The Trick to Reasonably Priced Bookmarks in the UK

To be honest, I hummed and harred over writing this post. But …

1)      I’m asked a LOT where I’ve got my printed goods from whenever I post pics of them. And …

2)      I’m often slightly peeved at the cost of professionally made bookmarks for us folk in the UK in comparison to the States.

In fact, I’m pretty certain my US buddies can get a couple hundred bookmarks for as little as $40-ish. When I hunted for printing companies over here that made bookmarks to order, the prices I was finding were in the region of £120 upwards (and those were the cheapest O_O).

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Yeah, not impressed with that.

The worst of it was, one of the best places to order them from in the US seemed to be Vistaprint.

Now, anyone who takes any notice of what I say will know I’m a huge championer of Vistaprint.

But they do have a downside.

The UK site for the company doesn’t offer bookmarks as one of their products.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Yeah, my mood crashed and burned over that one, let me tell you.

So after having major sulkfests over this for days … weeks … possibly months … I spotted a blog post (on Red Room) that detailed ‘how to get quality promotional bookmarks for just under a penny …’, which included Vistaprint as part of the plan.

So I was all ears.

I followed their instructions. Gave it a go.

And voila! I ended up with my first set of bookmarks I’d ordered myself.

So how much did they cost me?

Well, the first lot I ordered only ended up costing me an approximate £4.50-ish, due to the fee for uploading an image and the cost of shipping—because I followed the advice and waited for a ‘freebie’ offer to come through. That was for 200.

I’ve since then ordered more. Though I did pay the full whack of £17.99 (plus postage) for the second batch—but decided I couldn’t even scoff at that price.

And I’ve been more than happy with the received product both times. Sure, they’re a little smaller than, and the card used isn’t quite as thick as, my original Darkness & Light bookmarks my publisher sent over from America, but they are still more than worth the money I paid.

So, in case you fancy ordering some of your own, here’s the LINK again to the blog post explaining how.

And if I—a complete techno-moron—could figure out how to use the Vistaprint site, anyone can. Plus, to help you along, I’ve even posted pics (below) of my bookmarks all set up (as finished product) and ready for printing from my Vistaprint portfolio so you have a second image to go by*.

Front /\ & back \/

Just remember: Butt each image up to the outside cut-off line, and you pretty much can’t go wrong.

Then when they arrive, chop ‘em up.

I’ve been lucky enough to have access to a guillotine, but I imagine a craft knife and straight edge could work just as well.

So there you have it. My trick to affordable bookmarks (totally taken from someone else’s idea).

Live and learn, people. I hope this helps.

*Please note: if you are published via traditional methods, check in with them before using your coverart for promotional products. Who knows? If they’re as awesomesauce as J.Taylor, they may even provide the ready-made images you need for you.

So, who wants one of my lovely new Darkness & Light bookmarks, then?

Yep, I went and ordered some awesome new bookmarks, as suggested by Mr B, and they arrived last week, all shiny and new and oh, so perdy. Wanna see? Lookie down.

Of course, this means I can’t wait to share them and get them into eager beaver hands.

The best way to do that is with a giveaway–and seeing as October has turned into one big Giveaway Fest on my blog, I figured now is as good a time as any.

I also figured I might as well use the giveaway to my advantage.

Yes, yes, I know I usually only ask you to comment for something like this. But this time, I’m asking for a tiny bit more. Because to enter, I want you to Tweet.

As for the what …. simply choose one of my Holloway Pack titles to tweet about. It can either be your favourite tale in a shout out. Or maybe there’s one you’ve been waiting to read, or are dying to get your hands on–just shout about it. Or the fact that Fated Encounter always has been and still is a free read ….

You get the picture.

To make it easier, I’ve even posted links to my books pages on Goodreads for you to include:

Instinct: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12238374-instinct

Eternal: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13353935-eternal

Darkness & Light: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10835992-darkness-light

Fated Encounter: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12327186-fated-encounter

Into the Unknown: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12064793-into-the-unknown

Blue Moon: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13454731-blue-moon

Resonance: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15761332-resonance

Caged: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13627361-caged

ANNNNNND your Tweet MUST include the hashtag: #HollowayPack If it doesn’t include this hashtag, there’s a chance I won’t spot/find it. And so long as the hashtag is in your tweet, you won’t all need to @ me to grab my attention.

See? That’s not so difficult, right?

Okay, then, to clarify, I will be giving away THREE signed bookmarks. I’ll also be throwing in a signed Blue Moon bookmark, as well a signed Instinct and signed Eternal postcard to each winner. AND one lucky winner (that would be whoever random.org picks first) will also receive a Holloway Pack pen.

The contest will remain open until the end of the week (midnight of Sunday October 14th), and the draw will take place next week. Winner will be contacted via Twitter initially so you’ll need to look out for a tweet from me. And, in case you’re wondering, yes, you can tweet more than once (you can do so as many times as you like), and yes, each tweet will be counted as a separate entry.

Good luck! And thanks in advance to anyone who plays along.

Fangs, Fur & Fey Blog Hop! #Giveaway

Roll up for my stop on the Fangs, Fur & Fey Blog Hop!

First up, I would like to thank I am a Reader, Not a Writer & Reading Lark for hosting the hop. There a tonne of folk signed up to participate, which means HOARDS of goodies are up for grabs. To find out who the participating blogs are, simply click on the hop badge. =>>

And onwards with my post.

Up for snagging on my hop stop, I have ONE E-copy of my paranormal romance, Darkness & Light–the first novel in the Holloway Pack series.

Let’s take a look:

~~~~~~~~~~

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes to be, a bid to escape boredom.

Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met—at least, not in this lifetime.

Apart, the two are safe, but live unfulfilled lives.

Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs, just as they have been for hundreds of years.

When their worlds collide, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Their renewed bond deepens. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.

Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

~~~~~~~~~~

Sound like something you fancy winning?

Then all you have to do is hop on over to the RAFFLECOPTER FORM to find out how.

Good luck!

New Darkness & Light Bookmarks!

Eeeep. Just had to share.

You see, my supply of Darkness & Light bookmarks is beginning to dwindle away. And as Mr B has a habit of going around and finding folk to give them to, I figured I’d better get some more. He said: get some with your new cover. I said: I don’t have the images I need to get some with my new cover. To which, he said: So ask for some then.

So I did.

And they came in my email box all shiny and new.

And I lurves them.

Wanna see?

‘Course you do.

Front ^ & back \/

Whatcha think?

I can’t wait to order some of these. Can’t wait to share them with folk. However, if you have the impatience of a greyhound on a track and you just have to go print one off NOW, as I usually do with any tchotchke images, I’ve uploaded the bookmark files to my website. You can find them HERE!

Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by.

 

Bookmarks + The Beach + Mr B = Pure Awesomeness!

Last weekend, after being dealt the ‘C’ word (see previous Blog Post), Mr B whisked me and the kidlets off to the Mother-in-law’s for a very much needed break. Luckily for us, Mrs B Senior lives on the west coast of Wales. And, man, was the weather glorious.

I would say the fact that Mr B’s brother had a stint hiring out kayak’s and peddle boats on Saundersfoot beach made the short break.

Or that we got to leave the kidlets with Mr B’s brother whilst we vanished on our own and lunched together and strolled together and just had some seriously overdue ‘us time’.

Tenby

Or that we also got to doss about at the beach some.

Dossing about at the beach.

Me!

Or that The Boy permitted his picture to be taken for the first time in years–and I got the first snapshot of the two of us together without him hiding behind hair since he began senior school.

Me & The Boy!

Nope!

Well, yes, they were all amazing and helped make the break awesome. But …
the thing that totally did it for me was the second day there.

After we’d dropped the kidlets to the BiL, me and Mr B walked along Saundersfoot beach together (see image below) …

Saundersfoot Beach

… and Mr B took the handful of Darkness & Light bookmarks I just happened to have in my handbag, scoured the laid-out beach towels for ladies reading paperbacks, then crossed to them and said:

“Hey, would you like a bookmark for that?”

Every single one of them accepted. Every single one of them was left checking out what the bookmark said.

Voilà!

Darkness & Light bookmarks into the hands of readers.

Like I said: Bookmarks + The Beach + Mr B = Pure Awesomeness!

And this, folks, is exactly why I love him.

And The Winner of The Lazy Days of Summer Hop is ….

Thank you SO much to all who entered.

Be sure to check back in the future for more giveaways.

Need a Wolfie Summer Read? Then Come Enter to Win at the Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway Hop!

Hey all, and welcome to my stop on the Lazy Days of Summer Hop. First up, I’d like to give a huge thanks to I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Colorimetry for hosting this hop. Please remember to take a moment to click on the image to hop across to the linky list of participants, where you’ll find tonnes of great giveaways happening.

And onwards with my post!

Well, as summer is pretty much right on top of us, and most kids are done with school for the holidays, which means many of you lovely folk will be heading off to beaches and forests and relaxing evenings by the pool, I figured what better to accompany such a trip than a great wolfie romance read.

Yep, one lucky winner shall receive an E-Copy (either mobi. or epub) of my paranormal romance (with a supernatural twist): Darkness & Light.

Here’s what it’s all about:

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes to be, a bid to escape boredom.

Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met—at least, not in this lifetime.

Apart, the two are safe, but live unfulfilled lives.

Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs, just as they have been for hundreds of years.

When their worlds collide, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Their renewed bond deepens. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.

Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

Sound like your cup of tea? Coolio. Then head on over to the Rafflecopter Form to enter.

Good luck!

Get Ready For the Twitter Giveaway Coming This Friday!

Yep, with the end of June rapidly approaching, I figured I might as well wrap up the month with a giveaway in a final shout-out for Darkness & Light’s muchero cheapness price that’s been going on all month long.
Which means, this Friday, anyone who tweets with links to anywhere selling Darkness & Light at its promotional price will get entered into a giveaway!
Yay!
So, what’s the prize, you ask?
Well, winner gets to choose a copy of any one of my published titles (including Eternal, which releases next week)!

The contest officially begins Friday, from 9am until 9pm UK time. Each tweet will count as 1 entry, so the more tweets, the more entries. I shall pick & announce a winner as soon as the giveaway is over.

And to make this whole milarky even easier, I’ve even pre-written some tweets.

• Darkness & Light only £1.02 at AmazonUK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Darkness-Light-Holloway-Story-ebook/dp/B0054SCTUM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340730120&sr=1-1 #HollowayPack #Giveaway RT for a chance to win an ebook
• 2 days left to grab Darkness & Light for $.99 at B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/darkness-light-ja-belfield/1103241650?ean=2940012967343 #HollowayPack #Giveaway RT for a chance to win an ebook
• Darkness & Light #HollowayPack $1.62 at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Light-Holloway-Story-ebook/dp/B0054SCTUM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340730120&sr=1-1 RT for a chance to win an ebook #Giveaway

Simples!
See you guys Friday.

Book News: Updates & Reminders!

Happy Tuesday to you all. I thought I’d pop in a quick blog post today to remind everyone about the Darkness & Light Ebook promotion happening right now through the month of June, and to tell you about an Eternal giveaway happening over at my publisher’s blog.

First up: Darkness & Light

For all of you who haven’t yet managed to grab a copy, June is an AWESOME time to do so. Not only will you get the updated cover unique to the Ebooks, as well as the added Sean POV scenes in the back, but Darkness & Light is also on MEGA sale.

I haven’t hunted the Internet to find out exactly who has it on sale, but I know it’s currently only £1.02 over at Amazon UK (for Kindle–usually £3-something), $1.58 over at Amazon US (for Kindle–usually a cent below $5), and $0.99 over at Barnes & Noble (Nook–usually $4.99).

Secondly: the Eternal Promotion

This week, J.Taylor Publishing are giving away FIVE early copies of Eternal: Holloway Pack 0.5 (due for release July 2nd).

All you have to do to enter is comment on their BLOG POST with the agreement to read, review, and post your review of Eternal before its release date.

Simples!

So if you’re waiting on this one, or Eternal simply sounds like your cup of tea, then here’s your chance to get an early peek. But hurry, because the closing date for this one is June 15th–that’s only 3 days!

Hope you all have an awesome day!

Darkness & Light Promotion!

Hey guys!

Just a quick reminder in celebration of its upcoming 1 year anniversary and to help promote its brand spanking new cover, Darkness & Light will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other outlets through the ENTIRE MONTH of JUNE at the bargain price of only 99c (or around 77p to us Brits)

Go grab yourself a copy whilst the offer’s on.

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes, is a bid to escape boredom.
Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met — at least, not in this lifetime.
Apart, the two are safe but live unfulfilled lives.
Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs just as they have been for hundreds of years.
When their worlds collide, and not for the first time, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Futures are uncertain. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.
Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

Here are the links to help you along:

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

BARNES & NOBLE