What Kind of Additional Merch Would You Like To See In The Future?

Did you know that, most of the time, buying a ticket to see a band perform live in-concert actually puts less money in that band's pockets than buying a tee shirt or CD? And we're not talking a bigger percentage, either... we're talking total earnings. That $25 tee shirt you bought at the venue actually made your band more money, overall, than the tickets that cost you at least three times that much to purchase.

While there's a lot of math and behind-the-scenes explanations for this, the important lesson to take away from this statement is that buying merch directly from performers and creators you like is one of the best ways to support them.

Which is why I wanted to stop in and ask folks today... would you be interested in seeing me put out some merch for The Literary Mercenary?

I've got some plans in the works...

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more! And, of course, check me out on Blue Sky, since that's what we're talking about today!

A Couple of Potential Ideas...

On the surface, this might seem like a bit of a weird direction to go in. After all, I'm an author, and all my books and gaming materials are already merch. And while you should absolutely check out my Amazon author page, as well as the nearly 200 tabletop RPG games and supplements under my name on Drive Thru RPG, the idea behind this week's post is all about expanding the options I can both bring with me to conventions, but also making sure there's more stuff available in general for folks who are fans of what I'm doing.

The advantages of having additional merch is that it provides more options for fans, and it represents an additional stream of earnings to help keep the wolf from my door. It also provides a wider range of costs so that different folks with different levels of disposable income can still get something when they come across me in the wild. The difficulty, of course, is production costs for getting new merch made, and the fact that you usually have to order a minimum number of things up-front. So if they don't sell, you're stuck with a lot of stuff you bought, but can't turn a profit with.

So, I had a few thoughts I'd like to lay out. And I can basically break them into two, very broad categories...

#1: Literary Mercenary Merch

The first category is broad strokes stuff for fellow writers out there. Stuff that likely uses some of my logos, as well some... shall we say choice phrases I've decided to identify with over the years? Some of my thoughts so far include:

- Stickers (surprisingly not something I've done yet, though I feel I should)

- Notebooks (I do love myself a handy dandy notebook, and something pocket-sized is always useful)

- Patches (I did this once before, and they were middlingly popular... just not quite enough to restock)

- Bandannas (for those who prefer a piratey look, or who just want something cool to hold back their hair)

These are just a couple of thoughts I had to get me started... but if there's another item you'd like to see, let me know in the comments down below!

#2: "Army Men" Merch

And you should grab a copy if you haven't yet!

For those who aren't familiar with it, my tabletop RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic has been out for a couple of years now. And while there are plenty of additional supplements for it like the mission module Assault on Outpost 13, or the medals system introduced in Army Men: Medals of Honor, those are all digital things, and I sort of want to provide something physical for people to buy to go with their game. A couple of ideas I've had thus far include:

- "Standard Issue" Faction Dice (color-coordinated to your faction, complete with an Altoids tin-sized carrying case)

- Faction/Unit Patches: Something to identify players who favor one nation over another. An expansion might be patches for particular units or regiments in the game setting

- Dog Tags: Another simple, color-coded way for you to let everyone know which faction you fight for

Given that I have copies of my game book out on the table when I go to an event, I figured adding another few options for players to check out would be worth adding into the mix... but what do you all think?

Again, if one of these sounds good to you (or if you think something should be added into the mix) let me know in the comments down below!

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

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Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel, as well as my Rumble channel listed above!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list.

4 Holiday Gifts For The Writer on Your List

The holidays are upon us, and if you have a writer on your list it can sometimes leave you scratching your head about what to get them. While the best present is buying copies of their books as gifts to other people, as well as leaving reviews online (incidentally, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife is still on Amazon, and my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers was recently re-released), sometimes you want to get them something special, too.

Not only that, but you don't want it to be more of the usual. After all, most writers would be all too happy to get a pack of journals, a set of personalized ballpoint pens, or other sorts of presents, but that's the kind of thing they might expect... more importantly, it's the sort of thing other folks in their circles might think of.

So what should you get them? Well, I'm not an expert, but if you want a stocking stuffer, or just something they'll actually use down the line on one of their projects, consider some of the following items.

Practical and thoughtful, as well!

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! To be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, make sure you check out my Vocal archive for several hundred other articles about geek ephemera, weird history, writing, and more!

#1: Bluetooth Keyboard

This is #1 for a reason.

The image of the writer out and about with a laptop is iconic for a reason, but sometimes you don't want to bring your whole rig with you. Either you aren't sure if you're going to be working on something, or you know you aren't going to have a lot of space. But if you have a tablet or phone, and an Internet connection so you can reach your Google docs, then this is an ideal gadget to keep in your jacket pocket.

I have a model just like the Omoton foldable keyboard, and I was testing it recently at Friendsgiving while I was on an editing deadline. It took a bit of getting used to, but it allowed me to make some progress on my most recent TTRPG supplement guide without monopolizing an entire table to myself. One recommendation I might make, if you think someone is going to do more than just type up stories and documents using this keyboard is to go for a full mousepad version like the Geodmaer, which gives you that extra bit of functionality.

#2: A Rubber Ducky

Trust me, I'm going somewhere with this.

This entry might seem like a gag gift, but I'm very serious about this. If you're not familiar with The Rubber Ducky Method, it's something that was created by programmers. In short, you take a rubber ducky, and you walk them through every, single line of code until you've pinpointed the problem, treating them like an outside consultant. Writers can often benefit from the same process... and even if the writer on your list doesn't personally use it, everyone loves a themed rubber ducky!

If you happen to have a lot of writers and programmers on your list, you can even get a rubber duck variety pack, and choose which ones best fit your friends and family. As a final recommendation, consider giving the ducks names and personalities, then writing them on a small card to personalize them to a person's tastes that much more. It's fun, cute, and it's something they're likely to keep on their desk long after the holiday is over.

#3: Pen Holder

Kitschy? Absolutely. But well loved.

There are few weird little gifts that are better loved than a pen holder, in my experience. That is, of course, assuming the writer in your life uses pens, pencils, etc. But there are a variety of these out there, ranging from the typewriter pictured above, to the kneeling knight (my own customized squire that I gave a Warhammer 40K sheen to is Brother Pencival), to a revolver cylinder for those who want a weaponized feel for their accouterments. So you've got choices.

As an additional note, find out if the writer on your list goes to conventions, or regularly hosts book signings. These little accessories can be ideal for adding some details to your table, but if they're going to travel with this gift, make sure it's tough enough to handle a little jostling from time to time.

#4: Gamification of The Craft

Because sometimes work should feel like play.

Story prompts are things we're all intimately familiar with, whether we use them professionally or not. However, tools that turn writing into a game can be a good little exercise for the mind, especially if (as tends to happen) the writer on your list has writer friends that would show up to a game night for something like this.

The Storymatic is one such game, but for those who like things a little more freeform there are also things like Writing Dice which let you roll up a new prompt with a wave of your hand. A little on the lighthearted side, tastes will vary on this one as a gift.

Support The Literary Mercenary

For folks who just want to do their part to help keep me making more content, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:

- My Facebook

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!