Author Natalie Gretton recovered from the recent bankruptcy of her publisher by holding a very successful book launch for The Healer of Marchmont. Here is her account of the event:
My young adult medieval adventure novel was due for release five weeks after the publisher went into liquidation. After negotiation with the printers, I purchased the 1500 copies of The Healer of Marchmont. Neither my husband, Mike of I had much idea of how to market the book to sell, so listened to anyone who had advice for us.
I was offered our local Neighbourhood Centre to have a book launch and chose a date some weeks from that. Flyers went out to the whole town and outlying areas of Trentham through the postal service, advertising the launch using the cover of the book, part of the blurb and a little about me. I also placed books in the local Trentham bookstore, Aesop’s Attic in Kyneton, New Leaves bookshop in Woodend, Stoneman’s Bookroom in Castlemaine, and Paradise Books in Daylesford. These were on a commission basis. Friends were contacted by Email, on Facebook, through my new website set up by my IT guru son, and word of mouth. A visit by friends who live in Canberra was good, because they took a box of 64 books back with them to sell for me. At present there are five books in Harry Hartog bookshop in Woden, Canberra, and more are being advertised by the friends. Other people took 10 books and sold those as well.
The book launch went very well. The day was lovely, sunny, still and warm. People came from many different places and were old and new friends we have known for short times and long times. We had some local people attend as well. Fifty people altogether. Some people had bought the book earlier and came to give comments about it or to get it signed for their children and grandchildren. Diane Parsons, a local retired secondary school teacher, launched the book for me and, after that, a critique was given by Charlie Wells. Charlie’s mother is the manager at the Trentham Neighbourhood Centre and had asked Charlie to read the book. His comments were very interesting and insightful for a ten-year-old young man. All the comments we had on the day and in Emails since have been very positive. The day of the launch we sold $500 worth of books, which did not include more that were sold prior to the launch.
There are still very many books to sell, but at least I have more than some other writers who were left in the lurch. I think I was more fortunate than some other writers as at least I have something tangible, unlike writers who were left in the lurch by a publisher.
So with a bit of advice and some energetic Emailing, phoning, flyer producing and a launch with a good afternoon, good friends, some lovely snacks and a few drinks, one can recover from what could have been a total disaster.