Oh yes … a book is a wonderful thing! The catch is, people need to pick it up and read it. We authors need tips and tricks … and promo tools to encourage the “pick up” factor. This is beyond social media postings and people buzzing. It’s the visual that catches the eye.

Your “add-ons” will enhance your book sales.

• Think Bookmarks…
• Think Postcards …
• Think Card Decks …
• Think Rack Cards …
• Think Door Hangers …
• Think Banners …
• Think Posters …
• Think Sticky Notes …
• Think Pens, Bags …
• What Else? …

Through the years, I’ve given away a variety of items that supported my brand, expertise, and of course, my books. Favorites have been pens, nail files, sticky note pads, book markets, rack cards, bags, and door hangers. I use standalone vertical banners, posters to position within a room and backdrops at a booth and table banners. And I would suggest you do, too.

Two of the most common are bookmarks and postcards. Both can sub as a quasi-business card. One other thing: get your book designer involved. You want these to be professionally designed-not a DIY project.

For most authors, bookmarks are freebies–given away to any and all they know and don’t know. Some have a “string attached”–a book buyer gets them if the book is purchased. Some have a fee attached to them. The one that I used for my book Stabotage: How to Deal with the Pit Bulls, Skunks, Snakes, Scorpions & Slugs in the Health Care Workplace sold for $5 or 10 for $40–the contained my Carefronting Script that was a tool that went with the book. 

Author Connie Munde, What Love Would Say, created a combo–her book cover, an interior image, and promo info for her, her website, her blog plus contact information.

Creating a Bookmark
Bookmarks for kids’ books should pull one of the graphics from the interior, add some lines from the interior or tips for kids. Some children’s authors add a physical symbol that relates to the theme of the book. Nonfiction authors can easily turn the bookmark into a “tool” with a “how-to” tip for the reader. Fiction authors can create a tease to the story on theirs.

Laminate them, add a spiffy tassel or a and you will be amazed at the add-on sales to your book sales they create. Don’t forget your book cover and your contact info.

What to include on your bookmark:

Book cover.
A short headline to grab the viewer’s interest … possibly your tag line.
Book title, subtitle, and author name.
Your book or author website.
A blurb or two.
A few lines from your book or image if a kids’ book.
If a nonfiction, a few bullets with insights or tips.
If fiction, You could include where the book can be purchased.

Since bookmarks will be picked are usually picked up by readers–if you insert “available at”, be careful. I would include something like: Available at major outlets: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and indie bookstores. 

Book promotion postcards

Who sends postcards these days? Start with savvy, smart marketers who just happen to be authors. A postcard usually captures more interest than an email, it lasts a lot longer, and it can double as a bookmark, too. If you snail mail them, 

Postcards cost less to mail. There are special single stamps for postcards. And don’t just stop at one postcard–create up to four.

On the front: book cover, pullouts from key lines in your book; a word cloud of keywords around your book’s theme; a word cloud of keywords around your expertise.

On the back: ahas, a few tips, your contact info, a return address AND a call to action.  Leave some space on yours so you can write a brief note. What else?

Before designing a postcard, check the acceptable sizes for the US Postal Service and/or Canada Post. Normal sizes are 4 x 6 inches.

Have fun … but do bookmarks and postcards. You will find both work in your promotion.

Ashography Event Photography

Dr. Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and author of 37 multi-award books. She’s guided over 1,000 authors in creating their books, earned in excess of $3,000,000 in speaking fees based on her books and gathered over $2,000,000 in onsite book sales at her speaking gigs. Her book, How to Create a $1,000,000 Speech flips a difficult topic into a simple and easily comprehensible plan. If you want to get into speaking, this is the guide that will be the game-changer to success. And, if you want to know more about Judith’s life, her book of “hope” is When God Says NO-Revealing the YES When Adversity and Loss Are Present. You can get it HERE. 

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