My Case Against Author Swag

By: Mary Kathleen Mehuron

I have never been comfortable wasting money and the earth’s environmental resources on trinkets that people will just throw away. Sure I will make business cards and bookmarks with the name of my new novel, The Belonger, on them but I will not purchase swag. Cups, pins, water bottles, hats, bags and the one I hate the most—beer koozies. How many water bottles does one person require? And if you don’t drink beer, that koozie is going right in the garbage. I am aware that only 21% of waste plastic is recycled or burned, the 79% that remains ends up in landfills or out there in the environment. The worst part is, it stays there forever in one form or another, because plastic doesn’t decompose. So no plastic promotional items for me and my books.

Let’s open our minds wider. Why not give your potential readers something they actually need and want. Something that is heartfelt and, the best part is, it’s free. You can give them your time.

Long ago I found a study by Goodreads that said the #1 reason people buy books is because they know the author. Upon further examination I realized they may not personally know the writer but may know of them or have seen their name before. So I decided to get my name out there by providing content in Vermont that benefits our community. I started writing articles called Take Me Back in which I celebrated locals who share a favorite living memory; I helped them get it down on paper and then ran around looking for photographs to support their story.

The articles were immediately popular in our local paper and became a column. Thanks, in part, to the Vermont Arts Council the column became a fundraising book which will launch the same day as The Belonger. It’s a beautiful keepsake edition. Part coffee table book and part a story of how the Take Me Back articles came about. The 27 chapters have a full story arc that weaves through the gorgeous photographs. It is a story about stories with lots of cool photos. 

Yes, I had to go out pitching like crazy, but all contributors donated their work and local businesses paid for the graphic design and printing. Therefore, 100% of the profits will go to history projects for The Mad River Valley in Vermont. After a lot of work, our fundraising became a 501 (c)(3) non- profit called Take Me Back Inc. 

In June the column will grow into a podcast and local television show. I am giving my time away, but it is rewarding how much people enjoy my work. They send me emails thanking me. I print them out, and if I have a blue day, I pull them out of the drawer to read again. One said, “We are so grateful that you hold up our history and celebrate us. But it’s also a chance to realize what a good writer you are.” An email like that is so heartwarming. And it makes my point doesn’t it? 

All the while my name is out there. The articles conclude with Mary Kathleen Mehuron writes books and lives in Waitsfield. You can pre-order her new novel, The Belonger, now. 

By doing good work for our larger community, more and more people feel they know me. I have noticed that my first two novels’ book sales have gone up and you know what? I feel that I am making a difference too.

Maybe you don’t have the time to start a non-profit, but you can help out someone with the skills you have developed by writing. And it will be noticed. Be a voice for others that don’t have your confidence. For example, you could work with the very young or the very old to tell their stories. It has never been easier to publish across so many venues. Or go to your school district and say, “I want to pilot a project. I know I could coach middle school kids to construct a story arc and create a hand made book. Your budget is tight. Let me volunteer to do it.”

You could post a free workshop online and let your readers know about it. Or offer your talent as a volunteer editor and coach to organizations that need help. I know one woman who created a workshop for women in prison and just made sure people knew about it. There are so many needs and possibilities. The best part is as people come to know you more and more, their feeling about you will be positive. That, and the products you create will not wind up in a landfill.  

Mary Kathleen Mehuron is a career educator who made a splash with her first book, Fading Past, an autobiographical novel whose protagonist, like Mary Kathleen, grew up Irish-Catholic in New Jersey. The Opposite of Never is Mary Kathleen’s second book, and to finish it, she traveled alone to Havana in January 2015 in order to experience the city before it became Americanized. Mary Kathleen lives and teaches in a ski town in Vermont where they call her Kathy. This is where she and her husband raised three sons,  and she is an occasional columnist and writes curriculum daily for private math and science students. She takes extended time to work on her novels on Grand Turk Island and in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.

Finding the Right Swag To Promote Your Book

by Elizabeth Sumner Wafler

Thud! More thuds. The boxes of books from my first publisher had landed on my front porch. Eeep! Schlepping them inside and ripping into the containers, I uncovered not only my pretty books, but tidy, rubber-banded stacks of bookmarks. Hmmm. Nice touch, I thought. Before my launch party, I dutifully slipped a bookmark inside each book without much thought. I didn't know SWAG from SWAK (the acronym gals penned on the backs of love letters to their sweethearts during WWII: sealed with a kiss.) So, to write about SWAG for Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire, I needed the experience of my savvy, writing hive mind. I logged onto the group's Facebook page.              

Turns out, my hive mind was not only teeming with creative SWAG ideas, but also with differing opinions about its value beyond a signing event or initial #bookmail presentation. It quickly became a thought-provoking dialogue. The practical types were all about creating something inexpensive that could be shipped and or easily slipped between the pages of a book. Bookmarks or cute cards are the easiest options, they said. Ahh, the bookmarks. But to me they feel pedestrian. Like the flowers one sees planted around fast food joints.

Magnets were a popular idea. The image of the author's cover would certainly pop on a Frigidaire. But as an anti-clutter advocate, unless it's my best friend's book magnet, I don't see it taking up permanent residence on the stainless. And where else does one use a magnet?

The most creative idea I gathered from my hive mind was a honey: a plain velvet, drawstring stash pouch like the one a character in the author's historical fiction carried. The author paid a pittance—a dollar—a piece for these and stuffed a character quote inside. A sweet sentiment, but I wish I had a dollar for every Clinique, freebie, promotional, make-up pouch I've given to Goodwill. 

Someone suggested Etsy candles. They were pricier than the previous items, but who doesn't love candles? One can hire an Etsy designer to create theme art representing her book for the label, but the price will leap like a trout. The hive mind conversation convinced me that current practices involving SWAG may need to be given a second look.

Now that current SWAG was becoming clearer to me, I flashed back to something Jennie Nash CEO of Author Accelerator posted on social media a few years ago about the innovative ways that authors connect with their readers. It's the best idea for SWAG I ever heard. The brain child of Saralyn Bruck author of Designer You was a mini, branded measuring tape. How handy dandy would it be to have one of those in your purse while shopping and aren't quite sure that cute little Martini table is tall enough. Brill stuff. Saralyn reportedly paid sixty-nine cents for the tape measures, plus extra for the branding print.

I'm currently promoting a new release titled Georgie Girl. I have a book signing coming up at Barnes & Noble--as soon as their post-COVID guidelines are in place. "You might have to wear a mask," my husband said. "Heck, I'd wear a Big Bird suit if I had to," I said.

SWAG for the event had only zoomed past my head from time to time like a bee trapped in the house for days. But when I spotted Mindy's post topic SWAG: SHIT WE ALL GENERATE, it was time to locate and nail that bee.

I began thinking candles. Someone in the writers' group had suggested that not everyone who buys a book needs to receive SWAG. Since mine's a live event, I considered my budget and decided to distribute candles to the first dozen readers to purchase a book. Who doesn't like to win something? So, I'm envisioning clear votive holders with white candles inside for the bookstore table along with pots of pink and purple blooms to make shoppers swarm. And some cool labels . . .

A DIY kind of gal with an obsession for the infographic maker CANVA, I investigated and learned that one can create stickers using CANVA. I might have geeked out a little. When I self-published my 1970's, coming-of-age story with Amazon, I designed the cover using one of their backgrounds with a 70's vibe to it.  In only a few minutes I designed a sticker with a contrasting circle in the center showcasing the book title and my website address. Who knows? Someone might actually look me up and decide to follow me. I paid $21 for the stickers that will be mailed to me in just a few days. In the meantime, I'll pick up votives and clear glass holders from World Market or order them from Amazon. Votives are everywhere! Wedding designers' penchant for ensuring that every guest must glow has sealed that deal.

When the candle has burned down, the holder can be reused. Perhaps when the reader lights the flame, she will remember me and my book fondly. And the day she was a happy winner at a book signing.

Elizabeth Sumner Wafler is the author of Georgie Girl. She came to writing after teaching school for twenty years, taking an early retirement to pursue her dream of writing fiction. She jumped off the cliff with no writing classes, joined the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and for three years served as Director of Craft Education Programs. In that capacity, she learned a great deal about the elements of strong storytelling. In 2018, she landed an outstanding literary agent Pamela Harty with the Knight Agency. Elizabeth’s third novel has just been acquired by She Writes Press and will be published spring of 2023.

YA Author Annie Sullivan on Creating Swag that Works

Most authors will agree that the creative part of the job is where we excel, the business and marketing side, slightly less. It’s lovely when the two can meet in the form of SWAG – Shit We All Generate. I’ve invited some published authors to share with us their secret to swag… little freebies that can sell a book longer after the author is no longer standing in front of a prospective reader. In order to create great swag, you have to be crafty – in more ways than one.

Today’s guest for the SWAG is Annie Sullivan, the author of the young adult novels A Touch of Gold, Tiger Queen, and A Curse of Gold. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, and she loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, and traveling and exploring new cultures. When she’s not off on her own adventures, she’s working as the Senior Copywriter at John Wiley and Sons, Inc. publishing company, having also worked there in Editorial and Publicity roles. She loves to hear from fans, and you can reach her on Twitter and Instagram.

Finding something that represents your book and hasn’t been played out by a million authors before is difficult. What’s your swag?

The swag I send out depends on the book. For my first book, A Touch of Gold, I found these amazing gold compact mirrors in the shape of a rose to send out to all those who preordered. It fit perfectly with the golden hand holding a gold rose on the cover of the book. I also did bookmarks, bookplates, and a digital map of the world. 

For my second book, Tiger Queen, I did enamel pins of the book cover that really stood out because of the tiger eyes depicted on them. I will say those pins were hard to mail since I had to wrap them well so they wouldn’t ruin anything else in the package of tear through the envelope. With those, I also sent bookmarks and signed bookplates. Then, I sent a digital poster and guide to the creatures that live in that world digitally. Also, since Tiger Queen is set in a desert that’s running out of water, I also had some custom water bottles made with the book cover and tagline on them. I gave those out at conferences, and they were a big hit.

Finally, for my new novel, A Curse of Gold, I’m leaning toward something that’s easier to send because of the pandemic. So I’m exploring options like character art cards, posters, and digital content.

I always try to do a mix of digital and physical content so that people that like different types of SWAG have something that appeal to them. 

How much money per piece did your swag cost out of pocket?

A lot. I probably paid, including shipping, about $5+ total per person who got SWAG—and way more for international preorders. It was definitely a lot, and while I do typically see high preorder numbers because of it, it’s not something that’s sustainable for multiple books.

Do you find that swag helps you stand out at an event? (or) Does your swag draw people to your table at an event or conference?

For me, SWAG has always been more of a way to incentivize people to preorder my book. But if I have extras, I give them out as prizes at my book launch, conferences, or school visits. Having these items on your table can be a great way to get readers to approach you at an event because you can offer them something for free and then engage them to see what books they like to read.

What do you think of big item swag pieces versus cheaper, yet more easily discarded swag like bookmarks?

Personally, bookmarks always get lost or crushed in my bag as soon as I shove them in there. So while I definitely hand out bookmarks—almost like business cards—I prefer something more substantial that’s not going to be thrown out the second someone gets home from an event. Then again, bigger, more expensive items are harder to ship and cost more. So there’s a lot of give and take in what you decide to use for swag and what you think will resonate with your readers the most.

What’s the most clever / best swag by another author?

Personally, I love posters of book covers. They aren’t horribly expensive, and if a reader loves a book or a cover, they’re more likely to display that then something that’s easily lost or wrinkled like a bookmark. For example, I love the Renegades poster I got at BookCon from Marissa Meyer. It’s a fun way to combine character art with book covers.

And the biggest question – do you think swag helps sell books?

Overall, yes. I think it can tip the scales for someone who might be on the fence about getting a book. When they see a cool preorder incentive, that might be the push they need to finally click that buy button. At least, that’s what I hope SWAG does!