On Bookmarks

Bookmarks. Don’t hate me, but I kind of…hate them. Well, not all of them; maybe I’m being too harsh. I have a beautiful wire ladybug bookmark a dear friend gave me, a hand-written and stamped label another dear friend made into an ingenious little bookmark, several beaded lengths of twine my daughter made for me, and of course there’s that one I bought to pay tribute to Lord of the Rings. But, really, how many bookmarks does a reader need at any one time? I don’t know about you, but I could do with one or two at the most. I could do with a tissue or piece of yarn in a pinch. Still, this is the item you’ll find in massive quantities whenever you go to a writers’ conference. And for good reason. For an author–especially a new one–bookmarks are an inexpensive way to help promote your work. As long as your bookmark hits the mark–meaning, as long as it can actually help promote you and not just become something left in the bottom of a tote or tossed into recycling.

How to make bookmarks matter more and work harder for you? Is it even possible? Through a new and growing Writers’ Promo Tips Yahoo loop
I’ve joined, I discovered this question-tackling post by blogger J.M. Snyder at Bookworm Bags. J.M. has graciously agreed to let me snag the original post for Writer Unboxed. Enjoy!

Thursday Thirteen ~ Bookmarks & what do to with them

I’m a big fan of Thursday Thirteen, a meme for bloggers to create a list of 13 items that may fit whatever theme you wish. It’s a good way to drive traffic to your website, and fun to see what others come up with as their weekly lists.

This week I’d like to talk about bookmarks. You made them yourself or had them designed professionally; you printed them at home or your local office supply store, or you ordered them online. However you got them, now you have 500+ bookmarks that you need to get rid of, right? So how exactly do you get them in front of people who may want to read your book?

Thirteen Things You Can Do With Bookmarks

1: Leave them in library books whose readers will enjoy your own stories, or put them in books when you return them. You can do this at bookstores or thrift shops that have a book section, as well.

2: Hand one to any solicitor who tries to hand you something (ie, you’ll take their flyer on the state of the economy if they’ll take your bookmark). I do the same thing with telemarketers over the phone ~ the minute they say they want to talk to me about yadda yadda, I say, “I’m glad you called. I just published this book …” They hang up every time.

3: Put a small stack on the counter of local stores. Bookstores, definitely, but think outside the box ~ do you write animal stories? How about leaving some with your vet’s office? Horse stories, look at tack shops. Erotica, visit fetish gear stores or adult bookstores or even lingerie places. Christian authors can find religious goods stores who will display the freebies. M/M or gay fiction? Gay bookstores, clubs, or places owned and operated by those in the gay community. Where I live, there’s a thrift store called “Diversity Thrift” where I left a ton of bookmarks on my way out.

4: Stick one in with your payment whenever you mail in your bills, or leave it on the table in the restaurant with your tip. You never know who will find it!

5: Sneak them into the magazines at the doctor’s waiting room.

6: Tack one to any community bulletin board you can find ~ restaurants and clubs always have well-decorated boards, and if you live in a college town, other stores closer to campus may be plastered with flyers and info on local events. Add your bookmark.

7: Leave some on the counter in the women’s restroom … wherever you may be (work, hotel, bookstore, airport).

8: Send bookmarks to writing workshops, literary/book fairs, conventions, or any events where goody bags are distributed. There are numerous ways to find out about these events; some are looking for free promo, while others want a small payment for stuffing bags. It may feel like you’re sending bookmarks off into the wild, but readers DO find them this way.

9: Attend local workshops and events where books or authors are discussed. Look for a free info table and leave some bookmarks there, or carry them with you and hand them out instead of business cards.

10: Tuck them into magazines on the newsstands or bookstore racks when no one’s looking. Make sure you wedge it in against the spine, the way the subscription mail-in cards are placed so ideally they don’t fall out before the reader takes the magazine home.

11: Leave one face-up in the back seat of your car, or in the corner of your rear window, just lying there, like you forgot it or it fell out of a book. How many people glance into your car when they pass it in a parking lot or garage, hmm?

12: Network with other authors who are attending events where they can distribute your promo items. If someone you know just dished out $400 for a table at a book expo, offer to send them $25 if they’ll stick your bookmarks on their table.

13: Join a great place like Bookworm Bags, where you will meet authors willing to including your bookmarks in goody bags that are then mailed to review sites, writers’ conferences, literary events, and readers all over the world! All you have to do is make a few bags yourself and send them to contest winners or hand them out at any event or signing you may be doing. A small price to pay to get your name out there!

In conclusion … however you pass on your bookmarks, be sure to carry some with you at all times. You never know who you may see ~ in line at the grocery store, on a bus, at a restaurant ~ who is reading a book and might like to know about what you write.

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What unboxed things have you done to help promote your work using bookmarks?

Photo courtesy Flickr’s Susarto