How a Writer uses eBay

Whatever did I ever do before eBay? Spend lots of time looking through musty old books trying to find the exact piece of info I needed. But now? Zip, zip and I’ve got descriptions, pictures, and sometimes even the exact object I want in my hot little hand.

My first purchase was a diary from the 1930s. I was looking for a first-hand account of slang, the issues of the day, the thoughts of a girl living during the Depression. I purchased several other diaries in the same time period, but none of them were as detailed and entertaining as the first. Oh, this girl was a hoot. I wonder what she would have thought about her school journal being auctioned off. I think she would have loved the attention.

Tip: Avoid diaries that are like my childhood notes: “It rained today. Nothing else happened.” Unless that exact year or location is vital to your story, you should save your money.

Purchasing diaries can get expensive fast. Especially for certain time-periods (like during WWII) and for detailed/complete volumes. Of course, once you are done you can always post the diary back up for the next writer.

If you are just looking to get the flavor of a time period, or some brainstorming ideas, you can also just browse. Many sellers post a few pages, sometimes as photos, sometimes as transcribed text. You can get a sneak peak into the diary and that might be all you need to set a mood, or a character.

Speaking of browsing, you can do that for a whole host of other things. Need to know what a street in New York looked like in the 1940s? Chances are you can find a postcard online. Need a museum brochure? An old railway time schedule? You can probably get it on eBay.

If you do make a purchase, be sure to ask the seller for more background information. I bought some paper dolls from the late 1930s-1940s. Turns out the seller was the original owner and played with them when she was a child.

Here’s a fun marketing tip: Let’s say in your story your character visits Paris and sends a postcard home. For a tie-in you could get some old postcards as giveaways. Or, say you want to make up a big giveaway basket. There are all kinds of souvenirs on eBay to use in your contest: old programs, key chains, mini-Eiffel towers, spoons, broaches, bracelets, coins, pins, maps, etc. Tuck some of those trinkets in with a copy of your book and viola! A one-of-a-kind giveaway for your blog.

So, hop on over to eBay and see what tie-ins you can find for your novel.