DO book a venue ASAP.
I called around a lot of libraries and they were
surprisingly shocked that I wanted to host my book launch there but
unfortunately none of them worked out. Luckily, the youth club I grew up in
gave me their very nice dance studio for free, so ask your local area for a
community hall as they should usually be free. But beware - free stuff doesn’t always work. I had to cancel my launch for the second time because the
person who organised the free space wasn’t available on
the day of the launch and had to be present.
DO have food or drinks.
If it wasn’t for my Mum,
there would have been nothing! I was being sponsored by Mama’s Cakes - a cupcake company, so I felt that was enough but the Subway
platters, crisps, sweets, soft and hot drinks went down very well.
DO make sure your books come in time.
I had to cancel my book launch party, the first time,
because my books were delayed. The poor UPS man was delivering to the wrong
address all week! On the day of my launch, I sold out the books so it was worth
the trouble in the end.
DON’T’ assume everyone you invite will turn up.
They won’t. Over invite
and let people bring plus 1’s. Get as many
children to come. They’re your target audience, also you will have the mums and
dads and they will buy your book. Your next launch, you can be more exclusive!
DON’T assume local media
will come.
They probably won’t unless you’re the first author to ever be featured in their paper or you were an
ex-prisoner. Be prepared to chase them a lot. I was fortunate enough to have
Ape Media at my launch who filmed it for a YouTube show reel and interviewed me
but my local press didn’t come even though they said they would.
DO have a DJ
Or some form of entertainment especially if kids are
there. I’m a street dancer so I need a good dance at the end of the night. I also
had dance performances and one of the groups were kids, which went down very
well. So think about what can liven up your party.
DO practice your reading
Pick a section that says something about your main
character but doesn’t give too much away but leaves them wanting more. Practice it for a
week so that you sound confident. I was so nervous during my reading, I didn’t look at anyone but I had practiced enough so it was very clear and
everyone loved it.
DON’T be cheap
Be willing to spend money on your party to make it
look more expensive. I didn’t have a big budget
at all but my party looked good. I had an amazing celebrity flouriest, who is
my friend’s mum, who done a gorgeous flower arrangement that made the room look
more expensive so don’t be afraid to ask for favours.
DO have friends hosting
Trust me, it will be so hectic on the night. You will
have to talk to so many people, sign books, do interviews etc you can’t possibly stand at a table serving food and selling books. So call in
your friends who are great talkers to take over and make you some money.
DON’T be late and
dis-organised
Be on time to your event. Don’t make a late entrance. I was almost late because I had a dress
malfunction and had to go home and change but I was still on time. Also start
your event on time regardless of who’s there. Have
a running order for the launch so things run smoothly. Keeps it professional
and set your standard.
And lastly, DO have fun! You made it to the launch
party after months of planning and even though on the night, you’ll be running around. Enjoy it. Everyone is there to celebrate you and
your book, so celebrate too! Good luck!
Follow
me on twitter - @emilyknightiam
face
book - Emily Knight I AM
Nice! Congratulations for your book release
ReplyDelete