Photo by Chelsea Zukowski / Design by Joe Fronte.
Ryann Kuchle (L) and Crystel Calderon outside Portkey Books in Safety Harbor, Florida.
It was the midnight release party for the “Fourth Wing” sequel hosted by Portkey Books, possibly the smallest indie bookstore in the Tampa Bay area, but one with a big heart and affection for the community.
“I am grateful to our friends Bassano Cheesecake for being such excellent hosts. I love being able to partner with other local businesses and organizations, and Bassano was so accommodating,” said Crystel Calderon, owner of Portkey Books. “If you’re going to have a dragon party with cheesecake, you’ve got to light it on fire.”
Portkey Books was the only indie shop in the area to host a release party for “Iron Flame.” But partnering with Bassano and making the party a more intimate affair made for a much more social and stress-free event.
Readers arrived at 10 p.m. to “cross the parapet”—a long, slim balancing mat—before heading into Bassano to pick up their slice of s’mores cheesecake and cup of midnight punch.
Outside, Bassano’s courtyard was decked out in dragon decor and tables were filled with stations for making friendship bracelets that spell out “Wingleader,” “Dragon Rider” or “Dain is a bitch”—if you know, you know.
Friend of Portkey’s Ryann Kuchle also taught guests how to fold origami dragons after they took Red Tower Books-supplied quizzes to determine their dragon and which quadrant of Basgiath War College they belonged to.
“As a solo owner/employee of a tiny bookstore, the customers that have become friends who are happy to help out with events are invaluable,” Calderon said. “Their friendship is invaluable and there are things that I couldn’t do without them.”
Yarros’s “Fourth Wing” was published in April and exploded in popularity. It hit all the bestseller lists and quickly sold-out of its special edition first printing, which included black sprayed edges and stenciled dragons.
Because of that, hype for the book’s sequel, “Iron Flame,” hit a fever pitch when publisher Red Tower announced it would offer bookstores party kits and resources to host midnight release parties on Nov. 6.
Barnes & Nobles, Books-A-Millions and other independent and not booksellers around the country hosted release parties for “Iron Flame” as well. The crowds and activities at these parties depended on the stores’ owners and management, but based on photos shared in fan Facebook groups, they all featured the same swag, stickers, temporary tattoos, quizzes and dragon decor.
In the Tampa Bay area, Barnes & Noble stores in Clearwater and Carrollwood, and Books-A-Millions in Port Richey, Brandon and Bradenton all hosted parties.
“I was a Barnes & Noble employee back in the day for the midnight release of ‘Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince.’ I can’t deny that it was fun and exciting, but I don’t think it afforded the same opportunity for people to make connections,” Calderon said. “And that’s what I really want with these events…beyond the book sales, I want people to be able to connect and maybe even make friends.”
The sense of community and making connections over a shared love of fictional, fantastical stories is at the heart of book events—both online and in person. It’s no stretch to say that the isolation of the pandemic also led to people picking up new hobbies like reading and sharing their bookish thoughts on TikTok and Instagram.
Now, thanks in large part to the ever-growing reader communities on TikTok and Instagram, the beloved bookish tradition of midnight release parties may finally be making a comeback.
Jessica Porter, employee at Inklings Book Shoppe in Lakeland and owner of Crossroad Reviews, believes release parties “will be coming back full force” because of social media communities and publishers leaning on the popularity of special editions with sprayed edges and collectible covers.
Porter also sees “Booktok” and “Bookstagram” as boons for indie booksellers and authors.
“In the past 10 years, you wouldn’t find an independent author in a regular bookstore. And now you can walk into almost any store and find tables of self-published and small published titles,” she said. “We’ve had numerous customers come in looking for indie titles or titles they’ve found on BookTok.”
Inklings didn’t have a release party or preorder incentive for “Iron Flame,” but they’re working on something for the release of the next Sarah J. Maas book, “House of Flame and Shadow.”
“We will be doing a preorder party for HOFAS,” Porter said. “Details are still up in the air right now, so just keep an eye on our social media for updates.”
Back at Portkey, Calderon is prepping to host the biggest event the shop has ever done—a midnight release ball for “House of Flame and Shadow” at Kapok Special Events Center in Clearwater.
The Midnight Maasquerade in January promises to have dancing, dessert and the indie exclusive edition of “House of Flame and Shadow.” “Some attendees are choosing to cosplay as a favorite character, but most plan to dress in their fancy fantasy best,” Calderon said. “Life doesn’t give you too many chances to wear a fantasy-inspired ball gown and tiara.”
Calderon said it was actually a customer, Kuchle, who gave her the idea for the ball. The response to the idea was immediate, and the Midnight Maasquerade now has hundreds of people coming—a mix of locals and those from around the state and the country.
It’s an intimidating but fun challenge for Calderon, who has to think “creatively and outside the box” when it comes to crafting events for her shop.
“Bookstores, you know, want to sell books and we have to find a way,” she said. “Specifically, I’m throwing a ball to sell books. Otherwise those customers are all going to…Walmart, to Amazon or places like that.”
“We (indie bookstores) can provide the community…a place for people to get together and connect where you don’t get that shopping on Amazon.”
The possibility of midnight release parties making a full comeback depends on popularity among readers and publishers’ willingness to provide resources. Like the “Harry Potter” midnight releases of the early 2000s, Calderon said these parties “only work with certain highly anticipated popular titles that have a dedicated fandom.”
“It would be nice if all new event attendees then became loyal bookstore customers…I think midnight releases are sustainable for indie booksellers as long as the publisher can deliver what they promised,” she said.
With the success of Portkey’s “Iron Flame” release party and the excitement building for the Maasquerade, Calderon said she’s open to more bookish parties in the future. As for publisher-backed parties for the release of “House of Flame and Shadow,” those have yet to be confirmed.
But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see preorder incentives and events for the new book, especially at indie bookshops that are offering the indie exclusive edition of the novel.
“Book release parties are fun, and Portkey Books is willing to do them if there are people willing to attend,” Calderon said. “We need loyal customers who value what we offer and can continue to shop local regularly, even during the times when we don’t have a grand event planned.”
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