Book Matter Novelties - Suggestions?

I'm a big fan of clicky pens...

Sorry, guv, I've got nothing for you. I guess I could have a sticker that says Now with 10% more words! Now, 10% better written!

Barring that, I wouldn't mind a nice clicky pen either.

Tea bags! Include sample packs of all the teas featured in the book!

With Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" when it came out, they had a band around it that said "As good as Stephen King, or your money back!"

You could do that. But I sure as hell wouldn't.

I *love* clicky pens!!!!!!

Carrie in PA said:

I *love* clicky pens!!!!!!

Click to expand...

That is SO a line from a future Pixar movie.

PeeDee said:

That is SO a line from a future Pixar movie.

Click to expand...

ROFL! You crack me up PeeDee!~

Seriously though, I like clicky pens too and think that is a great marketing idea, there is a Book Promotions forum here you might want to check out here:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=48

Is this kind of thing something the author is allowed to have input on? I think it's cool to have stuff like that, keychains are cool too, I used to collect them and one thread in the above forum talks about cool emory boards. Hope I spelt that write, tired still was up wicked lat last night...still waking up at noon, that's what it's like being a mom though and I got to say I did get to spend it here working on the Flash Fic challenge so I can't complain

Sometimes, I think, a book should just be a book.

That's true too veinglory. But for my children's stories I would love to see kids get clicky pens...that would just be cool I think. I remember getting pencils with things but never clicky pens unless it was a business not just as a promotional tool for something bought.

But we are talking about pitching to an agent or publisher here--IMHO unless it is intergral (a CD with associated software) the emphasis should be on content.

I agree, gimmicks dont' sell books, books sell books, if it's not a strong well written book it won't do too well and will probably not get published by any reputable publisher.

I wasn't a huge fan of the book itself, but in A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggers, if you look closely, you'll find that the man has stuck his hand into just about every aspect of the book. As in, even the publication page is redone by him and has his odd sense of humor inserted into it. I thought this was hilariously funny and clever, and have always wanted, if I become successful, to ask a publisher if on one of my books I can do that. It may not be a big selling point, since you don't notice it until you look, but it's the sort of subtle thing that readers can get a big kick out of--they won't buy the book for it, but after they have bought and (hopefully) liked the book, they'd find it neat.

That book irked the crap out of me.

Just saying.

The ONLY free inclusion I've ever enjoyed wiht my books have been Jim Baen's Free Library disc (one of them, anyway) that came with a lovely copy of a John Ringo book. I've quite enjoyed that.

I would worry that the rise of a fad of including something or another would make books look an awful lot like cereal boxes. Stephen King's Cell -- NOKIA PRE-PAID PHONE FREE WITH THIS BOOK!

Too funny! But true, I agree, it's not good to have something look like a stereotypical cereal box with "Free inside!" plastered overtop of it.