Gail Benefits Again From The Pandemic With "Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker" Book Launch

This morning I attended the book launch for J. C. Phillipps' Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker. Needless to say, it was a virtual book launch. You can view the event video at Julie's J.C. Phillipps Facebook page.

The book launch included the background on how this graphic novel was written. At the end, Julie recommended some other books, a nice touch I saw another author do at an appearance a year or so ago. We were able to get a close-up of Julie's fantastic pale purple eye shadow and lipstick, as well as her cat. There were, understandably, no stickers or cookies, though she hopes to give some out at next year's book launch for the second book in the Pacey Packer series.

I don't eat gluten, so I don't care about cookies. I don't need stickers, either. In fact, pretty much everything I want from a book launch was in this one. And I didn't have to leave home to attend it. To be honest, I had just got out of the shower when I remembered the launch was happening. I hooked up, then went back to the bathroom with my iPad, so I could comb my hair without missing anything.

You Know How I Love The Virtual World

The last year or two before the pandemic, I was making an effort to attend more author appearances, as part of community building, supporting other authors, getting out of the house and meeting people, and reporting on Connecticut childlit happenings here at OC. I have to admit, in large part this was happening because the River Bend Bookshop opened about twenty minutes from me, and the booksellers there host authors. For all my good intentions, unless Pacey Packer's in-person book launch took place there, I probably wouldn't have been part of it.

This morning's virtual book launch was a great opportunity for people like me who are too lazy to travel far.

Why Not Add Virtual Launches To The Mix?

I've written here before about how much I'm liking the on-line opportunities that have been popping up since we've been isolating because of the pandemic. I'm taking part in a six-part flash fiction workshop that is just fantastic. We hear a lot of talk about a post-pandemic return to normal. Couldn't we be considering a new normal that includes many of the virtual events we've been trying out this year?

Virtual book launches, in particular, seem like an easy and very positive addition to book marketing plans. Yes, go back to a store- or library-based launch where sales can be made and signings can be done. But why not include the virtual book launch to at least get the word out to a larger circle of people? For many writers, store-based launches don't draw that many people. Adding a virtual launch has the potential of touching many more potential readers and potential readers well outside the author's home base.

Don't take virtual launches away!