Should you create swag? How about merchandise? What is it? Does it help? I’ll tackle these questions, plus tips on how to get started.
These are marketing techniques. You can make them as simple or as complex as you want.
How Swag & Merch Can (Potentially) Sell Books
• They build a sense of belonging, exclusivity, and loyalty.
• They build a connection to the author.
• Personalized items, like signed bookplates, create emotional connections.
• They give your brand a deeper meaning, fostering brand loyalty and repeat customers.
• Digital swag can boost pre-order sales.
• Items like bags and mugs keep your book in the readers’ thoughts, so when the next book comes out, they’ll buy it.
Swag VS Merch
Swag
Swag is something free that’s given away., usually at book fairs and conventions, to help readers remember you and your book. Sometimes the reader will share it with others, which is free advertising.
Swag includes business cards, stickers, buttons, bookmarks, trading cards, notepads, posters, pens, even candy and hand sanitizers. The first five cost less to make and buy. However, the last five last longer and can make a bigger impression. To make a bigger impression, choose items that tie into your genre. For example, lip balm for romance.
Staples® or your local print shop can make business cards, notepads, notebooks, and Post-it Notes. The cost will vary and can get expensive. I printed my business cards through Staples. It was incredibly simple, inexpensive ($20 for 250 cards), and the results were fantastic.
For pens, pins, stickers, bags, etc., several authors recommended
Imprint. I haven’t used their services, but I have received products from companies that do, and they look professional.
When you order swag, you typically buy in bulk, like 300 pens at a time. So, you should only buy them if you plan on going to a convention or book fair.
Is it worth it?
Business cards, absolutely, bookmarks as well. Maybe buttons. When I checked, they were about $28 for 50 two-inch buttons, not including shipping.
Does swag sell books? Also, a maybe. Suppose you sell five books after distributing 50 buttons. If your book’s royalty is $3, that’s a total of $15. You’d need 10 people to buy your book just to break even. The odds of that happening are low. Even so, buttons are quite fun!
The odds are different if you have several publications. The more books you have, the better your chances become.
FINAL THOUGHT
The low return on investment (ROI) makes this a poor investment for debut authors.
Digital Swag
This includes deleted scenes, bonus content, a look behind the scenes, maps, coloring pages, character art, recipes for food and drinks mentioned in the book, and a playlist. You can make all these available for download or post to your newsletter. And you can do this at no or little cost to you.
Digital swag is so fun to receive. I enjoy getting a closer look at the world of the author.
I created a website for my
fictional town. At the end of my book, I have a travel poster for the town with a URL. The website includes places and things mentioned in the book and in upcoming books.
FINAL THOUGHT
Overall, the ROI is great. Worth it.
TIP: Swag should have your name and your book somewhere easy to spot on it.
Examples of merch I made
Merch
Merchandise refers to goods offered for purchase. It can act as advertising, but it’s really a side hustle. Merch includes all the swag, plus items like T-shirts, bags, mugs, water bottles, journals, and totes.
Merch can have your book info on it, but it’s often more creative, like “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob.” Your product could feature a quote from your book or have an illustration of a character, location, or item from your book. I’ve seen authors add to their inventory by creating designs about their genre or generic designs like “future best-selling author.”
You can sell merch on your website using
Printify. Or you can sell through a print on demand (POD) shop like
REDBUBBLE and
TEEPUBLIC. I recommend doing one of those over printing and selling them yourself. That’s an entire business on its own!
Does merchandise help sell books?
No, it’s the other way around, your books will help sell merch. Merch is passive income. Once made and uploaded, you’re done. Will you make a lot of money? Maybe not, but you could make enough for a nice dinner now and then.
If you like to see some of the merch I made for my book,
click here.
FINAL THOUGHT
Overall, the ROI is good. And it’s pretty cool to see someone wearing a shirt you designed.
Tips on Making Designs
Whether you make your design just typography, your book cover*, a doodle, or detailed art, consider the audience and the medium.
For shirts and mugs, opt for simpler artwork with a limited color palette. Complex designs or those with hundreds of colors often appear muddy or fuzzy when printed.
Always use a transparent .png at 300dpi.
*If you use your book cover, make sure you have the rights to put it on merchandise. If you used stock imagery for your cover, you must also have commercial rights to each image. Book covers work best on business cards, trading cards, notebooks, and bookmarks.
If you’re not a designer or artist, places like
Canva and
Kittl can help you design your image.
Have you created swag or merch? Any tips you’d like to share? If you have any questions, leave a comment.
H. R. Sinclair is an urban fantasy author and artist. She was born and raised in Southern California, but now lives and works in New England. Her debut book BLOODSTONE has a witch, a ghost, and a secret. Follow H. R. and learn more about her and her books by visiting her
website. Her merch shop here:
shop.
