Friday, August 11, 2006

Promo Items

Anyone who went to Nationals probably came back with a bunch of promotional items - bookmarks, pens, book thongs, temporary tattooes, lip gloss, chocolates...you get the picture. There were even condoms in the goody room this year. Other than shock value, I'm not sure what the point of those was. Would you actually use a free condom? Would you trust it? But I digress.

I love pens and bookmarks (I love having the matching bookmark for the book I'm reading. Even better if the book and/or bookmark has been signed by the author. Yes, I'm a geek.) Of all those goodies, what do you like the best? What do you hang on to? Be honest, is there a promo item you wouldn't even bother to pick up?

7 comments:

  1. I love good pens. Ones with ink that flows, feel good in the hand, and I like push-top pens so that if I stick one in my pocket or purse I don't have to worry the cap will come off and ink is leaking all over.

    I really like notepads - any that actually had good blank paper to put a note on got picked up. They're scattered around the house for me to use.

    Bookmarks - not so much. Most of them are too explicit these days to leave laying around. I've got a big box of them, and I pick one out to use every now and then, but I'm just as likely to grab an envelope out of the recycling bin.

    Magnets - the non-explicit ones went on the fridge. I'm not going to use something showing a woman in handcuffs to hold a picture of my pre-K girl in her Easter dress.

    The promo item that works for me? Give me the book. Show me why I should start paying $8 or $12 or $25 every time you release a book. If you've written a book that just absolutely knocks my socks off, you've got a book-buying fan for life. All the pens, notepads, bookmarks, and even cute condoms in the world aren't going to make me spend money on books I don't enjoy. And the only way I'm going to know if I like the book is to read it.

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  2. I think my favorite "promo" item was sent to my by Tracy Montoya when I won her book "House of Secrets."
    She sent me a book mark with "10 Reasons to buy my book." It's HILARIOUS. I love pens and bookmarks. Does that make me a geek too?

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  3. Anonymous11:25 AM

    Add me to the geek squad then because I love pens, bookmarks, and signed books too ;)

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  4. I love the pens and notepads. Good magnets. I don't like bookmarks because I have so many, but Tracy Montoya's sounds AWESOME!

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  5. drink koozies. Those are the only promo worth anything to me.

    Though, I LOVED LOVED LOVED the condoms and I picked them up because it was the perfect promo for her book. NOT WITHOUT RISK by Sarah Grimm. Seriously, that was an awesome tie in.

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  6. Never had any, so I don't know.
    If I had access, let's see.... magnets are ok, do they do Coffee Mugs? That's the ultimate for me. Or would be.
    I love me my coffee and a mug to remind me of something/someone cool that would be in my face every day is an awesome idea.

    BTW- looked at all the RWA posts... wow! what fun you had! I'm so glad you took pictures.. really captured the moment. Thanks for sharing the celebration with us stay-at-homes!

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  7. Um, when I use condoms I am not reading the packet to see the promo. Was it glow in the dark?

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