At the time that I was planning my Mexican themed summer bash this August, I was feeling very discouraged about my writing. The day before the party I stood in my kitchen, whipping up my famous nachos while my friend Mandy grated cheese for the recipe. Suddenly she left the kitchen and returned a few moments later with something behind her back.

“I know you’ve been down in the dumps lately about your writing, Anika, so I thought with this party coming up you could use a little shameless promotion and some cheering up. So here it is!”

The excitement on her face mirrored mine when I saw what she was holding in her hands. A promotional placemat for my party dedicated entirely to my work. I couldn’t have been more thrilled!

The placemat was approximately 8 1/2 x 14 in size and had an attractive format with just enough color to make it stand out. It had been prepared with care and was laminated on both sides.

On one side of the placemat was a bio of my work, a list of my writing credits (fiction on the left and non-fiction on the right) and along the bottom in big letters, my website address. The other side of the placemat was divided into four parts. One part showed a photo of the cover of my book and description. The next part contained an illustration for my serial fiction and information pertaining to the story. The next section contained information about upcoming projects of mine and the final section contained a smiling photo of me.

It was a masterpiece in my opinion- a clever concept with an impressive presentation. Mandy had made sure there was enough for every place setting at the party. We both hoped that it would turn out to be a conversation piece and would drum up interest, and sales, for my work.

Did it work?

You better believe it did! Everyone at the party couldn’t stop talking about it. I was asked to read excerpts from my book, which I gladly did. Many guests walked out of there with signed copies and I ended the evening with more money than I had started it with.

Since the party, I have had more placemats made and am in the process of pitching the idea to local eateries. I’ve already had one “yes” answer and am convinced there will be more to come. Promotional placemats have gotten me on track with my work- and I couldn’t be happier!

Anika Logan is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. She has written short stories, poetry, personal essays and articles on a variety of topics including alternative medicine, fashion and beauty, relationships, the law, pets, home improvements and writing topics. Her work has been published extensively over the Internet. Anika’s first book, a collection of short stories called The Truth of Me (And Other Stories) was published by Lulu Press. Anika writes a mystery serial story called What Happened to Shelby Forrester? for the website keepitcoming.net. To learn more about Anika’s work visit her website at https://www.authorsden.com/anikalogan.