A Trade Show Tip for Writers
Or…go ahead and order pens

So I attended the Southwest Florida Reading Festival this weekend and gave away a sword (see Sunday’s post for the cool info where Christina Montana is announced as the winner). The giveaway involved a framed sign announcing the sword “belonged” to Jorin Taiman (from Choices Meant for Gods), a fancy schmancy box for people to put their entries in, and pens for them to fill out their entries. Now, because I have bookmarks, flyers, and a sword, I didn’t order special pens with The Dragon’s URL or Choices Meant for Gods or "Nigel and Chariss Forever" or anything like that emblazoned on them. Turns out I should have.

I should have because my 4-for-a-dollar black pens from OfficeMax garnered one festival attendee’s attention. She walked right up to the booth, zeroed in on the four pens next to the (fabulous) framed sign and stack of entries arranged near the SWORD… and she picked up one of the pens to examine it. Her friend engaged an author friend of mine to my left (I believe it was Linda Billodeau, the author of Stepping Through Seagrass, whom I've mentioned on this blog before) as she said, with genuine pleasure, “a free pen.” I found myself speechless. Yes, I should have told her to use the pen to fill out an entry and take a flyer and get interested in Choices Meant for Gods and have a great afternoon, but I found myself riveted in place, thoroughly amused.

She seemed like such a nice gal, just pleased as punch that we were giving away pens, and all I could do was smile at her as if I’d never worked a trade show before.

Sigh.

Lesson learned: always use pens with your message on them. They’re not an expensive promotional tool at all. I’m ordering two kinds today.

“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, Nigel and Chariss, Southwest Florida Reading Festival, sword, promotional tool, lesson, trade show tip