Top tips for hosting a book launch party
If you’re planning a formal launch event to promote your book, then taking the time and effort to plan it correctly will ensure you get the most benefit and impact for this important event. After all the work and effort to write and self-publish a book, this is the opportunity to share the finished product with others and enjoy your “fifteen minutes of fame”, as such!
Here are some tips as to how to ensure your book launch is successful:
Pick the right launch venue
Choosing the right venue for the launch is vital – take into account the number of expected guests and the kind of atmosphere you want to create for the event.
Depending on the nature and content of the book then consider the setting or location for the launch – a bookshop, a specific function room or club, a school or, perhaps a private home – whatever is appropriate for the book being promoted.
Who should you invite?
Easy one this – everyone! This launch is the opportunity to sell, promote and market your book, so you want to maximise the occasion to the full. Anyone and everyone you know – people on your contact list in your phone, social media, e-mail and such – all may be interested in buying a book on the night, so ensure all have the opportunity to be there!
Utilise social media
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn – all great vehicles for informing and alerting people to your launch – perhaps make a promotional video and post it on You Tube – post the time and location on as many of these outlets as possible every day for a couple of weeks leading up to event.
Provide refreshments
It’s a party you’ve invited people to – so, refreshments! Food and drink keep people around for longer at these events – and the longer they are there, the more chance there is of them buying a book!
Actively market both the event and your book
Have posters and other marketing literature printed and on show at the launch venue. Photos of the book cover and the author and any prominent theme that personifies the book will all act as lingering images and reminders to the guests even after they have left the event – they will make the book more memorable for anyone who attended the launch.
Get enough copies printed!
Remarkably, one of the biggest mistakes authors make at these launches is to not have enough copies on site! It’s a book launch – if the evening is going more successfully than you thought or hoped, then don’t miss the opportunity by underestimating how many copies to have available.
It’s much better to have too many, which can be sold elsewhere, than not enough when people might not make the effort again to buy your book at a later date.
Say a few words
It’s your party – people will expect you to say a few words. You don’t have to be Winston Churchill with a big, dramatic speech, but have a few words prepared to address those who’ve made the effort to come and support your event. Ensure there is a working microphone available and speak clearly and steadily. Keep it light, but memorable.
Try to speak to everyone
Depending on the numbers attending, it may not be feasible to speak with everyone individually – but try! Mingle as best you can with your guests. Don’t get caught with just a small number of ’favourite’ people – get round as many guests as you can, if only to briefly thank them for coming and ask if they’ve enjoyed it.
Thank those that attended and helped
The launch doesn’t end when the last person leaves – it’s important that you follow-up the event and send thank you notes and acknowledgements to those who helped and contributed. These same people may be involved in your sequel success to this book – thanking them now may well pay dividends further down the line.
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