The Twin Cities literary community has always been renowned for being especially close-knit and collegial. Local publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, and media have collaborated before on such projects as the Talking Volumes regional book club and, most recently, 2009’s literary scavenger hunt.
This fall, the literary community is collaborating on another ambitious venture, one they hope will spotlight a thriving literary scene, while boosting attendance at author events held in local independent bookstores and other venues. Graywolf, Coffee House, Milkweed Editions, The Loft, and Rain Taxi are co-sponsoring a punch card rewards program. The program will officially launch on Sept. 14, during a kick-off party at Club Jager in Minneapolis, and continue at least through August 2012.
Booklovers attending certain free author events at participating bookstores – to date, Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis, as well as Common Good Books and Micawber’s in St. Paul -- and other venues will receive a punch on their cards. If they buy a book at that event, they will receive two punches on their cards. A full card of 12 punches may be redeemed for $15 store credit at any of the participating bookstores. If participants turn in a fully-punched card with their e-mail addresses included on it, they’ll be eligible to receive a “mystery package” of literary swag from the co-sponsoring publishers. Full details of the literary punch card program are available at www.litpunch.com. Cards will be available at the offices of the co-sponsors, as well as at participating bookstores. The program will be promoted and cards will be handed out at this year’s Twin Cities Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Besides litpunch.com, punch-eligible events will be posted on Rain Taxi’s literary calendar, and publicized through social media. The first author event eligible for a literary punch will be a September 7 reading at Micawber’s featuring local author John Reimringer, whose novel, Vestments, is being released in paper that same week. Store co-owner Hans Weyandt has high hopes for the literary punch program: 2009’s scavenger hunt was, he recalled, a “great success” for local booksellers.
“It got people into different bookstores in the Twin Cities, and had them coming back,” he explained. “There are so many events going on all the time here. This will target specific events. It’s a great idea.”
According to program organizers, the different publishers and literary organizations have been brainstorming for months on another collaboration, since they enjoyed the camaraderie sparked by the last project. The punch card program itself was inspired by a highly-publicized author event at a prominent local venue earlier this year that attracted only a few people.
“Nobody came out,” recalled Ethan Rutherford, Milkweed’s marketing and publicity manager, and one of the masterminds behind the literary punch card program. “We knew something had to be done. After all, we’re always being told, this is one of the most literary communities in the country. Let’s earn that ‘most literate city’ moniker.”
Of course, Rutherford added, driving customers into local independent bookstores is the major impetus behind this group effort. “What’s good for booksellers is good for us publishers,” he said.
