I am learning about the author business and marketing and publicity are critical in spreading the word about your book.
Here are a few tools I use to market my book.
Marketing Tools for Chicago Roller Skating History Book
T-shirt
This is my “uniform” for events, my book cover on a t-shirt. I wanted to eliminate decision fatigue like Steve Jobs so I’m going to wear the same shirt design to every event. I’ll start looking into different colors to switch up my look a bit.
Bookmarks
I created this bookmark to give away at book events. Guess what? I cannot find them. I have not had them for two events, but I will have them for future events
Business Cards
Most people do not attend roller skating events to buy books; however, some are interested. I bought business cards to give to people who want to buy my book after the event.
Logo/Skate Sticker
In the 1940s and 50s, roller rink stickers were a thing. Rink owners gave stickers to skaters as free gifts with the perk of free publicity. These stickers became so popular that the people who collected them created an organization.
While my initial thought was a logo for my book, God expanded the idea into a roller skating sticker. I will sell them at events along with the book.
Here’s a little backstory about the logo. I created one on ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, and really liked it. I would prefer not to use AI generated images for my brand. Now, I may use them for blog posts and social media content, but not for my marketing materials…unless it is a last resort.
I found a designer to recreate the image for me and I love it. Now, I’ve got to get stickers made.
Table Runner
I purchased this table runner for author events. I was in awe when I removed it from the packaging. The book cover design is dope, but to see it in a large size was a different experience. I was so thankful to God for giving me the vision for the book cover.
Here’s my table design for events.
Someone told me to get a full tablecloth and banner for events. I want the tablecloth to be captivating. And the banner would be an ideal backdrop for another idea I have for events.
The t-shirt, bookmarks, business cards, logo and table runner are five tools tools in my marketing toolbox.
What About You?
What items do you use to market your products and services? Let us know in the comment box below.