Live Music and a Successful Book Launch Party

We had another very successful book launch party as The Fart Fairy came into the world. Our closest estimate is 365 people! One of the keys to the success of the event was having live music geared specifically to the kids. In my case, it was "Uncle Pete", a local talent who entertains children as a profession. And his joy is so contagious. He sang and played the guitar and organized dances for the kids for two full hours. It's Uncle Pete's voice and music that you hear on the CD that accompanies the book.

One huge advantage to providing entertainment for the kids is that the parents can stand in line to have their books signed and not have whining kids pulling on them. We were sure to mention the live music on all of our advertising. This (along with the promise of face painting and cake)was one of the reasons we had such a large turnout. My talented illustrator (Mark Wayne Adams) was also a featured guest. His illustrations always delight the kids and parents alike. Of course, I'd like to think that the new book brought them, too.

As an added benefit, our event was sponsored by the Harford County Libraries. And, as always, the Barnes & Noble (Bel Air, MD) staff was fabulous. I can't thank them enough for their support.

I love my community and I am so grateful that they have always been there to support me. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a very special event.

The Results Are In - 350 People Showed Up!

On July 7th I blogged about the plans for my book launch party for The Belly Button Fairy. I received a number of emails from authors who thought I was going a bit too far and spending a bit too much. Today I'll tell you how it all turned out.

On Saturday, the day of the event, we(my husband, my illustrator and I) arrived at Barnes & Noble an hour before the event was to begin. We were delighted to see that little fairies had already begun to arrive. We had enlisted a few friends and some of our grandchildren as helpers. Together we covered the tables with sparkly tablecloths, assembled the give-aways, and set up the cakes, our book posters, the microphone and the illustrator's easel. In the meantime, the face painter and craft person were busy getting ready.

I had distributed approximately 1200 invitations, and a little more than 350 people showed up. If my math is correct, that's about 25%. Not bad. I'm not sure of the exact final book count, however there were well over 200 of my books sold that day. My illustrator (Mark Wayne Adams) and I signed books for 2-1/2 hours. I was so happy to have a sore hand! The kids were all happy. Their faces were painted, their tummies were filled with cake, and they were happily clasping the new wands they had made and the new books they had purchased. The parents were happy because the kids were happy (and busy).

Was it worth the time and dollars that it took to create this event? You be the judge.

Remember the movie line - "If you build it they will come?" My advice: "If you do the work they will come."

Fairy wishes,
Bobbie Hinman
http://bestfairybooks.com