Writers Wednesday – Marketing Tip
Authors are tempted to hand out 2”x6” bookmarks to introduce themselves to prospective readers because they are in the book business. It’s a good tie-in, but there’s a better, cheaper way to provide your contact information and display your books on an attractive marketing piece.
Most economical – Business cards can be bookmarks too. Design a standard 3.5” x 2” business card with your books on one side and your contact info on the other. The only extra cost is for printing on the backside. Watch for common promo prices and get them even cheaper.
Go big – Post cards 4”x5” give lots of room for displaying your books and they aren’t as easily lost.
Always buy in quantities…200 and 500 are best if you’ll use that many.
Compare pricing for standard, one sided cards in a quantity of 250:
Bookmarks – 42 cents each; Post Cards – 14 cents each; Business cards – 8 cents each
Smaller quantities cost more per piece, but biz cards and post cards are always cheaper than bookmarks.
The cards in the photo are from Vista Print, though other outlets have similar pricing. Vista Print allows you to download your own design or you can use one of theirs. I designed the book cover arrangement and other elements on picmonkey.com (I use it often, so it’s worth the annual fee of $100). The backside printing adds a bit to the cost, but gives me room for my up-coming project. Otherwise I said No to the extras. The standard paper is sturdy and the printing is accurate and sharp.
I trust Vista Print (No, I don’t get a kickback for mentioning them).
I once ordered a bunch of printed posters, cards, and tote bags for a book launch in Florida, but gave them my Illinois address. Three days before the event, I had nothing and called in a bit of a panic. They replaced everything in a two-day rush sent to Florida…and didn’t charge me anything for the second set of items or for expedited shipping.
To connect with my historical fiction work in progress: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1185865059974956
Jeanne Meeks ~ Fiction Author 