Behind-the-Swag Breakdown for TRICKY CHOPSTICKS

For my debut picture book, TRICKY CHOPSTICKS, I thought I’d do a behind-the-swag breakdown about the goodies I used to launch my book in March 2024. I’ll share how I created the swag, managed costs, and maximized its value since the launch.

Let’s roll wayyy back to pre-pre-order times! I reached out to my local Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond, WA in September 2023 to inquire about their interest hosting the launch event on March 19, 2024. I also doublechecked if they would be up for my *SUPER-Swag* idea for a pre-order campaign. Now, I had *no idea* how this promotion might go, but figured I’d reach for the stars!

They graciously agreed to tuck my SUPER-Swag into their online and in-store pre-orders. After the launch event, I found out they were *very happy* with how the pre-order and launch orders turned out, which was so awesome to hear! Here’s the main pre-order campaign image:

Friendly heads-up: Somehow my deep-dive below turned into a somewhat TLDR (too long don’t read) version, so here are the quick takeaways first:

* I try to keep the costs of any swag sets as close to $1 as possible. My SUPER-swag for the pre-order campaign went a bit over, but was still less than $1.50 per set. Since it was exclusively through my local bookstore, I didn’t need to cover shipping costs. They helped to figure that out for shipped orders, and many pre-orders were for in-store pickup too.

* The full- and mini-sized bookmarks are my most practical swag cost-wise. The vinyl stickers are great since I use a low-cost sticker company. The bookplates are also very handy.

* The costs shared below may overall seem pretty low per item, but everything ultimately adds up! I really try to minimize my costs as much as possible through vetted providers and scouted discounts, but also aim to provide swag that feels and looks high-quality, so the value for each one is actually much higher than what I spent. Not to mention they help to create a special experience however I use them.

  * Promo Tip: Some companies that produce stickers and bookmarks offer free or near-free samples so you can check the material options and quality before you commit to a custom order. Try to do price comparisons if you have time and always check for extra discount codes to save even more! Also, don’t forget postage costs and guidelines (weight, flatness, etc.).

*Please also note: There are links below, provided for the various places I’ve ordered from for swag. Most are the main company websites, but the StickyBrand one is an affiliate link that may give me some sort of credit (not sure how much, but I’m pretty sure it’s nominal as with most things like this! 🙂 )

And now for the very lengthy breakdown, swag by swag!

• Author-signed bookplate designed by Fanny Liem

• The illustrator of TRICKY CHOPSTICKS, Fanny Liem, is based in Indonesia. I asked if she would like to create a bookplate design, so we could sign “together” for the launch this way. Fanny designed them to say: *This book belongs to:* with some space below to include a short note and signature.
  • Ordered through: Avery WePrint ~$0.35 per label after tax + discount. The per-label pricing depends on what size, label type, and how many you think you’ll need. **Note: Since this was my first book launch ever, I realized when signing pre-orders at Brick & Mortar Books that it might be confusing to only sign the bookplate and not the book’s title page itself, so I ended up signing the book directly, but still included the bookplate since it is so cool!

• Promo Tip: I like signing bookplates for bookstores that want some on hand for future orders or have pending orders that didn’t arrive in time for my visit. I’ve also given them to teachers for their classroom copies and to libraries for their location’s copies, noting the school and library names at top. They cost a bit more than my other swag, but I think how I use them justifies the cost.

• Full-sized and mini bookmarks

Front and back images of bookmarks, designed using Canva to include the book cover design and select illustrations by Fanny Liem. All rights reserved.

• First, I made full-sized bookmarks to include in the swag sets. I’ve given these out to bookstores and bring them to library events, book festivals, and conferences like ALA and NCTE.
• I also decided to make mini-bookmarks! These I give out at any of the above events for people who want this size, and I also try to bring enough for school visits so every student has something special to take home whether they’re able to get a book or not. These are also small enough to carry around with me daily for chance encounters! Ordered through: GotPrint.com at ~$0.05 per full-sized bookmark and ~$0.03 per mini bookmark after shipping, tax + discount. GotPrint usually has ongoing discounts, so look out for the one that works best for what you want to order!
• Promo Tip: In case someone is not able to buy the book but still would appreciate a signature, I left space on the back of both bookmarks to sign as needed. Both bookmarks also show the websites and social media info to connect more with me and the illustrator. For the mini bookmark, I included a space for kids or their adults to write their names so I can make sure to spell those correctly when signing books. Then they can keep their personalized mini bookmarks too!

• Vinyl stickers

Vinyl stickers for TRICKY CHOPSTICKS using select illustrations from the book with permission from illustrator Fanny Liem. All rights reserved.

• Who doesn’t love a great vinyl sticker to put on a water bottle, laptop, or other personal belongings? I asked Fanny Liem if she would be ok with me using these illustrations from the book for promo materials like these stickers. Once she said it was okay, I added the book URL and *Art by Fanny Liem* to each image.
  • Ordered through StickyBrand.com (referral link here) at ~$0.23 per 3″x3″ cover sticker after tax + discount + shipping, and ~$0.16 per 2.5″ character sticker. Sticky Brand usually has great discounts running, so doublecheck for any you can use when you order!
  • Promo tip: I love bringing these stickers to any public book-related event and even when I stop by various bookstores. They’re great conversation starters and are lovely to give out, especially when someone decides to buy TRICKY CHOPSTICKS in the moment. It always feels so fortuitous to be able to give them something special in person for their awesome support! And if someone decides to place them on a water bottle or other personal item, it’s easy for anyone to notice and perhaps visit the website!

• Lightweight Chopsticks

Full and close-up views of the lightweight pair of chopsticks swag

• I was *so* excited to include specially prepped, lightweight chopsticks for the SUPER-swag pre-order promotion, exclusively with Brick & Mortar Books since they could help with the shipping logistics and also provide this not-so-flat swag set for in-store pickup. I wanted to be careful about costs since I didn’t want the chopsticks to feel too disposable, but also didn’t want to spend too much out of my budget. Luckily, I found them in an extreme clearance sale, and was able to print “TRICKY CHOPSTICKS” on gold labels to DIY-spiff them up a bit more!
  • Ordered through OrientalTrading.com at ~$0.08 each pair (like I said, they were so heavily discounted to around 75% off that I regretted not buying more!). Each gold label was ~$0.08, so all in all, a DIY-gold labeled pair of chopsticks cost ~$0.24 plus prep time. Looking at how they turned out, I think the costs worked out well for exciting swag like this!
  • Promo tip: Since these were pretty unique for swag, I also took pictures and time-lapse videos to use for behind-the-scenes social media posts like this one on Instagram.

So there you have it—the nitty gritty details for the main swag I used in the pre-order campaign for TRICKY CHOPSTICKS! Out of all these, I’d say the bookmarks and stickers are the most versatile for continued use. I’m also pretty partial to the bookplates since they’re specially designed and have very pragmatic purposes.

For the launch event at my local bookstore, I made some extra special swag, but still tried to keep my costs as low as possible by using a large dice that kids rolled to try to score the higher-cost swag like keychains and engraved chopsticks!

• DIY keychains

DIY acrylic keychains in the works during school pickup plus closeups of both sides.

• Since TRICKY CHOPSTICKS is a square-shaped book, I thought it would be neat to create keychains! To lower the cost to make them, I got 3 dozen DIY acrylic keychains and printed sheets with the front and back cover of the book to cut, fold, and then place in the square inserts.
  • Ordered the blank keychains through OrientalTrading.com at ~$0.66 each, but realized after that there might be better bulk pricing for these elsewhere, so if you go this route, please look for even lower pricing than that!
  • Promo tip: Because these were trickier to win with the large dice roll, I had some left over after the launch event, so gave them out randomly here and there. From what I’ve seen with my own sons, kids love putting keychains on their backpacks, so this is a great way for other kids (and parents!) to see and learn about the book.

• Engraved chopsticks

Engraved “TRICKY CHOPSTICKS” chopsticks in a repurposed mooncake box.

• These were my one “splurge” for higher cost swag because I just thought they would be really cool to have at the launch event. And to be honest, I really wanted them for home use too! They are my favorite swag overall.
  • Ordered through Amazon.com at ~$1.39 per pair of engraved chopsticks. I definitely hunted for the lowest cost possible for the quantity and quality I wanted. I had the gold tape already from modifying the jumbo chopsticks that I often bring to events and school visits (that is another post, haha!).
  • Promo tip: Like the keychains, these could also be won through the special swag dice roll at my launch event.

Swag station at my launch event. Can you spot the special swag dice?

• “I’m a TRICKY CHOPSTICKS Fan!” Balloons

Impromptu picture after blowing up balloons for the launch event!

• You may have seen that I tend to have balloons at my bookstore and library events. It all started with my launch celebration! I thought they’d make it feel more festive and figured it’d be fun to hand out balloons to kids as swag too.
  • I ended up bringing balloons to my other launch event at mam’s books in Seattle. Someone who was the regional manager for my then-local Kirkland Library just happened to be visiting the bookstore when I was setting up. She asked if I would also bring balloons to my upcoming event at Kirkland Library, so with that extra interest, I decided to add balloons to my library events to make them more festive too! Ordered through Amazon.com at ~$0.06-$0.20/balloon (depends on the type), $0.06/balloon stick, $0.16/double-sided balloon tag with cover image and “I’m a TRICKY CHOPSTICKS Fan!” text. So ~$0.28-$0.42 per balloon swag. I saved $14 by punching my own holes in the balloon tags!
  • Promo tip: These are definitely multi-purpose; they create a fun and visual vibe, and I love handing them out to kids before they leave. Plus the balloon tags can help to get more eyes on the book wherever they go next! I use balloon sticks and an air pump (vs. helium), so no one needs to worry about flyaway balloons. I do not recommend confetti balloons (see below).

Prepping for my 2nd launch event in Seattle, when a confetti balloon popped on me! Luckily it happened at home and not in the bookstore or outside!

And that’s how I’ve managed my swag for TRICKY CHOPSTICKS. I hope you found this post helpful for your own swag needs and ideas!

P.S. Want to gift TRICKY CHOPSTICKS and receive a special holiday swag set? Check out this special offer running right now! Order TRICKY CHOPSTICKS wherever you prefer to buy your books and fill out this swag claim form by Sunday, December 15, 2024!

If you’re a fellow #Kidlit creator, I hope these tips prove helpful in the launch and promotion of your wonderful book too. Happy Holidays!