So I’ve talked about some promotional things that have and haven’t worked for me this week. Today, I thought that I’d share a few quick tips that have helped me along the way:

1. Asking for discounts: I use the same company to print all my bookmarks. A while back, I asked one of the reps if I could get some kind of discount since I had used their services so much. She put me on her preferred customer list and now gives me a small discount every time I put in an order for new bookmarks. It’s not a huge discount, but it saves me a little when it comes to shipping costs for the bookmarks.

So don’t be afraid to ask somebody for a discount. The worst thing they can do is just say no.

2. Rewards cards: Authors buy lots of office supplies — envelopes, rubber bands, printer ink, books. So sign up for a rewards card at your local office supply store or book chain. I know some places like Office Depot will give you a couple of bucks (I think it’s $3) towards a gift/rewards card for every printer cartridge that you recycle. I usually buy enough ink alone to get a gift card every quarter with at least $10 on it, which I use to help pay for color copies or envelopes or whatever I need at that particular time. It’s not a huge savings, but every little bit helps.

3. Become an affiliate: If you’re an author, make sure that you are an affiliate with at least one of the major booksellers or a good independent store. I’m an Amazon affiliate. That means that every time someone clicks on one of my book links, goes to Amazon, and buys the book, I get a commission of a few cents. Again, it’s not a lot, but a few times a year, I get an Amazon gift card, which I can use to buy books for giveaways or whatever.

4. Find someone local to do the work: If you need to have something done (like creating a Web site) that you just don’t know how to do, try to find someone local who does. Look in the yellow pages or contact one of your local colleges and see if you can hire someone in your area to do the job. They might just be cheaper than trying to find a Web site or graphic designer online. A college student might design a site for you for a class project or just to be able to put it on their resume. It never hurts to ask.

5. Do the work yourself: I do a lot of my work myself — everything from designing bookmarks to stuffing envelopes to booking ads. Yeah, it’s mostly grunt work, but it needs to be done — and I am far too cheap to pay people to stuff envelopes when I can do it myself.

So there you have it. Some final thoughts on book promotion. Got questions? Ask them in the comments.

Tags: About Books, Book promotion, On Writing