vg_ford: (Default)
vg_ford ([personal profile] vg_ford) wrote2008-05-02 01:31 pm
Entry tags:

(cons/marketing) Because I'm curious...

Just wondering what you guys think:

[Poll #1181462]

[identity profile] albathetross.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
At conventions in general, or writing cons specifically?

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Writing/media cons, since that's what I'm likely to be pimping the book at.

[identity profile] albathetross.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
'kay. I've never been to a writing con.

FWIW, at any type of con, food tends to go over well. I've seen chocolates, hard candies, and various types of mints frequently.

Also... they're expensive of course, but you can't go wrong with plushies :-D

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd love to be able to do plushies. I'm sourcing. :p

[identity profile] mela-lyn.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I've only been to one Con, but the most memorable items were the thumb cuffs from an erotic writer; leather bookmarks; magnets (these are good b/c I take them to work and put them on my overhead bin for all to see...).

OH!! And the best was one of those reusable bags like you can get at grocery stores now... the author signed it and then I had something to carry all my goodies!!

Other than that there were a ton of business cards, postcards, pens and the like.

I think it's all about unique, memorable and being related to your story. Like one had recipes and another tea bags b/c they were a part of their story.

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh, I like the bags idea! That's a good one!

Thanks - stuff like this is exactly what I'm looking for. :)

[identity profile] mela-lyn.livejournal.com 2008-05-04 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Great! My pleasure. I love this stuff... :) I have one writer friend who I can't seem to stop coming up with ideas and now I'm running his yahoo group. Bwahaha!!

[identity profile] utilitygeek.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
The "keeps on advertising" is why I'd recommend the stickers. I've got stickers plastering my laptop, and am trying to figure out what to plaster when that's done.

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Definitely a good point, and something I'm looking at. Thanks! :)

[identity profile] mela-lyn.livejournal.com 2008-05-04 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
You've got your mouse... be creative with your keyboard and cut the stickers to cover the keys like a weird puzzle...

[identity profile] utilitygeek.livejournal.com 2008-05-04 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh. I was not observing a lack of choices so much as a hard decision as to which to choose.

Were I not so picky about keyboards, I might try that.

[identity profile] joncwriter.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Every now and again I see some ARCs of books and I almost ALWAYS pick those up. I also see a lot of small preview books that print out, say, the first chapter or so of the book, and those always go over well too. Not sure if you have the funds for those, but it's just a thought... :)

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh yes. I'm sourcing these too. ;)

[identity profile] onyxhawke.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I get my pens through awards.com

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh, good to know! Thanks!

[identity profile] onyxhawke.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I found they tend to have better prices than a lot of places...

[identity profile] scarlettarcher.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
I picked a lot because I like looking at other designs :P

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-03 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
Not a bad thing! :)

[identity profile] jacob-day.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I pick up EVERYTHING at a con.

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-03 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
LOL!

[identity profile] aishabintjamil.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
If you have something dice are appropriate for, I bet those would go over well at a con. I've never seen them except at gaming cons, but I think there's enough overlap with the fantasy/sf crowd to be appealing. The ones we got as wedding favors are from Chessex:

http://www.chessex.com/Dice/Custom_Dice_Home.htm

we got 500, which made them $0.42 each. I didn't inquire about the 1000+ price.

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-03 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm. Nothing yet, but I might in the future - I'll keep it in mind. Thanks!

[identity profile] suelder.livejournal.com 2008-05-02 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
The coolest thing I got at a con was at World Fantasy last year - it was a bottle opener in the shape of a lizard - and lizards were integral to the story.

The author ran out of them fairly early and I had to win a contest to get one :D

What is good is a favor that makes you think of the book/author everytime you look at it, but it's not so obnoxious that you hide it away.

[identity profile] vg-ford.livejournal.com 2008-05-03 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, that's what I'm going for.

[identity profile] snitchcat.livejournal.com 2008-05-03 11:25 am (UTC)(link)
'Allo.

Did you want a page or several pages of stickers of that Smiley? (^_^)