In case you couldn’t guess from the dearth of posts, NASFIC was a little bit busy. There is too much, let me sum up.
Friday, most of my focus was on the Launch party. I was extremely fortunate that my parents were in town along with my brother, Steve, and his girlfriend, Jamie. My niece and nephew also pitched in to help get ready for the party. I will tell you right now that nothing beats my family for getting things done.
We also had good friends like Valerie Schoen who came a little early to help set up. By the way, the green sari that is draped across the table is what my green spencer was made from.
While I’d initially had the opposing worries that a) no one would come or b) we’d run out of food (there is no logic here, don’t try to find it) neither turned out to be the case. When the party first started there was a big rush of people and at one point it really was wall to wall. Some folks came in costume, which made me ridiculously happy.
I did not take nearly enough photos. If you were there, and took any, please send them my way. Looking at the photos, I wish that I’d remembered to put on the fichu and that I’d decided to go all the way and do a center part for my hair. Next time.
What else…
Oh! I had my nephew on book sales duty and we sold out in the first hour. I later found out that not only did we sell out but that the dealer’s room had as well and that Samuel Montgomery-Blinn, of the lovely new SF magazine Bull Spec, called around to all the bookstores in Wake County and they are all sold out. Hurrah!
Things I learned:
- Contact a local bookstore about “off-site sales” instead of bringing your own. We did this, which means that all the copies we sold count as bookstore sales and that’s good for my BookScan numbers.
- Have helpers and a task list
- Assign someone to be the “stage manager” to deal with last minute things while you get into “greet the guests” mindset
- Attractive invitations apparently make a difference.
- The background music should only be noticeable if there’s a lull in the conversation
- Having party favors with the name of your book works very, very well.
After things wound down, I talked my Dad into breaking out his musical saw. It is not at all period correct but something that I love.
I only took photos before the party really started, but here are some so you get an idea of the space.
I think I said this, but your mother’s pound cake was to die for.
On a different note, I finished your novel last night, and I really enjoyed it. Positive reviews will be forthcoming…
I’ll pass your compliments on to my mother. So glad you were able to make it and also glad that you enjoyed the novel.
Congratulations on a successful launch! I can also tell you that the bookstores in Ann Arbor, MI sold out because I cannot get my hands on a physical copy. I’ll have to make an order online. Good job!!
While this is not a bad problem to have, I wish they had ordered more copies.
It was a fabulous party! Um, meet and greet. Er, that is to say, reception. Yes. That.
I still need to find your book. Perhaps Florida is not sold out of copies yet…
Lovely having you there. I don’t know whether to hope that Florida is sold out or that it isn’t. Perhaps I shall hope that you get the last copy before they have to reorder.
Wow, the book is scarce all over! I think there may be a reason for that… 🙂
Wrote you a review…. it’s not often I read a book cover-to-cover without stopping. 🙂 Here’s to lots of reorders…
Thank you so much! That’s a really lovely review.