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Today’s stop is at Sheila’s Guests and Reviews. It’s another look at promotion because one can never discuss that too much. This time, I focus on thinking outside the box. Finding the thing that makes your book special or different and work that into your promotion plan.

In my case, it was tea and kittens. 🙂

If you can find someone to collaborate with, you can do some pretty cool things. Like my teas. These were crafted with care by Genevieve Dodd of Tea Punk Teas. She is a fan of the books and helped to come up with combinations of flavors that we felt really capture the spirit of the characters. Jo is full of caffeine and sparkling fruit flavors. Alistair is laid back, with notes of chocolate sweetness. (And currently sold out!) Leonora has lavender and lots of shapes that make it easy to read the leaves. They seem to have gotten rave reviews, so we did something right.

I am always looking for the next great thing. A new promo idea can sometimes boost sales. Though it doesn’t always work. Postcards and business cards are the easiest way to get your name out there, but keep in mind how many of them there are in the world. To go this route, I will once again say, Vistaprint is a great resource. 4imprint has some cool stuff with a more corporate flair that can be great for drawing prizes or special offers. And Oriental Trading Company has neat little giveaway items. National Pen is a good source of pens, pencils, and keychains. For more substantial items, CafePress can provide T-shirts and kitchenware. 

I’ve said some of this before, but not everyone reads every post, so it is good to reinforce things now and then.

Whatever you do, think outside the box and make your promo your own. What is special about your work, and how can you use it to sell books?