Promoting Romance

My idea would be for a display and event for over a weekend. It would be a display of shelves that have books in plain brown wrapping paper with either one word or one sentence descriptions of reasons to pick this book written on the outside. For example, “Do you like adventure? Then I’m the one for you!”, but it can be more descriptive. The display would be labeled “Blind Date with a Book” and the patron could pick one that grabs their attention from the short description. The shelves could be either displayed much like Valentine’s or made to look similar to some popular dating app or site to help grab attention.

The event would be some tables set up with one or two chairs where patrons could sit. This would probably take place on the second day, so that they can pick up a book and then come back to participate. The tables could have some small sandwiches or cookies and if the library has a coffee station perhaps a coupon to a free drink. The tables could also have a “Review Your Date” card where the patron could put the title and author and then give a number or star rating and “Describe your date” section. The reviews could be posted on a bulletin board or in a similar way that the books were at first. The patron doesn’t have to finish the book to make a review, just describe how their readings went on the “date”. There can also be a designated hashtag for patrons to use when posting to social media for before and after the event. This hashtag can also be used when the library promotes the even on their own accounts. I think this would be a fun event to have and also a good way to get some patron reviews on romance books.