Our thanks to author Lee Adams for this blog post about her creative idea to market books by participating in a book party!

I read an article at the end of last year by Elizabeth Hunter titled, “What I Learned About Independent Publishing in 2013.”  It was a great article and I recommend it for all indie writers. One of the sections was titled, “Self-publishing is not the new Tupperware party.” 

This got me to thinking about the vast array of parties I get invited to, from Tupperware to baskets to jewelry to Pampered Chef.  I know when I walk in the door that I won’t spend less than fifty dollars and usually the amount is closer to one hundred dollars.  So this got me to wondering “Why can’t books be the new Tupperware Party?”

Authors fortunate enough to be signed by a large publishing company and have their books proudly displayed in Barnes & Noble, are able to easily set up book signings. This in-person meeting helps increase their mailing list, build their fan base, and make that all important one-on-one contact. With my years in the music industry, I know how important those “meet and greets” are.  You can win fans for life. 

However, what we in the music biz saw a decade ago with the closing of many record stores is what we are seeing today with bookstores. There was a time when Borders Books and Music was wonderful about bringing in local authors and musicians for signings and in-store performances. With the loss of Borders however, that opportunity is no longer.

So, how does an independent author with no solid following and no major publicity meet people to make that connection?  That’s where the idea for book parties came in.

We know word of mouth is the number one best promotional tool. And while we all hope that our book will take off on the internet, go viral, and become the new hot thing, the truth is, few do. The vast majority of independent authors are doing a “spray and pray” method on the World Wide Web. We have Facebook accounts, Twitter accounts, websites, etc. but we are amongst many in the sea of online information. So how do we connect personally?

I reached out to a couple of people and asked if they’d be willing to host a “book party” for me. Now that I have three books available, I felt there was enough of a selection that someone would find something of interest. Yes, it would be better if I had ten, but I’m not there yet. However, if I can build a following with three books, they will be more likely to buy any future ones I write. 

Immediately, I was told “yes” by many people. I don’t have much to offer them, unlike the lure of free Tupperware, jewelry, kitchen gadgets, etc. but they all seemed enthusiastic. I agreed to provide snack food so they wouldn’t have any out-of-pocket expenses. I invested the ten dollars in a gadget to attach to my iPad so I could accept credit card payments and had some banners created so I could have a nice display. This idea was not about making money, it was about building a fan base and an email base for ongoing personal communication.

My sister held the first party and had a guest list of ten people.  My books cost me five dollars to provide; I offered them for $10 and a set of three for $25.  Again, it’s not to make money, but to attract new readers. Most of the people who attended bought all three. Those who already had some of the books bought the ones they didn’t have. I sold twenty-five books in all.

Later that week I had to fly to Maine on business so my friend put together a party with a handful of her friends. None of them had read any of my books and after a short Q&A, they all bought the three book package. Another fifteen books sold!  More email addresses were gathered, more readers were found, and these in a different state. 

I now have a book party slated at a clothing boutique for April and another friend is hosting one in May. My goal is to do one per month for this year and see how it grows from there.

What was most fun was seeing and meeting people who had read my books and were excited to meet the person who wrote them. As a record promoter I set up the meet and greets for the artist to meet their fans. I’m not used to having any “fans” of my own. It’s invigorating to have someone come up to you and exclaim how they loved your story and want to ask questions about it. And when they ask to take a photo or get an autograph, it’s humbling.

While I don’t believe independent publishing is the new “Tupperware Party,” I do see the benefits in getting together with people and talking to them about my writing. It’s a new publishing world and those of us just getting started and trying to do it on our own have to be innovative.  We need to continuously work to improve our communication, meet new readers, and basically reinvent the wheel. Back when I was a kid, I remember a Faberge Organics commercial where they showed how quickly word of mouth could spread by saying “they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on and so on.”  My goal is to have everyone I meet tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and so on and so on and so on…

Lee Adams has a dual personality. By day she promotes country music artists, Jason Aldean and Dustin Lynch. By night, she writes books like Unlikely Family, Strawberry Wine and Donor Girl: A Story of Living Kidney Donation. Visit her website at www.lee-adams.com.