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author 101

 Tips and Tricks for the Writerly Road

Tips for Kid Lit Author School Visits-Part 4:  Tips for Giveaways on a Shoestring Budget from 8 KidLit Pros 

12/5/2014

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Tips for Kid Lit Author School Visits-
Part 4: Tips for Giveaways on a Shoestring Budget

PART 1:  The A to Zs of Classroom Visits
PART 2:  10 Kid Lit Pros Share Their Secrets
PART 3:  Five Tips for Taking Better Photos of Kids in the Classroom
PART 4:  Tips for Giveaways on a Shoestring Budget from 8 KidLit Pros


Have you ever had an amazing opportunity unexpectedly come your way?  And you have very little time to get ready for it?

That was my situation a few weeks ago.  I needed something fast and inexpensive to give away for school visits that popped up in two states over three consecutive days.  

Graphic designers came up with beautiful, two-sided color bookmarks.  However, those bookmarks required so many cuts per page ($2.00 per cut for eight cuts on a single sheet).  A  big box copy center quoted  $350 for 200 bookmarks.  Yikes.  I was frantic to find a Plan B.
So, I created quadrants of illustrations from my book in both PowerPoint and Word. Alas, the 1/4-inch white border all the way around the perimeters looked tacky.  On to Plan C (hoping I wouldn’t go through the entire alphabet). 
Super stressing. My school visits were hours away, and I couldn’t come up with an affordable giveaway.  Girlfriend Linda to the rescue!  She prints family albums all the time and recommended making 4x6 color prints of my book illustrations.  Bingo! 

I pulled up one of Irene Jahn’s watercolors, used my Macbook's photo editing to insert a book title and website url, and I was in business.  Only $.09 per copy for 150+ imprints at my local big box retailer.  Way more affordable and ready in a heartbeat.

Child drawing pictures of story from author visit, using a 4x6 photo card of the protagonist from www.catmichaelswriter.com4x6 photo cards from a 1-hour Photo save the day
Photo cards were a huge hit, but I still wanted to find affordable bookmarks.  KidLit colleagues to the rescue!

Below are suggestions from seven Kid Lit pros for finding inexpensive school visit giveaways.  Many favor 2"x6" bookmakers in full-color, double-sided, and pre-cut.  But you'll find other idea to make your marketing budget do the happy dance.

I.  bookmarks and rack cards

K. Lamb
Author: The Dani P. Mystery Series
Overnight Prints http://www.overnightprints.com/bookmarks    

“They are super cheap… always offering discounts.”
  • 250 full color bookmarks--front and back---and (250) full color business cards--front and back---for only $56.75, including shipping.
Carmela Dutra 
Author, Illustrator:Lorenzo the Bear Series
Vista Prints:  http://www.vistaprint.com

“No joke; it was a great deal!’
  •  250 bookmarks and rack cards for $10 +tax 
Picture
Affordable, smart-looking bookmarks and rack cards
Neighbor Girl's Mom 
Marketing Advisor: Stanley and Katrina Series
NextDayFlyers http://www.nextdayflyers.com/

“[Bookmarks] are thick, glossy and look better than many that we've seen in the libraries.” 
  •  $50 to get 500 bookmarks, with standard processing
  • Check out the StanleyandKatrina blog for details about her experience with NextDayFlyers

Beyond Bookmarks
II.  More Giveaway Ideas

Picture: a dozen first-grade students sit on the floor, listening to their teacher read K. Lamb's Dani P. Myster book ~ School Visit Tips for Authors from www.catmichaelswriter.comStudents listen to their teacher read a "Dani P" book donated by K. Lamb
K. Lamb
Author: The Dani P. Mysteries
Adopt a classroom

K.  selects a few classrooms and donates copies of her Dani P. Mystery books to students. 



Rosie Russell 
Author, illustrator: Books By Rose  
Hold a drawing

Rosie holds drawings for classes she visits.  Lucky students win packages of art supplies or baskets of kid-happy items relating to her book that Rosie selects from the Dollar Store.  
The items aren't expensive or fancy.   But they are meaningful to the children.

 “If you have something unique in your story, maybe just a small trinket, include it for them to remember your story and your visit.” 
Smiling first-grader and mom kneel next to the Wallie and Warren goody basket he won in a school coloring contestHappy winner & Mom with Wally & Warren prize (Photo by Lise Chase; used with Mom's permission)
Lise  Chase
Author, Illustrator: The Adventures of Wally and Warren Series
Run a coloring contest      

Lise distributes B&W 8x10 outlines of her book illustrations and runs coloring contests (500 students and 20 teachers recently participated). One lucky winner receives a Wally and Warren basket full of goodies.

She also uses Photoshop to make simple color-copied puzzles of her book characters to leave behind with  the children.

PJ LaRue
Author: Mystic Princesses
Distribute character coloring pages   

PJ LaRue knows that successful giveaways don't need to be complex. 
"Coloring book pages of the characters from your books and a few crayons for each child make a wonderful ice breaker at book fairs, readings or book signings." 
 Check out PJ's coloring pages on her website.
Picture"Sweet T & the North Wind" stickers

Kate Shearin
Illustrator graphic designer: 
Dogstar Creative Services
email @ 
dogcc@gsinet.net
Create stickers from book illustrations, covers
onlinelabels.com 

Stickers come in many styles and are a fun, low-cost solution to marketing. You can create and print your own, or ask someone like Kate to help you. 

There you have it: Giveaway ideas to add to your writerly toolkit from eight Kid Lit pros.  

Wishing you the best of success with your school visits and oodles of lovely giveaways on a shoestring budget.  


What's your take on school visit giveaways?
We're on this writing journey together.

Please join the conversation in the comment section.

  • What ideas from this post might you consider?
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    CAT MICHAELS

    The writing journey is a long one.  And with all that social media and technology in the mix, it's easy to feel  overloaded. To make it easier, I share angst-saving tips found along my way. I'm still learning, so please join me. Let's travel this writing journey and learn together.


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  • Welcome!
  • Cat's Books
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team >
      • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Author 101: Tips & Tricks for a Writer's Journey
  • Meet Cat
  • Author Visits
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone
  • Book Review Guidelines
  • KidLit Book Reviews
  • Contact Cat