Glynnis Campbell is one of those writers who not only really knows her audience and writes books that her readers love, but she also really knows her way around unique promotional swag.
The most savvy Indie Authors are treating their writing and publishing like a business. And, one of the things that businesses do is create unique, enticing and interesting swag to generate buzz and word of mouth about their products.
Glynnis Campbell has been doing that for a long time. But here are just a few examples of the unique and intriguing promotional products she had created.
A look at the special deck of California Legends playing cards that accompany an announcement about Native Hawk
Another example is this wonderful September 2016 letter about her release of the LORDS WITH SWORDS Digital Box Set which features the complete The Knights of de Ware series of My Champion, My Warrior and My Hero) that came with a beautiful and custom stylized letter opener.
The letter informs the Kobo team about some forthcoming promotions she had on sites such as BookBub as well as calling back to some past successes which worked nicely, for her.
But it also includes a cute mention of the reason why she only sent ONE letter opener to the team:
“I didn’t want to be held accountable for any reckless office swordplay”
Sigh, she knows the Kobo Writing Life team all too well.
A promotional letter (with letter opener) for LORDS WITH SWORDS (A Digital Box Set)
We’re sharing these things with you not as a ploy for authors to send us swag, but as an example of some of the things that authors can do to reach their readers and their community. Think about how these types of items might be received by die-hard fans. (KWL Director Mark Lefebvre is a huge fan of Michael Connelly and still uses a Trunk Music mug that he got his hands in 1997 when the book was first published)
Remember, it’s not just about the swag, but it’s the way that the promotional products and promotional information that you send ties in to the content, subject and genre of your books. It’s also about the human connection. The example of the “reckless office swordplay” note from Glynnis demonstrates her understanding that there are people behind a company like Kobo (or any other retailer for that matter). Glynnis sees her relationship with the Kobo Writing Life team as an ongoing partnership, as a collaboration, and she sends fun and interesting letters and items.
Her activities, therefore, reflect solid business, relationship and marketing skills in her constant, polite and professional thank you notes and reminders about her latest titles. This isn’t a bribe, but, instead, a reminder of one of the wonderful authors that we admire working with and it’s a great way to help those of us who see thousands of new titles every week be able to quickly and easily bring a particular author or a particular series or a particular book title to mind.
A few misc promotional swag items from Glynnis Campbell, including a coffee mug, a deck of cards and a box of matches
Glynnis Campbell is a USA Today bestselling author of swashbuckling action-adventure romance. She is also the wife of a rock star, and the mother of two young adults, but has also been a ballerina, a typographer, a film composer, a piano player, a singer in an all-girl rock band, and a voice in those violent video games you won’t let your kids play. Glynnis does her best writing on cruise ships, in Scottish castles, on her husband’s tour bus, as well as at home in her sunny southern California garden. She loves to play medieval matchmaker, transporting readers to a place where the bold heroes have endearing flaws, the women are stronger than they look, the land is lush and untamed, and chivalry is alive and well!
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