Promotional Materials for Indie Authors

February 21, 2013



*This post has been updated*
*November 2017*

This is kind of part two in my attempt to help indie authors with self-promotion. In a previous post I talked about using social media (i.e. Facebook) to help promote yourself by running event pages. This time I'm going to focus on sources to get your promo stuff made up.

I have a lot of problems with this since I am in Australia and a lot of the really good companies are in the US. So, what I've done is compiled a list of different websites and stated whether they are 'Australian Delivery Friendly' or not. I've split them into 2 sections:

1) Printing suppliers, and
2) Miscellaneous promotion material.

Just click on their logo to be directed to their sites. I hope you find this helpful!


Printing Suppliers:




Vistaprint are an international company with 25 localised offices including Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. VP can make a whole range of products including magnets, stickers, tote bags, window decals, pens, mugs, iPhone cases, shirts, key chains and mouse pads just to name a few. All of the templates can be downloaded with PS so you can design your own and upload.

There's no minimum purchase so you can order just one of something if you want to. I have bought my bookmarks from there. I was really happy with the quality. I also bought one key chain to see what they would look like before I bought in bulk, and I wasn't happy. The attachment for the top is just a plastic clip which attaches to a metal ring. The actual image was grainy (although that might have been my own fault), but the material of the key chain is made of flexible vinyl which I didn't particularly like so much.





Gotprint are another international site. The range with Gotprint is similar to that of Vistaprint, but is more focused on the business side of things. They offer bookmarks, rack cards, collectors card, flyers, decals, posters and door hangers along with a whole heap of other products.

I haven't used them (yet) but am planning on getting my next set of bookmarks made up with them. When you select the product you want, its takes you through the printing options step-by-step even giving you the posting costs and options.

***A little update on the bookmark situation...here is a picture of my completed bookmarks from Gotprint.com. I'd highly recommend this site for fast, amazing quality and inexpensive bookmarks.***





NextDayFlyers are a US-based website which does custom printing with the option of getting it printed and delivered the next day. International orders are possible. All you have to do is call their 800 number to place your order. Some of their products include bookmarks, magnets, stickers and rack cards.




https://www.zazzle.com
Zazzle do all things custom, from stickers and iPhone cases to t-shirts and tote bags. I recently ordered my key chains from this website.






https://www.overnightprints.com/
Another US company which I've heard great things about. They offer business cards, postcards, bookmarks, flyers and posters. Payment options include the big 4 plus Paypal. 


https://www.companyfolders.com/


Company Folders is a US company offering a variety of recycled paper stocks and eco-friendly inks to choose from. Their customer service reps are experienced print designers and can help in the design process if you need it.
The have a range of products including brochures, postcards and rackcards. They also have a pretty interesting blog that contains some freebies.






PrintSafari.com is another US-based website offering custom printing. They have a great range plus a live chat option should you need the help. They can help you with door hangers, flyers, posters and bookmarks just to name a few. Unfortunately, they are not Australia friendly.


Other Promotional Material:

So, you've already got bookmarks, rack cards and stickers, but you want more. Well, here you go!




Handband.com is an Australian company that have reasonable priced silicone wristbands. There's a minimum order of 7, and they don't just make bracelets. Other products include watches and keychains.




http://www.wristbandconnection.com/

Wristbandconnection.com is a US company, however it doesn't deliver to Australia. The great thing about this company is there is no minimum order and you can choose from a variety of different fonts for your own unique silicone bracelet.



https://www.makebadges.com.au/

makebadges.com.au is an amazingly good Australian site to customize and order 'buttons' or badges as we like to call them in Oz. There are heaps of sizes to choose from as well as all the templates so you can design your own. Other products include custom zipper pulls and temporary tattoos.






Wristbandswithamessage.com offers delivery to Australia. In fact, I recently ordered some silicone wristbands from this website. Production time and shipping to Oz is roughly around the 3 week mark which isn't too long to wait. There are stacks of colour options and combinations to choose from as well as thumb rings.










Amazingwristbands.com is another one of those amazing US-only sites, but boy do they have some awesome products. You can choose colour, width, font - even get a USB band made up. Definitely worthwhile checking this site out. There is also no minimum order.




https://www.wrist-band.com/

wrist-band.com is a US-based site offering a wide range of colours, widths, figured and dual-layered silicone bands. You can also get 100 free bands when you buy 100. They have a pretty good range of fonts to choose from, too. The process is step-by-step and if you mess up, you can simply start over again. They also make lanyards, temporary tattoos, buttons and key chains. Paypal verified!





Another US-site. They have stacks of customised bands ready to go. A moderate amount of fonts, but not as many and not as varied as some of the other sites listed.





mydogtag.com is an Aussie company that can personalise dog tags for you. You can choose either embossed or debossed lettering, tag style, silencer and chain type. Not overly expensive either. All the major cards are accepted, too.






Cafepress.com have an amazing range of custom products from water bottles to mugs, t-shirts to iPhone cases. There are international sites, too as well as the convenience of shopping in your selected currency. Definitely need to check this one out.

~ ~ ~ 

If you know of any other reputable companies to use for self-promotion, please leave the address in the comments at the bottom of this post. Thanks!

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