Every author knows the feeling of accomplishment you get when you finally get that first book published! Shortly after I published my first book, “When Carabella Went Missing,” I happened across an ad from Zazzle for a custom-designed author’s mug. I thought it was the perfect way to mark this impressive milestone-while also serving as a reminder that I can finish what I start.
It took a while to upload a picture of my book cover, choose a background, and get everything lined up. I don’t remember how long it took to receive the mug after I placed the order, but it didn’t take long. I opened the package, not knowing what to expect. The cup was exactly as I had designed it, and I couldn’t be happier.
A New Book—A New Cup
After publishing “Mysterious Ways” on Amazon earlier this year, I was excited to add another book and another mug to my collection. I went to Zazzle and found the mug I wanted. This time, I used the wraparound image of my entire book cover for the design instead of adding text and a background on the back.
Again, I’m not sure how long it took to arrive, but it seemed to take forever. When it finally arrived, I opened the box and noticed right off that something wasn’t right. Although the design is on a black background, it seemed too dark. This was confirmed when I looked at the text on the back of the cup and found it so blurry it was impossible to read.
If you notice the s at the end of ‘mysterious’, you will see another issue. There’s an extra piece of a letter floating by itself.
On the back, not only can’t you read the text—but you can barely tell that there is any text there.
Note that my first mug is on a black background too!
I did what most of us do when we order something that isn’t right. I messaged the company and told them the problem. When I heard back, they wanted pictures of the cup. I sent them immediately and the customer service rep said they would immediately create a new mug, sorry for the problem, I would get express shipping at no charge. Great!
Except that the cup never came. That’s when the real fun began. The next person I talked to said that I had placed one print over the other when I ordered it and that had caused the problem. Although I couldn’t figure out how I had done that, it made sense. That was why part of an extra letter was sticking out.
I would have to re-order, but without returning the original. They couldn’t use the original information. They refunded the price of the cup but not the cost of shipping. They acted like I had done something wrong and was trying to get something for nothing.
We went back and forth. I told them I was a writer and that I would post an honest review of their services (Here I am!) They said that the prices on their products ‘fluctuate’ so that my refund didn’t cover the cost of the new order. In-between all these conversations, I would get emails where Zazzle wanted me to rate them. I did them each time.
Finally, the company refunded enough to cover the cost of the new mug. I went into their custom ordering system and started over. I used my extended book cover image as I had before, being careful not to put any additional images over top of each other.
There was no express shipping, so it took a while for the new mug to arrive. I took it out of the box, and I wasn’t surprised by what I found. It was identical to the other mug, extra letter and all!
You can probably imagine my response when Zazzle emailed me to ask if I loved my new order. I had ordered the first mug on January 10th. I ordered the second one on February 27th.
It isn’t the money that matters to me—I don’t mind spending around $20 for a good cup. It’s the short-lived tradition that I was really enjoying.
I have looked for some other resources to get mugs printed, but so far I’ve had no luck. I dread the day that my original cup gets broken and I can’t get it replaced.
Originally, I had intended to write this blog post to encourage other writers to start something similar to commemorate their finished works. Now, my suggestion would be to maybe frame an image of each cover or even to have a t-shirt printed.
And who knows? Maybe your luck will be better than mine and you won’t be disappointed when you try to get your custom coffee mug.