John Taff mentioned to me that he was thinking about throwing a book release party when "Little Deaths" was released. He asked me if I knew anything about them. Being a musician that has played hundreds of gigs - and having done my fair sharing throwing events - I realized that I know quite a bit about throwing release parties.
Off the top of my head, here's my advice:
Do it at your local bar/pub, and don't let them talk you into paying them to throw a party there. If your favorite place is stubborn and they want you to pay them, find a new place. Invite all of your friends, family, and everyone you know. Unless you are already very well established, the people attending your party will mostly be the people you know. Start at 7pm. End at 10pm, with the understanding that it may go all night. Make it a free event - don't charge money at the door! Try to get 10% of the bar sales between 7pm and 10pm, or ask for a 20% discount off drinks and food. If you do it on a night that the bar is hurting for business, getting a percentage of the bar is much easier. If you know a DJ, ask him/her to spin for free, and give the DJ a book. If you are connected to musicians and you can work it out, get musicians to play a short acoustic set at 9:30. Again - payment is made in books. If you offer DJs or musicians $100+ you are taking a financial risk. Remember to have fun; it's a party. If you focus on selling books too much your part will suck.
And that's it.
If you can think of something else, feel free to share. If you have a book release party story, I'd love to hear it!
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