I've been to book launch events before, but until Franky came along, I'd never planned one of my own. In fact, I'd never planned any kind of party at all. A book launch was the perfect opportunity to release Franky's First Stitch into the world, and I felt abuzz with excitement when I started shopping for all the decorations.
My favorite bookstore had agree to let me borrow their space for the venue; my favorite coffee shop developed green-colored sodas for the kids, and my mother's small business was sponsoring the occasion with custom cookies. Before I'd even gotten started, several supportive family and friends were marking their calendars to attend!
When Franky's First Stitch was coming together, I was so excited to throw myself into the merchandising. Creating the book was a long (and sometimes stressful) process, so when they were finally on the way from the printer I was practically glued to the order tracking screen with anticipation.
At first, I decided to put together a "dream" list with all of the decorations I wanted for the launch party. I envisioned transforming the bookstore venue into the Little Monsters series' perfect debut space. The books hadn't even arrived yet, and I was scrambling to organize materials for the launch, things that would draw more readers outside of my family and friends. I sought out plasma lamps, science goggles in Franky's shade of green, and even enamel pins! In the end, there wasn't much at all that I chose to leave out for the party.
The morning of the event was smooth, with setup going according to plan. There were even more guests than I had planned for, and my illustrator even came to sign books with me! There were so many kids in attendance excited to join the Little Monsters world.
Now, by no means would I call myself an expert at planning a book launch event, but I am so excited to say that my first one went off without a hitch. The venue was decorated with balloons, themed merchandise, banners, and the event was topped off with a series of prizes! It was so much fun, and I can't wait for the opportunity to connect with even more readers!
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