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I had my occasional "virtual assistant" come to her first reader/writer con with me last weekend (Lori Foster's reader-author get-together in Cincinnati. About 150 authors and 250 readers/book bloggers attended) and asked her for her impressions of the event, what worked in her opinion and what didn't. She took her swag bag (a very nice black 7 purple canvas tote from Samhain Publishing) to her friend's house to "focus group" the stuff. Here's what she told me:
1. Snarky/rude authors don't work. She was attempting to chat with someone in a very long registration line who was short with her, seemed offended that she asked if the other person were an author or a reader. "I'm a writer," the woman sniffed, and turned away. Probably a good thing she didn't have a nametag because neither Laura nor her friends would buy those books.)
2. Bookmarks and postcards with kerned corners are better than those with sharp corners (the others get dog-eared).
3. They loved practical giveaway items that you can use and last longer. She said they especially liked magnets with the year's calendar printed on them. My coasters were a hit too (thank goodness, because I bought a boatload of them). Her mom said, "You wouldn't throw this away." They also liked the doorknob "do not disturb" hangers produced by Earthly Charms. Author Virna de Paul put her business card and romance trading cards down the pocket of a purse calendar. They loved that.
4. They didn't like stuff that was too heavily packaged/bundled (i.e. baggies full of cover flats, candy, pens all packed together.)
5. They weren't impressed with the Romance Trading Cards. "What do you do with them?" was the general question. They felt that if they'd had a 10% off coupon on something they'd have hung it on the fridge to use it. (Well, day-ang. I bought a boatload of those, too!)
6. Swag with more erotic covers made them nervous. They wouldn't display the fridge magnets, for example, in their home.
So that's the (completely unscientific) word from the woman on the street!
1. Snarky/rude authors don't work. She was attempting to chat with someone in a very long registration line who was short with her, seemed offended that she asked if the other person were an author or a reader. "I'm a writer," the woman sniffed, and turned away. Probably a good thing she didn't have a nametag because neither Laura nor her friends would buy those books.)
2. Bookmarks and postcards with kerned corners are better than those with sharp corners (the others get dog-eared).
3. They loved practical giveaway items that you can use and last longer. She said they especially liked magnets with the year's calendar printed on them. My coasters were a hit too (thank goodness, because I bought a boatload of them). Her mom said, "You wouldn't throw this away." They also liked the doorknob "do not disturb" hangers produced by Earthly Charms. Author Virna de Paul put her business card and romance trading cards down the pocket of a purse calendar. They loved that.
4. They didn't like stuff that was too heavily packaged/bundled (i.e. baggies full of cover flats, candy, pens all packed together.)
5. They weren't impressed with the Romance Trading Cards. "What do you do with them?" was the general question. They felt that if they'd had a 10% off coupon on something they'd have hung it on the fridge to use it. (Well, day-ang. I bought a boatload of those, too!)
6. Swag with more erotic covers made them nervous. They wouldn't display the fridge magnets, for example, in their home.
So that's the (completely unscientific) word from the woman on the street!
Thank you for sharing.
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