As a teenager I often dreamed of what it would be like to live in Paris and be an author. I am not really sure why Paris. Probably, because I had an early fascination with the City of lights, and knew I would get there some day. Anyway, being an author was always in the realm. So when Carrie Bradshaw of Sex in the City had her epic Book Launch party, it quickly became the benchmark for me ,whenever I finished my first book.
I would become the “Black Carrie Bradshaw” I thought, and create an awe inspiring book launch party! Well kind of. I had limited funds for the launch. As a self published author, my first priority was to buy books for the launch and the initial marketing and promotional events. I had to be conservative in my spending, after all I need to make money from all my hard work right?
In my quest for a template of how Carrie did it, I stumbled upon “My Part Time Paris Life” a blog, by author Lisa Anselmo. She too had a similar dream for her book launch and I loved the embellishment of them both. I now had two book launch examples before me that suited my taste! I was ready to set out and design my own.
First things first, I knew I wanted a loft and an arty atmosphere, that was a must. Harlem 29 is a New York story about my grandfather’s journey as a stagehand during a time of racial peril in the industry. I figured I’ll have it in Harlem, or somewhere in Manhattan. Uh, not! Have you seen the prices of Venues in New York? My new hero Lisa Anselmo, utilized a swanky Loft condo space and was able to yield it in exchange for promoting the real estate. Unfortunately I did not have those kinds of connections. I did however find a wonderful art gallery in the town that I grew up. The Valley Arts is part of an enclave in Orange, NJ that is dedicated to artist and the pursuit of their development. The venue was perfect and fit into this budding authors budget constraints!
My sister’s friend Lisa, recommended Me Maw’s catering who gave me an awesome price and provided wonderful appetizers for the event. The renowned NY Tri-State area DJ Tony Vick, spinned the music for the evening. It included an eclectic mix of jazz and bebop from the Harlem Renaissance era, infused with Hip-Hop jazz, and House music. We served Prosecco and wine, libations Carrie would certainly approve of. I was halfway there!
Now, I had to establish my VIP list, Carrie had one of course! I ended up utilizing a website called Punchbowl and sent out my invitations via email and ordered my promotional and advertising items for the event in time for the Launch. A few Facebook posts leading up to the launch also created an air of excitement. People began to buy the book before the launch and post pictures of their purchases. My Very Important People, were my family, friends, book clubs and colleagues from the NJ Department of Community Affairs. I was delighted to see folks from near and far that turned out to celebrate the book.
The advertising and public relations initiatives were a significant part of the launch. Since I had a previous public relations background, this was easy to put together. Although I learned during this process that the electronic press packet is preferred, instead of hard copies. I had press packets on hand and ready to disburse.
The event was a huge success and set the tone for future book promotions. It was on a much smaller scale than Carrie’s, and that made it just right for me!
Harlem 29 