You’ve invested a lot of time—and money—into getting your book published. But just when you’re ready to start searching under the couch cushions for lost coins, here comes the most important part of making your book a success—now you need to market your book!

One of the best ways to get the word out about your book is to offer promotional goodies at conferences, bookshops, libraries, etc. You might be thinking, That’s not possible on my tight budget! But we’ve found some really effective, inexpensive promo items you can use to entice readers to buy your book—without breaking the bank.

Bookmarks

A memorable or insightful quote from your book is perfect for a bookmark, or you can take inspiration from your book cover! You can also feature a QR code or a link to your author website or sales page where your book can be purchased.

Notepads

Think small: Offer a notebook that can be easily carried by your readers for jotting down notes on the go. And keep in mind, a smaller notepad means you’ll pay less for the items.

Pens

Pens are always in demand, so they’re smart additions to your promotional arsenal (and they’ll go great with those handy little notebooks you’re thinking about offering!). You can imprint your book title and author website address so that this info is at your readers’ fingertips when they’re ready to buy.

Booklets

Give readers a taste of your writing and make them hungry for more! Use a great excerpt from your book or write a short story based on the characters or setting and print it in a small booklet to entice potential fans. Make sure that at the end of your booklet, you provide links to where interested readers can buy your books.

Many adults love to read a book with a glass of wine or bottle of beer. Why not help them out with that? A simple corkscrew can be customized with your name, book title, and sales link. Bottle openers tend to be a little less expensive, and are just as customizable. Readers will thank you every time they open a new bottle!

Tote bags

A tote bag is a great promo goodie! It might be a little pricier, but the promotion effect is twofold. Not only will it promote your work to the person using the tote bag—it will also promote you and your book to every passerby! Think of all the people on the train or at the grocery store who will see your design on a stranger’s tote bag and be interested in learning more about you and your book.

Get The Best Bang For Your Promo Buck

For the best marketing results, give out items that people will actually use. When people are faced with lots of choices (like trying to choose the next book to read), they gravitate toward what seems most familiar. By giving away items that can be used again and again, potential readers will frequently see your name and book title—and you’ll have a better chance of turning a potential reader into an actual one!

You might also consider combining one or more of these physical promo items with a digital promotion on your website. Perhaps you can use your bookmark to direct a reader to an exclusive digital giveaway available on your author website, which will nudge them to buy your book!

There are many other promotional items you can give away without breaking the bank. A quick Internet search will help you find the perfect item to promote your book while still pinching pennies.

QUESTION: What promotional items would you most like to receive from an author?