PJ Nunn
For those of you who are around my age, the scariest thing about Halloween was probably Casper the Friendly Ghost, or maybe The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. Now, Halloween is the reality that haunts many of your works of fiction and it can be a LOT scarier than Casper. But in generalities, then, as now, Halloween is simply about being scared. Anyone who writes mystery, thriller, suspense, even of the most cozy variety, will write a little scare factor into the book. The degree of scariness may span a wide spectrum from one sub-genre to another, but scary is in.
How does that translate to book promotion these days? In lots and lots of ways if you’re smart. Domy Books in Houston uses the holidays to host a monster drawing contest. It’s not promoting any one title, but chances are, the folks who come to see the drawings buy a book or two.
McNally Jackson Books of New York City is hosting a Halloween Embarrassment with attendees dressing up as their favorite book characters and enjoying a reading, refreshments, contests, prizes and more.
Stores all over the country are hosting special children’s Halloween story reading hours, costume contests and more, but Halloween is a holiday that lots of adults enjoy as much as the children. Parents are very supporting of fun, safe activities they can take their children to that have activities suited to the parents as well as the children.
If you didn’t plan to make use of a Halloween promotional opportunity this year, it’s not too early to start planning for next year! Why not team up with an author friend or two and find a nearby bookseller who’d love to have your help planning an event for next year? You’ll have plenty of time to research from some great, ghoulish ideas that are fun and inexpensive and can make yours the bash of the season. Oh, and can also make your name a little better known in the neighborhood and hopefully sell a few of your books in the process.
Till next time,
