Some time ago, I made a post about promotional materials, and how they could help sell your book. But what if there are other ways you could sell your book–or even other products you could sell that somehow relate back to your work in some other way? I believe there are several interesting possibilities out there, and I’m going to go over a few right now.
In contrast to promotional materials, which may be anything from posters to giveaways that help spread the word about your book or brand, merchandise is itself sellable. This can cover a broad array of items, of course, but the idea from an author’s perspective is to sell items that in some way compliment or promote your book, even if they can technically be sold separately. Artwork, apparel, household products, and so much more can all count.
To know what kind of merchandise will work best, it is essential to consider your audience and what they like. This is important in selling the book itself, so why shouldn’t it be important when selling products related to that book? For instance, if your specialty is romance aimed at housewives, you might consider selling greeting cards with clever phrases that are at once universally appealing, yet somehow involve references that only readers of your book would understand. Or else put your book’s cover art on the packaging of various bath products. Maybe even give the products names related to characters in your book.
If you are selling a children’s book, there is an entirely different range of possibilities. You could have toys or games that relate to your story in some way. If you are very ambitious, and you are going for an older, fantasy-loving audience, perhaps creating a line of figurines portraying your book characters wouldn’t be a bad idea. Or else an entire board game, if you’ve got the time and patience to make one. It all depends on your ambition–as well as your resources, of course. If you are linked to a large publisher, a lot of this will probably be done for you, at least if your book is already somewhat successful. However, if you are working with a small press, or are self-published, resources may be significantly more limited.
Another, more generic possibility, especially if you have had art custom made for your book covers, is to sell prints of that art. This could be a tricky situation, and you would definitely want to discuss it with the cover artist first. Sometimes they will let you sell the prints freely, other times they will want a cut of the proceeds, and on some occasions they may not want you to sell their work at all, except on the book cover. Whatever their decision in the matter, respect it and move forward accordingly.
This is but a sampling of the many possibilities that exist. As we all know, some franchises, particularly those that have become major motion pictures, can think up the most obscure, niche object to sell to the public. So much so that the original goal of promoting the book itself can get lost in the shuffle, but that’s another matter. The point is, for those just starting out who have the know-how and the resources, coming up with neat gimmicks and products to sell that relate to your book can be a fun and exciting way to test your creative thinking and potentially reach even more readers who might not have ever heard of you or your work otherwise.