Book Publicity, Part 3: Making Swag for The Incredible Kindness of Paper

Author Diary #10: Book Publicity, Part 3

Hello, Protagonists!

Welcome to another Author Diary—a behind-the-scenes note on what I’ve been thinking about as The Incredible Kindness of Paper inches closer to release.

In this post, you’ll find:

📚 What’s Filling My Creative Well - books or articles that are lighting up my brain

🎁 Gift for YOU - adorable book-themed stickers!

• Are you a dog person or a cat person?

🎨 Behind the Scenes: “Making of” The Incredible Kindness of Paper Swag

• Mixed Media Collage, Sketching, and Painting

---

📚 What’s Filling My Creative Well

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton - Last year, we read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in our book club, and Turton’s latest cerebral mystery is no disappointment!

I particularly enjoyed reading his dedication, author’s note, and acknowledgments section, as they were lovely examples of how to infuse voice into those bits of a book. ☺️

---

🎁 Gift for YOU: Adorable Bookish Stickers!

sticker design: hallie m. bertling

One of my absolute favorite things is collaborating with other artists, especially if they are members of this community.

hallie m. bertling, halthegal.

has been a long-time reader of mine, and when I wanted to make stickers for The Incredible Kindness of Paper, I knew she was the perfect artist for the job.

Check out the videos below for the mesmerizing behind-the-scenes process, from sketching to painting to collage (for the books the kitty and puppy are reading)!

Would you like a set of these stickers?

I would love to send them to you! You don’t even have to choose dog or cat—I will send you both. (I will mail them anywhere in the world.)

Just fill out this form with your mailing address:

(I will not use your info for anything besides mailing you these stickers!)

Offer open while supplies last or August 31, 2025, whichever is first.

---

🎨 Behind the Scenes: “Making of” The Incredible Kindness of Paper Swag

I can never get enough of videos that show me the process behind talented artists’ work.

You might think stickers are simple… but you’re wrong! These mixed-media beauties took a lot of imagination and craft, and I’m thrilled that Hallie filmed the entire “making of” process to share with you!

🐱 Mixed Media Book Collage + Kitten Sketching and Painting:

🐶 Puppy Sketching and Painting:

Fun fact: This is a Biewer Terrier, which makes an appearance in The Incredible Kindness of Paper

I can’t wait for you to get some of these stickers for yourself! 🥰

---

💛 You’re invited!

Don’t forget to RSVP (it’s free!) for my virtual launch party + origami workshop, where I’ll teach you to make two paper roses inspired by my book!

---

» This post is part of my year-long Author Diary series where I take you behind the scenes, from idea to publication of a book.

Catch up here:

• Diary #1: How do Book Auctions Work?

• Diary #2: The Secret Behind Book Cover Design

• Diary #3: First Pass Pages and Why the Font in Books Matters

• Diary #4: What are ARCs? And Why Does It Take So Long to Publish a Book?

• Diary #5: How Authors Make Money: Advances, Royalties, Foreign Rights, Translations & More

• Diary #6: What are Book Blurbs? The Gift (and Burden) of the Book Blurbing System

• Diary #7: Book Publicity, Part 1: Collaborating with Other Authors

• Diary #8: Book Publicity, Part 2: Working with Influencers, Book Boxes, and more

• Diary #9: The Secret Publishing Metric That Can Make or Break a Book