Writers Tricks of the Trade Issue 3 Volume 9 | Page 41

dered 250 from a well-known online com-
pany because I could literally get them
overnight.
The cards arrived just in time, and they
were AWFUL. So bad, in fact, that after
handing out about 20 and apologizing for
each one, I threw away the rest. I really
didn’t want anyone having a card with that
poor quality in their possession, if they kept
it at all.
The next day, I placed a rush order with
my regular printer. It is okay to print a
quick flyer on the home printer. That is ex-
pected, particularly for one-time events.
But, even then, make sure the layout looks
professional. Use easily readable, attractive
fonts and balance the copy and sizes.
L OOKING SOLID AND PROFESSIONAL
When I was involved in the marketing
and promotion company, one of our spe-
cialties was making small companies look
larger and more professional. We had big-
ger clients like Hollywood Park Racetrack
and Tony Roma’s in Los Angeles, but the
ones we really helped were the smaller
guys trying to look solid. As an author, if
you are not with a big publisher who might
provide all of these materials to you, you
are like those small companies.
It may stretch the budget, but with care-
ful research you will find printers who pro-
duce wonderful 2-sided gloss finish busi-
ness cards for as little as $25 to $50 for
1,000. Always ask to see a sample, however.
An order of 1,000 cards gives you plenty
to hand out to everyone and anyone who
will take the proffered card. The same goes
for bookmarks. When you hand someone a
beautiful gloss bookmark on heavy stock,
F ALL 2019
you can be proud to give them out. Unlike
matte finish bookmarks printed on flimsy
stock with poor color quality and layout,
the beautiful bookmark practically screams,
“Hey, I’m a book you should check out!”
W HAT TO I NCLUDE
Include the ISBN numbers, website, a
few blurbs, book cover image and one of
yourself. With a bookmark like that it is
easy to spot a stranger reading a book and
say, “Here, take this. Every reader should
have a good bookmark.” That often starts a
conversation and might result in the
stranger buying your book.
W HAT IS A O NE -S HEET ?
A one-sheet is a promotional sheet that
has your photo, an image of your book or
books, a short bio and other blatant self-
promotion devices like blurbs from readers
or people in the industry, how to buy the
book, other credits like awards or media
links–all information that fits on an 8 1/2 x11
sheet in a readable, compelling manner. Be
sure to allow white space in the layout. In
other words, don’t cram everything togeth-
er so that the end result is a badly cluttered
sheet. Allowing white space is an old adver-
tising device. It helps to showcase the ma-
terial. Slick brochure paper is the best, be-
cause the photos jump off the page. That’s
something that doesn’t happen with a
matte finish.
The author needs several things in their
promotional kit—and they all should be
ready to send out or give out at a moment’s
notice. Update the one-sheet as necessary,
and include it when you send out review
copies.
P AGE 37
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE