Swag

What is it? How to think about it and How to find it.

Swag is another term I'd never heard of before writing romance. I thought it was something to hold a curtain back.

What is Swag?

"Book 'swag' is essentially promotional material that is released by authors and publishers to promote a publication. Common examples include promotional bookmarks and postcards, stickers, posters, and bonus content for the book." But it doesn't have to be that; it can be any gift you choose to include with your book that somehow relates. The essential thing is that it should excite readers and, hopefully, create a connection between the work and your reader.

When do you give Book Swag?

If you are asked to donate something for a conference or other event, or when you send the book to readers or reviewers during a launch.

When creating Book Swag, it is helpful to do the following?

• Have the Book Swag relate to the setting of the book.

• Have the Book Swag relate to a character in the book.

• Have the Book Swag relate to the specific genre of the book.

• Have something to hold the Book Swag, like a bag or it could be as simple as wrapping or tissue paper, but again, have it relate to the book somehow.

• Include a business card and a thank you card (to thank them for reading your book.)

Ideas for Book Swag:

• Post-it Notes now come in all kinds of designs. Find one that relates in some way to your book theme. Readers can use them to make notes about your book.

• Pens and pencils often have designs that may relate again to your genre or characters.

• Again, bookmarks come in many designs, or you can have them made based on your book cover.

• Charms.

• Drink Coasters

• Small spiral notebooks also come in various designs that could relate and are inexpensive.

• Childhood Birthday-themed sets. They can be broken down and contain bags, pens, notebooks, etc. I've seen paranormal ones that could be used nicely for adult books.

• Amazon isn’t the only game in town. Etsy has some cute things. Book Boyfriend Bookmarks and the like, or how about these personally developed bookmarks based on an author’s book. I thought they were terrific or how about your book on a keyring

• Temporary Tattoos. Perhaps one of your characters has a tattoo. Create it and make multiples, or find one that looks like it.

• Candy. Perhaps one of your character chews bubble gum. Why not include some?

• T-shirts and funny socks with quotes from your books could be things for your book swag.

• Lipstick. Can you find a cosmetics company to come up with your character's favorite shade?

There are many benefits to giving out book swag during your book launch. Yes, it costs money because you must purchase or make the items and mail them with the book. However, it does the following:

• It creates a buzz. People talk about your book.

• You decide the thrust of your book by what you give as swag.

• It's basically free advertising.

• Book swag provides an interactive experience. It gives people a reason to create content for their page. They can film themselves opening their swag and share it on social media platforms like Instagram. Here's a video of one of my readers opening her swag. Here is a reader opening Book Swag for my book The Flower Queen I reposted on my Instagram page. Here’s another one, I posted under stories. It’s fun to see what readers do with them. Hopefully, they read the book! Some are very good about telling when they are posting a review.

  This swag included flower-shaped Post-it notes, a flower pen, wildflower seeds, beautiful flower tissue paper, and a gold-foil sticker. There were several more posts of them opening their swag, but I think I made my point. I bought everything but the tissue paper in bulk, so the prices were low, and if I need to prepare more or donate a swag gift, I would have everything to create more.

Word of caution: If you're considering using your book cover for swag, it's crucial to ensure you have the right to do so. Do you need to purchase an extended license to use these images? It's always wise to double-check and ensure you're on the right side of copyright law.

In conclusion: Have fun with this. You are building another connection with the reader, and getting creative with the swag is part of that. If you've seen anything enjoyable used as swag, please share by leaving a comment: