Why virtual?
Book release parties are nothing knew in the world of publishing. They are often grand events with food, book readings and Q&A sessions at some large book store, or cafe. However, these are events for well-known or award winning authors. Those who have name recognition. An author whose name gets people to go, "Oh cool, I always wanted to meet him/her. I love their books!"
For the rest of us that have yet to break into that level of stardom or book release parties are usually filled with friends and family...and nobody else. Not that being surrounded by friends and family that support you is a bad thing. But, we want those who would support us by default to be interested and more importantly, show up!
For this to happen it takes a lot of work, and quite possibly... a lot of money.
For my first book release I hosted an event at at a local indie book store, "Gathering Volumes." It was a great place to go. They were big enough for a decent crowd, they provided chairs and even provided the food and drink. There really was very little expense for me out of pocket. Of course I posted a facebook event, which I paid to have boosted. I printed flyers and distributed them. I did press releases and just about every other thing you could think of to get people to come. I had several dozen people who said they would be there, above and beyond my family and a few friends... They didn't show up. I was disappointed to say the least, and what was supposed to be a exciting and happy occasion was marred by the fact that after all of my hard work, no one came. I'm not trying to take away from the love and support I received from my family and some close friends. They took the time out of their schedules to come share this wonderful moment with me, and I am eternally grateful. But, they know me. I wanted those who didn't know me, to get to know me.
I decided at that moment that I wouldn't do that again. I am not a fan of maximum effort with little results. So what is left for those of us in the indie book publishing world to do? Those of us with little to no name recognition to get people excited to come and see us? We make it easy for them.
Virtual book release parties are become the thing. With mediums like facebook live, instagram live or youtube, we now can reach people we could never reach before with little to no effort. People have a natural curiousity that seems to peak when you throw a live feed in front of them. They will take a second or two just to see what it is about and that is when, if you are entertaining enough, get them to stay and perhaps even buy something. I'm not saying there isn't work involved. You still need to promote it... get the word out. But there is a lot less man hours, imo.
Personal touch, without being in person.
That is the beauty of a virtual party. It is personal, but you don't have to be there in person. You can do it from the comfort of your home without having to invite strangers into your home. You reach many more people than you could have ever reached on your own. People from other countries can stop by and it doesn't cost them a thing.
This is a new age and as authors we must embrace it as much as possible. So, if you are interested, I have a little event coming up next Wednesday, November 1st. My virtual book release party for, "The Awakening: Part Two," from 1-7pm eastern. There will be book readings, Q&A sessions, two guest authors, and book giveaways. You could even win a four fantasy book bundle! Just click on the link below and show your support for three independent authors and come have a great time.
