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Promoting B&R Offline?

Darren

Darren

Active Member
I was thinking about ways to promote the site offline and would be interested to hear other people's thoughts.

I had thought about having an area a bit like bookcrossing.com where members could register a book and then "pass it on" to someone else, either throught a secondhand book shop, charity or some other means. Each book would get a unique number and people could then come to the site and see who else had the book and add a comment - essentially the same as bookcrossing.com

Another idea would be to just get some bookmarks and stickers printed to stick in books with our site name and URL on them, but I thought the idea of tracking books would be a bit more fun.

I'm not great with graphics, but we've got a fairly good "classic" logo which we could use to make some bookmarks.

What do you think?
 
I dont suppose there is anyway you could make contact with a major book retailer such as Waterstones and try to convince them to advertise the site? Failing that, you might be able to create some sort of advertising poster or somesuch that people could print off and try to convince their small local bookshop to have in the window. I have seen it done with limited success for another site I frequent (different market though).

Phil
 
One easy promotional method might be to have a link here with a printable bookmark. The bookmark would tell about us and how to find us. It would be even better to have the bookmark in pdf with several on the same page. I'd print them out and stick them in library books and books I trade in at UBS or donate to library sales..and I donate sackfuls at times.

One twist on the bookcrossing twist..have section for 'classifieds," where we can set up bookrings or rays and the participants can discuss the book as it makes the rounds. I don't know about the need for registering books. I personally forget to go back to bookcrossing and 'journal' books I take to the USB or otherwise get rid of..but that's just me.
 
It's pretty cheap to have cards printed up and have them displayed in libraries and bookstores. I'd be willing to print a few off if a simple B&R template were created that could be downloaded and printed off in a pdf or text document. I think more than a few members would happily print off afew and put them around book friendly places. Just a thought.:)
 
Darren said:
Another idea would be to just get some bookmarks and stickers printed to stick in books with our site name and URL on them
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I like this. Abecedarian's printable bookmarks idea is good too.
 
Darren said:
I could have a go at designing some cards and bookmarks, but I'm not that great at design, and also I'd be in A4 rather than the US paper sizes.
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I'm working tonight, which hopefully means lots of downtime and not much to do. I will see about making up some bookmark designs for 8.5 x 11 paper. I'll try to have something up by the end of the weekend.
 
On a bright yellow “Post-It” note simply write:



To Discuss This Book
Go Here:
www. bookandreader.com​



In any library book you’re finishing, wedge the post-it note into the binding just before the last chapter starts.

The post-it note adhesive is non-destructive to the book yet it will keep the note from falling out when the book is moved around.
 
Motokid said:
On a bright yellow “Post-It” note simply write:



To Discuss This Book
Go Here:
www. bookandreader.com​



In any library book you’re finishing, wedge the post-it note into the binding just before the last chapter starts.

The post-it note adhesive is non-destructive to the book yet it will keep the note from falling out when the book is moved around.
Click to expand...


Hmm..Isn't there a gluestick that's removable glue? My handwriting is less than what I'd like, but you have a good point about printable bookmarks falling out..so maybe a swipe of this gluestick would make the prinatable bookmark into an instant post-it note.. I like post-its for bookmarks too, specially the bright colored ones.
 
The post-it note is small enough and thin enough to evade detection from librarians and others. Only a person who reads the entire book will find the post-it at the beginning of the last chapter.

Hidden in the middle...tucked tight in the binding....yet bright and calling out to be read.
 
I think that both ideas (from ABC and Moto) are fantastic. The bookmark would probably excite more interest, but the post-it note would be found by more people (because, as Moto said, the librarians are less likely to find and remove it). The bookmark idea would be perfect for released BC books.
 
It's not ethical to use the free public library to place commercial promotion in. Please don't even consider that. It's an abuse of a public service.
 
Is it commercial promotion, though? I mean, we don't want any money from these people, we just wanna talk books!

I like the post-it idea, I think finding a handwritten note would elicit more curiosity and excitement than fidning a bookmark and assuming it had been mass-produced and stuck in every single book (I still like the bookmark idea in general though).

What about gift bags? My university gives out bags to commencing undergraduates with lots of survival stuff in them. Bumper stickers and bookmarks could go in there. I'm sure the Student Union would be happy to oblige (but we've missed O-week this year, oops)
 
novella said:
It's not ethical to use the free public library to place commercial promotion in. Please don't even consider that. It's an abuse of a public service.
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I asked my local library about placing a poster on their noticeboard in the entrance and they were happy for me to do so.

As long as the books are not damaged or defaced, I don't see a problem.

Libraries would probably not agree with post-it notes, and we can't officially support that, but I don't see a problem with the odd bookmark left inside.

I often stick a B&R sticker on the inside of my own paperbacks before donating them to the charity shop.

This site is hardly a commercial venture!
 
novella said:
It's not ethical to use the free public library to place commercial promotion in. Please don't even consider that. It's an abuse of a public service.
Click to expand...

That might be your take on it, but it's certainly not mine.

The post-it note is in no way destructive to the book. It's very much like a bookmark left in the book.

As ABC said...I often use post-it notes as a bookmark anyway. They don't fall out by accident.

In this case I simple "forget" to remove the post-it note and it just happens to have a few words on it.

I am not going to reap any financial rewards. It's not a commercial advertisement. Perhaps if Darren was leaving them you might have a point.

I've seen countless library books with highlighted passages and handwritten notes in the margins. Pages turned down and other physical damage. Calling a post-it note an abuse of a public service is going a bit overboard in my opinion.

A post-it note invitation to B&R is very subtle, and in no way destructive.
 
I disagree completely. I object to intentionally leaving any message in a library book without the library's knowledge. It's an abuse of a public service. It doesn't matter whether anyone is making money off it. What if someone was sticking porno pictures in kid's books in the library? What if some anti-abortion group started leaving their propaganda in all the teen novels? It doesn't matter whether YOU object to the particular message or not. In principle it's just wrong.
 
Subtle with a touch of anarchy....I like it even more.


Talk about taking things to extremes. :rolleyes:

I pay for those library books with my tax dollars.
Leaving a small post-it note in it is certainly not a destructive, or abusive act.

Please.
 
What other ideas do people have for promoting this site?

Advertising on other sites, or search engines (eg Google) is way too expensive.
 
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