage you to throw your name in to WIN?  What would rock your world to get from me as a goodie?  (Don't forget to check out the survey!) SURVEY

Diana Rose Wilson’s 2018  Swag’stravaganza

Tee-Shirt

Pros: Awesome new clothes! Great branding impact.

Cons: Very limited quantity and sizes (Probably can only do one size Large or XL). Challenging to display.

Bag/Tote

               Pros: Fantastic new tote for your shopping. Great branding impact.

               Cons: Very limited quantity.

Drink Containers (Mugs/Glasses)

               Pros: Classy. Multi-use items. Good branding impact.

               Cons: Limited quantity. Challenging to display. Possibly fragile.

Toys-Stuffed Animals/Stressballs/Toys-Puzzles

               Pros: Cute/quirky. Good branding impact.

               Cons: Dust collectors. Ends up in trash.

Bottle Opener (Corkscrew and/or church key)

               Pros: Affordable. Quirky

               Cons: Who uses these?  Limited impact for branding.

Printed Short Story

               Pros: A free chance to meet my character(s) and see if you want more.

               Cons: Lots of freebie shorts out there, will mine get lost in the shuffle? Not personalized for my current readers.

Pen/Pencil

               Pros: You get a pen! You get a pen! Everyone gets a pen!

               Cons: Everyone already has a pen. Why would you need mine? Limited impact for branding.

Notebook

               Pros: It’s always good to have a high end notebook, particularly for writers.

               Cons: Mostly writers will pick up rather than readers.  Will fans enjoy this?

Paper-Items (Bookmarks, postcards, business cards)

               Pros: Easy/fast/affordable. Flexible branding opportunity.

               Cons: ‘Cheap’. Boring. Ends up on conference floor.

Magnets

               Pros: Reusable. Customizable. Affordable. Flexible branding opportunity.

               Cons: Uninspired. Danger of ending up on conference floor/trash high.

Stickers/Tattoos

               Pros: Fun/quirky. Flexible branding opportunity.

               Cons: Limited usability. Use it and loose it.

Adult Items (Condom/Lube)

               Pros: Fun and quirky. Ahem. Unique. Fits the theme of my books.

               Cons: Too risqué? Legal issues with adult theme? I’ll offend SOMEONE.

Candy/Food

               Pros: SUGAR!

               Cons: I don’t want to be a junk-food pusher.  Limited branding impact. Use it and loose it.

Tech: Flashdrive

               Pros: Small and easy to showcase. Load with stories/art/fun stuff!

               Cons: Limited impact for branding. Danger of someone accusing virus issues.

Tech: BatteryCharger

               Pros: Useful gadget!

               Cons: Very limited quantity. Limited impact for branding.

Tech: Other (Cables/Cellphone holders)

               Pros: Toys for techie geek-readers. Clever and useful.

               Cons: Limited impact for branding. Not sure the holders work for ALL cellphones.  Some items seem outdated already. (iphone 4??!!) 

So, that's my rundown, so far.  Let me know what you think.  Am I on point?  Disagree with my opinions?  Give me some feedback. 

Swag, Swag, Baby!

Swag seems like the easiest thing to do. Get some cute dust collectors, slap your name on them and hand out to everyone and their sister and red-headed step-sibling.  Boom. Instant success. Everyone knows about you. Retire wealthy.

However, I routinely obsess about this very topic. What do I get? What do people want?

Because, it’s not about what I want. It’s not even about what the general Joe-conference-attender wants. It’s about what YOU want. You: my reader.

You are my reader, right? 

                          ...    Hello? 

Well, I’d like you to become my reader and I want to provide next level swag that won’t end up in the trash, convention floor, or in the bottom of a desk drawer. Also need swag that won’t break the bank. Have some pity on this little author! 

Over the week, I’ll be sharing and spreading the word about a couple polls with some of my ideas. I know my readership is shy, but please take a moment to click some buttons for feedback. 

Not a reader, but you’re a writer looking for ideas?  I’ve got you covered. I’ll be sharing stories from other writers in the same situation (Swag-Lock) and give advice and tips for making some fun swag, and how to avoid the pitfalls.  Also, looking for guests to give their stories, good and bad, about their swag experiences.  I’ll provide you with MANY links to swag-sites where you too can lose yourself down the rabbit hole of swag’topia. There will be so many sites, you will beg me to stop!

For today, however, we have the first poll!  Please take a moment to answer the questions.  It’s for your own good. ;)