Multiple Products or One
When it comes to using your book merch designs, you have a couple options: you can put the same design on multiple different products or you can put the design on a single product as a special offering.
POD Options
While I can't tell you one printer that will work best for everyone, I can give you some things to consider when deciding where you want to host your merch shop.
Sketch to Merch #4
A look at how I went from sketch to merch with a phrase from Karen Lynch’s Relentless series.
E-Commerce Options
While I can't tell you one platform that will work best for everyone, I can give you some things to consider when deciding where you want to host your merch shop.
Sketch to Merch #3
A look at how I went from sketch to merch with a reference to Melissa McClone’s Billionaire’s of Silicon Forest series.
Shop Set Up Process
This is the basic shop set up process I follow with all my authors interested in my Book Merch Made Easy services, specifically Chapters 2 & 3.
Sketch to Merch #2
A look at how I went from sketch to merch with Julie Trettel’s One True Mate celebrating the first book in her Westin Pack series.
Merch Design Process
The basic process I follow when designing book merch for my authors who are interested in my Book Merch Made Easy services
Sketch to Merch #1
A look at how I went from sketch to merch with a quote from Melissa McClone’s “Mistletoe Magic.”
Book Merch Services
My book merch design services can help you create custom and unique merch that showcases your books and helps you engage with your readers. Whether you are looking for artwork for merch or want help getting your shop set up, I have a variety of packages to choose from.
Merch Products
Let's talk about some products that are popular merch items. There are four main product types that are great starting points for your merch store.
Designs for Merch
Let’s look at what book references makes great designs for book merch. I have broken them into three main types of designs—book quotes, character based, and location based.
Polling Readers
Here are some great questions to pose to your readers in order to gauge their interest in merch around you and your books.
Will Merch Sell?
While there isn't a magic spell to guarantee sales, this is a big fear when considering offering merch. I have been there and understand. But that is where reader engagement comes in.
Merch vs Swag
Both merch and swag are ways of promoting yourself as an author and your books. While swag is typically lower cost items like bookmarks or stickers that are given away for free, merch is typically products like shirts, hoodies, mugs, or blankets that are sold to your readers.
Print-On-Demand
Print-on-Demand (POD) is the easiest option for offering merch because a POD printer takes care of the printing of the products and shipping the orders for you. That means you don't have to store any inventory or deal with shipping products yourself.
Book Merch Benefits
There are many great benefits that come with offering book merch for both you and your readers from expanding the world of your books to it being an additional revenue stream for you.