An Author’s Work is Never Done: TOR Bookmarks, Swag, and Special Deliveries
You’d think that once a book hits the shelves, the author’s job is to sit back, sip a glass of wine, and watch the reviews roll in. Or maybe start on the next book. Well, you’d be wrong. If you walked into my staging room right now, you wouldn’t see me kicking back with my feet up. You’d see a red-threaded battlefield of cardboard boxes, custom bookmarks, a sacred signing pen waiting for its moment, and all the ingredients for delicious swag bags full of sweets and steamy possibilities. Welcome to the messy, exciting world of the post-release hustle where the real magic happens. And let me set the record straight, it can be a stressful hustle. My brain is overloaded amid the still-spinning threads of red and all the balls this one-woman shipping and fulfillment factory has in the air. It’s all good though!
DROP INTO MY POST-RELEASE ROUTINE
BEHIND THE SCENES OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS AFTER THE BOOK IS WRITTEN
After organizing the necessary items, I move onto an important step—unpacking the cartons of books to make sure there are no print issues. While one person cannot read through every book to hunt for mistakes, I spot check as many as I can to ensure the title, subtitle, tagline, cover, spine, and back cover blurb are accurate. I inspect the dedication and acknowledgement pages verifying that each person’s name is spelled correctly. I pivot to flipping through the book to quickly examine chapter headings, the quotes that accompany each, text alignment, and page breaks. I cross my fingers and say a little prayer that my books are good to go.
✨WHAT’S ON MY TABLE?
My prep table is now neatly covered in door hanger signs, dark scarlet tissue paper, packing tape, crimson crinkle paper, and other red-threaded book paraphernalia, plus everything needed to build the TOR swag bags and tie up loose ends.
📦 THE VIP CARE PACKAGES
Before anyone else gets their hands on the final product, there’s a special group of people who deserve the very first look. I have carefully boxed and bagged dedicated copies for a few amazing people—those who helped bring Threads of Red to life, or were early readers, and the wonderful authors who provided a review or wrote a blurb for the back of the book.
Within each inner white box, a signed copy of the book—carefully wrapped in raven-black matte paper and tied with a red ribbon—is nestled within a fluffy bed of festive red crinkle paper. I attempted to create a sleek "Red Thread" slashing across the midnight-black wrap, mimicking my book's title, theme, and the imagery of the red string of fate.
Tucked just beneath the ribbon lay a custom bookmark and a snarky “Do Not Disturb” door hanger, facing up to reveal an eye-catching image of how I conjure my Hollywood superstar and main male character, Ezekiel Larson, in my mind.
Resting safely next to the book is a swag bag in clear cellophane. It contains a red string of fate bracelet, a red-foil-wrapped chocolate heart, a lip mask, mints, and a rock candy stick woven with threads of red saffron.
I secured the inner white box with shiny black packing tape and slapped a glittering red heart sticker right in the middle of the tape. After inking my initials on it, I placed another heart sticker dead center on top of the white box, inking the letters E & E—for Ezekiel and Ellie. The now-fancy white box was placed inside the shipping box, and off they went.
The special black and red bags, with deep red tissue paper peeking out, concealed a signed copy of the book, the custom gift bag, the hilarious and sexy door hanger, and the TOR bookmark. I delivered these personally to each person.
🖋️ THE SACRED SIGNING PEN
There’s something incredibly special about an author's signing pen. Mine isn’t just any random office supply plucked from Staples; it was given to me by a very dear friend who has been there since page one of Threads of Red. The ink is black, but the instrument is a deep red Beiluner pen that writes ever so smoothly. It’s the tool that adds the final, personal touch to a reader's copy. I will always cherish it as a unique keepsake.
🛍️ BUILDING THE THREADS OF RED WORLD BEYOND THE PAGES
A book doesn't just live in text—it lives in the experience. At the end of the day, all of this paper, tape, and ink serves a single purpose: connection. Writing Threads of Red was a solitary journey, but sharing it is a community experience. Now that my special packages have been sent or given, I must focus on stuffing the rest of the swag bags, so they are ready for my book launch event. (TBD)
Once that task is completed I’ll shift to prepping all my items for transport—the books, swag bags, door hangers, bookmarks, special pen, custom runner with my book cover for the middle of the black tablecloth, red rose petals to scatter against the black, battery-operated tea-lights to light the table, a few clear bookstands to display TOR, and last but not least, my retractable book cover banner. I purchased it from Vista Print. They did a fabulous job.
BEYOND THE LAST PAGE
Every single piece of swag packed, every bookmark tucked away, and every signature penned is my way of thanking everyone who steps into the Threads of Red world with me.
The typing might be done, but the journey of Threads of Red is just getting started. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mountain of swag bags to make!
