Books as swag

It's February 2019. Berlin.

Two minutes before the opening remarks, I needed to step on stage. Unplanned. Feeling very uncomfortable about it.

"Hello everyone, thanks for coming. Quick call-to-action before we start: if someone took a book from that table, please bring it back — it is our thank-you gift for today's speaker".

I made my way back to the mentioned table and continued assembling thank-you bags for speakers: Jolocom’s t-shirt, Jolocom’s beanie, and a book.

"Sorry, I thought it was swag,” he put the book on the table.

Indeed, all the books for speakers were lying on the table next to the swag. But book as swag?

“Quite a high-effort item to produce. Although, how awesome it would be!” I thought.

Today, Web3 companies have realized that books — or zines — make the best gifts.

Here are just a few I collected at the events (in no order):

1. Ethereum Yellow Paper (ETHB3rlin)
2. My Technooptimism by Vitalik (Devcon7)
3. Moloch comics by Gitcoin (ETHDenver)
4. Exploring Mycofi by GreenPill Network (I saw it at Devcon7, but it was released way earlier)
5. Greenpilled by Kevin Owocki
6. Infinite Garden coloring book by Gitcoin (ETHDenver)
7. Onchain Capital Allocation Handbook by Gitcoin

A book, whether big or small, is a powerful tool for sharing a story. In our tech world, it's also a novelty (still).

When brainstorming swag ideas for your next event, embrace variety: it may be worth giving away a present that nourishes people's minds or entertains them.

Yours,
Ira