Lija Fisher on Creating Memorable Swag

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 Lija Fisher, author of the middle grade Cryptid Duology. Lija was raised in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She received her BFA in Performance Studies from the University of Colorado. Prior to becoming an author, she trained for a while (a very short while) to be a Hollywood stunt person.

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

I put together (with the help of the marketing guru Kirsten Cappy at Curious City) what I call my ‘Junior Cryptozoologist Kit.’ My books are about cryptozoology, the search for animals that might be real (Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti) so in this ‘kit’ I have a bookmark, ‘Bigfoot Believes in You’ sticker, junior cryptozoologist pin, and cryptid research cards that tell the origin story of four different legendary animals.

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

The bookmark and stickers were $75 each to design, and then printing costs which vary depending on how many I order at one time. The pins were free from when I did a collaboration with the International Cryptozoology Museum. The biggest expense were the cryptid cards as I paid the illustrator $600 for the art, a few hundred to Curious City for the design, and then around $350 for printing. I won’t lie, it was a big expense that I set aside some of my advance money to pay for.

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?

Absolutely. The cryptid cards were a big expense, but they were so worth it. When kids walk by my table at an event I hold up the cards and ask them if they know the names of the animals. Asking kids about Bigfoot is a marvelous ice breaker! I then quiz them on their knowledge of cryptids and having the cards there is a huge draw. And adults LOVE the Bigfoot Believes in You stickers. My swag is always a conversation starter with both kids and adults and definitely leads to more book sales.

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

Honestly, the only swag I feel is necessary for MG authors are bookmarks, especially if you do school visits. They’re a cheap thing to hand out to the kids and great marketing. Any swag beyond that is fun, and can help with branding and fun social media posts, but can cost a lot and their effect on sales is questionable. However, I think it's also possible to find unique swag that makes your book memorable but is also affordable (like my answer below!)

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

Andrea Wang has a picture book Magic Ramen about the history of ramen noodles, and at live events she hands out Cup O’ Noodles soup with a sticker of her book on there and I think that’s so spectacular! Affordable yet memorable!

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

Ugh, such a hard question. Do we ever know what helps a book sell? My opinion is that any swag after bookmarks is fun and nifty, but does it move the needle much? Who knows. My guess would be ‘not a ton.’ So my advice for authors is to look at swag as a cost that you won’t recoup, and then have fun with whatever budget you’re under (or don’t bother with it at all!) And who’s to say that affordable swag is less impressive than expensive swag? What if your swag was a handmade poem in calligraphy that you created? Wonderful! Will it sell a single book? Who knows! What if it was more expensive? I one time offered a $45 pair of FABULOUS Bigfoot slippers on twitter as a pre-order gift and ONE person entered. As with everything in publishing, do what makes you happy, not what you think you should be doing, because who knows it it’ll work, but at least you’re enjoying the journey!

Six Situations Worse Than Being on Submission

I’ve got a guest post for you here today on the blog. Today’s guest poster is Deanna Cabinian, author of One Night, One Love, and One Try (aka The Thompson Series). Her writing has appeared in Writer’s Digest, Writer Unboxed, and YA Interrobang. She is a graduate of the Writing in the Margins mentorship program and is represented by Penny Moore of Aevitas Creative Management.

As someone who’s spent more time than I’d like to admit scouring the internet for submission stories, I have to say Mindy’s SHIT stories are the best. If nothing else, it’s comforting to know that the anxiety felt during submission is normal (or common at least). I know what it’s like to check email nonstop and stalk deal announcements on PW and Twitter. But 2019 has been all about perspective for me. Even though writing is a big part of my life, it’s important not to let it become all-consuming. Without further ado here’s my list of Six Situations Worse than Being on Submission:

1. Falling and cracking your head open. This past February, I was walking to the recycling bin when WHOOPS I slid and fell on black ice on our front step. I fell forehead-first into decorative bricks that line our garden. There was blood everywhere, so much it clouded my vision. I looked like a crime scene and had to crawl back to the house and yell for my husband who took me to the ER. I got seven stitches and suffered painful, knife-like headaches for weeks afterwards. I’m now the owner of a Harry Potter like scar, though it has faded a lot.

2. Trying to get a quote for medical services. See a pattern here? Anything to do with medicine or healthcare is far worse than being on sub. Imagine being on hold for two hours and fifteen minutes only to find out sorry you have the wrong department, but can you try this one instead? Let me transfer you. I have wasted many an hour trying to figure out the cost of medications or procedures.

3. Visiting a loved one in the ICU. Whenever a close family member ends up in the hospital it’s always a reminder of what really matters in life. There is nothing more stressful than sitting in a waiting room for days on end hoping for positive news. It’s also very traumatic to see your mother with a breathing tube. Thankfully everything turned out okay, but it could have gone another way entirely.

4. Getting stranded at the Atlanta airport for almost ten hours. There is nothing more maddening than thinking you’re going home after a few days spent working (on a weekend no less) only to have your flight delayed not once, twice, or even three times, but four or five times. I was glad I wasn’t by myself, but only to a certain point. On the plus side I got to eat chicken and waffles at Ludacris’s restaurant and saw every bar in the airport.

5. Trying to change your cell phone plan. When you call your provider to ask if it’s possible they say yes, sure, it just takes a few minutes. In reality the process is much more complicated. Five years and multiple visits to Verizon and T-Mobile later, my husband and I are still on separate phone plans and probably will be for the next five years.

6. Learning how your favorite show ends because some people can’t keep their mouth shut. Okay, this one isn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things but man it can sure ruin your day if you’ve spent weeks binge watching Lost only to have someone tell you how it ends when you’re two episodes away from the series finale. Thanks a lot, Mario.

So, there you have it. My Six Situations Worse than Being on Sub aka your gentle reminder that writing is important to us, but it isn’t all of us. I know the submission trenches are difficult, worse than querying, but we are all trying our best which is what matters.