#WWow - Loot? Booty? SWAG? What to do.

SWAG Ideas & Places

SWAG: loot, booty, plunder, valuables

What’s a author to do?

A newbie writer friend who’s going through her first blog tour soon, asked me about SWAG and giveaways last week. So, I thought I’d share a few ideas here as well as places to create SWAG online.

Here’s a list of ideas:

·        Bookmarks

·        Postcards

·        Canvas Bags

·        T-shirts

·        Pens

·        Notebooks

·        Notepads

·        Sticky Notes

·        Magnets

·        Pins/Buttons

·        Cozy

·        Keychain

The list is endless. What I enjoy are SWAG items that are related to the book. 

For example, for my upcoming release, Love and Other Games (Oct. 1), I will be giving away a Ty beanie doll dressed in Olympic garb. My story in this anthology is about a snowboarder named TY participating in the Olympics. I thought it was a cute idea.

We’re also giving away Olympic pins, like this one:

Another item we’ll give away is a necklace that one of the heroines wears:

 

If you’d like a chance to win any of these SWAG items or learn more about our Love and Other Games release, please come sign up for our Facebook Release Day Party! https://www.facebook.com/events/353106031489358/

The point here is --- Relate your SWAG to your book theme!

Now, the places you can visit to make easy SWAG. Here are a few I’ve used or heard about:

VistaPrint

GotPrint

OvernightPrints

MooCards

Tammy also wrote a post a few weeks ago about SWAG here. 

I'm curious to know what type of SWAG you like to receive. Please leave a comment below!

Melinda Dozier is a contemporary romance writer. Her three debut novels were released in 2013: The Boy Next Door and Time Changes Everything from Entranced Publishing, and Breaking the Rules from Crimson Romance. Her next release, Love and Other Games: Trouble With Gold will be released in October from Swoon Romance. You can find more information at her website:www.melindadozier.com

Prepping For A Convention

I recently went to my first convention. Author After Dark in Savannah, Ga. It was a blast. Tons of fun. But I must admit, when I first arrived, and even when I left, I was like a dear in headlights. There was so many people, so much to do, so many things I didn't think of.

All these great swag ideas I'd never though of. Authors made cell phone screen cleans, lint brushes, hand sanitizer, even tissues. So many awesome things. Some simple too. Such as having stickers made and simply placing it on the item. I left there thinking, why didn't I think of that? Well, I didn't because I had never been.

I did have pens made to give out, and a few special business cards that lead readers to a special site to get a free book.

I recommend when you go to one of these things to have a friend. Whether it's an author you chat with online and you two agree to be buddies for it, or you bring someone along, just don't do it alone. So many authors and readers, you have to break out of your shell and talk to them. A friend by your side will help. Tell them who you are and hope maybe they've heard of you. But don't get your feelings hurt if they haven't. Because going to that convention is your first step to having a face to your work.

By the time you leave that first convention, you'll be ready for the next. You'll know what to expect. You won't look like a sixth grader on the first day of school.

But the best advice I can give, is to have fun. Enjoy the new experience, take mental notes, and have fun.

Here I am at the signing. 

Signing Books! Gotta love that!

Elemental Ball. Lots of fun with Ella Jade and Jaye Shields