In praise of launches

 In the past two weeks, I released SHIPWRECKED SOULS, my latest Inspector Green mystery, with two launches, one in Toronto and one in Ottawa. I have been doing launches for my books, sometimes alone and sometimes with another writer, for over twenty-five years, and I have never tired of them. The, launches serve four purposes.

First, they are a reward to myself,  the culmination of all the hard, lonely work that comes with writing a novel. Secondly, they are a marketing tool. As I described in a previous post on Type M, I promote the launch on my social media platforms for a few weeks before the event. In my case, that's Facebook and Instagram, both of which are public. I use those two platforms because I am too long in the tooth to get excited about TikTok and Threads and other newer platforms, because I have built up a friendship base on them over the years, and thirdly, I believe the people who might enjoy my books tend to use those platforms. This may be a wrong assumption, based on the fact I find them alien and annoying, but a writer can only do so many things. 

As the launch dates approach, I also send out specific invites to my email contacts and to my Facebook friends via the Facebook event feature. Unfortunately the Facebook invites are sent to Facebook Messenger, which not everyone actually looks at. But you do what you can. The purpose of doing all this launch promotion is not just to invite people to the party but also to announce the publication of the book.

At the Ottawa launch, Robin Harlick interviewed me. 

The third reason I have launches is to give me a chance to meet readers. It's wonderful to see old friends, family, and devoted readers who have become friends. Everyone is united in their affection for Inspector Green, and that's a very heartwarming feeling. In our darkest hours, writers often wonder why we do this job, and this reminds us. Readers buoy us up.

The fourth, and least important, reason for holding a launch is to sell books. I'm a traditionally published author; I don't make much money on each sale, so the amount I actually take home is fairly small. But it builds my relationship with the bookseller, in this case Perfect Books, and supports their store. 

The Toronto and Ottawa launches are different. I live in Ottawa and the Inspector Green series is set here. I have lots of friends and family here as well as readers, so I make it a real party. This year, after years of online events due to Covid, I booked a pub (Irene's Pub, which is very supportive of the arts), ordered some food platters, and arranged for a friend's band to play soft background jazz. There's always a few moments of panic beforehand. What if I throw a party and no one comes? It's a leap of faith that always seems to work out.

Toronto launch

Toronto is a more challenging market. The city is bigger and getting around it is difficult, I haven't as many contacts there, and if I  booked a pub in this case it might well be "what if I threw a party and no one came?" There's nothing more demoralizing than an empty party room. However, Toronto does have a wonderful mystery bookstore, Sleuth of Baker Street, which is very supportive of authors and author events. It's a smaller, more intimate setting surrounding by shelves of books, and it allows for an informal gathering of friends. 

In both these launches, I am so appreciative of the readers and friends who do come to celebrate with me. Being an introvert, I don't throw a lot of parties, but these launches are highlights!