When Rebecca Wrights’ second book comes out, she’ll be packing and sending off all the preorder copies herself.

As a self-published author, she’s relied almost exclusively on buzz generated from Instagram to drum up sales. And, as an incentive for readers, she’s including some swag with her preorders: a collection of customized stickers based on the book’s plot, an exclusive bookmark and a commissioned piece of artwork of the main characters.

“The extras are just like sprinkles on top of a sundae,” Wrights says. “The sundae is great without the sprinkles, but with the sprinkles, it’s just so much better. Who doesn’t want sprinkles?”

2021 was a record-breaking year for book sales, thanks to the rise of social media-based reading communities often referred to as “BookTok” and “Bookstagram” – print sales were up almost 20% compared to 2019 levels, according to Publisher’s Weekly. Even three years later, the New York Times’ trade fiction bestseller list contains at least 11 books whose popularity is at least partially attributable to BookTok – from Colleen Hoover’s hit It Ends With Us to three of the novels in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series, originally released in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

But with sales growth slowing according to market research from Circana, there could be opportunity for the promo industry to help publishers and authors recapture a powerful and dedicated market.

Wrights says she was pleased with the number of preorders she got earlier this year when she ran a similar preorder sticker promotion incentive ahead of the release of her first book.

Book Promo as Key Online Advertising

Sending out early-release books has long been common practice in publishing, but both independent authors and large publishers have realized promo products can get their books in front of online audiences.

If a publisher sends only a book to a popular account, it might get a quick acknowledgement, says Kristi Tragethon, co-founder of The Book Bar, which makes scented products inspired by BookTok’s latest obsessions.

But if there’s branded merch included, there’s often more excitement – and more content.

“When book influencers get a box, they dedicate a whole video to just unboxing it,” says Tragethon. “So, you do get a little more promotional time when you have promotional products.”

Tragethon and her business partner Sara Henderson used to produce custom-scented wax melts as a thank-you gift for authors they hosted for interviews on their YouTube channel. But the excitement those authors had over the product eventually spurred them to open The Book Bar and offer their scents for sale.

“It was a whole world that I was opened to,” says Henderson. “I didn’t know that there were so many things that people would want to buy for their books.”

Now, the duo both receives product requests from authors and reaches out to their favorites for production rights. Their candles, lotions, soaps and sprays are available for purchase by anyone, but they also often work with authors to develop book boxes. Sometimes, with indie authors, Henderson and Tragethon use their connections with book influencers to get the products – and books – out there.

Henderson and Tragethon at The Book Bar helped curate a book box, featuring several of their scented products inspired by the BookTok smash hit Fourth Wing.

That’s just one of many ways that “bookstagrammers,” like Gina Marchiano (@gina_readsbooks on Instagram), get connected with bookish promotional products, in addition to connections like publisher influencer programs or author groups.

After Marchiano was selected for Penguin Random House’s Audiobook Influencer program last year, she received several large promo boxes with books, seasonal goodies and audio essentials, like a pair of wireless headphones.

“They just ask that you post it,” Marchiano says. “They don’t even care if you necessarily read the book and review it. They’re looking for the content just to be out in the Bookstagram/BookTok world.”

Going Beyond BookTok

Book swag is also a way for independent bookstores and authors to compete with giants like Amazon. Book prices are generally higher at local bookstores, but many authors will offer promo – like an exclusive piece of book art – if you preorder from their chosen bookstore.

“It’s usually something that I was going to buy anyway,” Marchiano says. “So now you’ve just given me this extra incentive.”

Oftentimes, bookish promo goes beyond simply restating a book’s title or the author’s name on merch; indeed, sometimes those elements aren’t mentioned at all. Instead, the swag might reference characters, quotes and situations from the stories, making readers feel like they’re part of a special club – like the wine tumbler in The Book Bar’s box branded with “Basgiath War College,” a training institution in Fourth Wing, or the room spray bottles scented with “Violet” and “Dain,” two of the book’s main characters.

Swag that takes a generalized approach – perhaps a sticker with a reading-related pun – is also popular. A more universal design can be especially effective because the consumer falls in love with the design before the logo, says Kelly Brown, director of marketing and operations at Green Giftz (asi/300878), a distributor based in Grand Rapids, MI.

That element of design is especially important if you’re trying to market products among people who aren’t readers, says Jeremy Picker of AMB3R (asi/590243), a distributor based in Lakewood, CO. He’s hoping to eventually launch a line of reading- and learning-themed merchandise, after the success of a “Reading is FUNdamental”-branded fundraiser at his kids’ school.

Picker says he received many compliments when he and his family wore matching tees with this design at the airport.

“If it’s cool enough and quality enough, people are going to wear it in their social setting,” Picker says.

BookTok’s popularity means that more young people have rediscovered a love of reading – and that creates potential for library and bookstore clients in promo, Brown says. The Grand Rapids Public Library is one of Brown’s largest promo clients, and much of its merch has been more universal, including the library’s 150^th anniversary collection, which featured slogans like “I have excellent taste in books” alongside logoed items.

There’s a wide range of products that would work to combine reading and promo in a fun way, whether it’s bookmarks and reading lights or branded drinkware, Picker says.

“Their core product is a book, and content that goes along with it,” Picker says. “Merchandise is just part of building that brand and getting people to learn about the book.”