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Community Corner

How to Throw a Book Launch Party for Free

All you need to do is find a local watering hole with a friendly manager.

Maria Murnane, Neighbor

 

No matter who is publishing your book, you should have a launch party! In fact, most traditional publishers don’t throw launch parties unless the author is famous. For the rest of us, that means we’re on our own.

Many authors think that book launch parties need to be elaborate, which translates into expensive. But that’s not true! All you need to do is find a local watering hole with a friendly manager who is willing to give you a little space to sell books in exchange for bringing paying customers with you.

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For my most recent book launch, I wanted to have parties in New York City, where I currently live, and in or near Palo Alto, where my parents live. To find a venue in New York I went online (yelp.com is a good place to start) and searched for bars and pubs in fun neighborhoods. Then I started making phone calls.

The response I got ran the gamut. In Manhattan, the first place I called wanted $2,500 to let me sit in a corner and sign books for two hours! I tried not to laugh, then politely declined and kept calling others.

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Soon I found a great bar in the West Village that was more than happy to have me come in for no fee at all. The same happened in Palo Alto (Redwood City) -- I ended up having it at the Living Room, and it was great! It was even featured in this Patch.com video. 

Smart bar owners won’t turn down potential business, so take the time to do a little digging – you’ll be glad you did!

Palo Alto native Maria Murnane is the best-selling author of the romantic comedies Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, and Honey on Your Mind. She also provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.

This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2012 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

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