You’ve finally finished your manuscript, addressed all of your editor’s requests, and found a publisher willing to take your book to print. All that’s left is to build a buzz around your book and convince folks that you’ve written a novel worth buying.
One of the best ways to generate excitement for your book is to host regular events. Book launch parties, Q+A sessions, and writing workshops can quickly generate an uptick in sales and help you reach a wider audience.
Hosting regular book events is fun for your fans too. For example, if you’ve recently launched a novel set in the distant past, hosting a talk where you explain the research that went into building the book will be well-received by your readers. However, before you start booking venues and printing posters, you need to ensure that you’ve taken a few steps to build some enthusiasm around your book event.
Book Launch Parties
A good book launch party isn’t just a way to celebrate the completion of a long-term project. If you play your cards right, you’ll be rubbing shoulders with folks from within the book industry who can market your novel and build your authorial reputation. Every good book launch has the following features:
- Accessibility: Foreground the needs of your guests to show that you care about serving the folks who read your book. Even subtle changes, like providing a quiet area, can ensure everyone has a good time.
- Activities: Conversing with other guests is a great way to spend the evening. However, if you want to leave a lasting memory, you should consider planning some fun, interactive activities like offering up food that features in your book.
- Theme: Giving your event a theme can build a buzz around the launch and help folks get into the world in which your book is set. For example, if you wrote a novel set in the Age of Sail, consider asking everyone to come in the best pirate outfits to add a little fun to the night.
Aligning your launch’s theme to the needs of the folks you plan to entertain will naturally bolster the number of attendees at your event, too. For example, if you’ve written a fantastical fantasy novel about heroes and villains, you may want to opt for an engaging event like a fancy dress party, rather than a formal black-tie gathering. Once you’ve settled on these parameters, it’s time to start working on your event marketing.
Event Marketing Tactics
Increasing your attendee list is a great way to build a buzz around your new book and increase your exposure in the market. Put simply, events feel more fun when they are well attended, meaning you should make every effort to increase the number of folks coming through the doors for your book event.
You can increase interest in your upcoming Q+A or author-led workshop by connecting with your community. Connecting with your community will naturally build interest in your event, as everyone is interested in meeting a local author with a recent release. You can increase attendance by using community event marketing tactics like:
- Define your community and set a few goals that you think will resonate with the folk who live in your area
- Identify your audience by creating personas that roughly describe the type of people you think will be in attendance
- Choose relevant marketing channels that are most likely to connect with the audience you identified
- Look for partnerships in the local area (like bookstores, libraries, and community event spaces)
- Create a promotion kit of graphics, posters, videos, and language that you use to market your book event
These steps will help you focus on a specific audience and build your appeal amongst your community. This approach can help you save time if marketing the event yourself. This is key if you would rather spend more time on speech writing and workshop plans than graphic design and email marketing strategies. A little planning will go a long way toward a book event that lasts long in the memory of your attendees.
Mastering the Basics of Book Events
When the big day comes, you’ll need to be well-prepared to put forward a professional appearance to the folks who have bought tickets or RSVP’d to your event. Preparing for book events is crucial for the success of future events, too, as folks are unlikely to RSVP for future events if they have a bad experience. You can make the most of your event and impress potential readers by:
- Invite a fellow author to create a conversation on stage, moderate discussion, and legitimize your event.
- Offer free food and drinks to bolster your appeal amongst busy parents or college students in the area
- Tap into your social circle and invite friends who want to celebrate your success
- Put forward a professional persona and offer insights of value to readers — remember, they likely paid to attend
Nailing the small things will impress potential readers and show publishers in attendance that you’re serious about becoming an author. For example, if you’re offering wine, make sure you have the right glass for the right wine. This means you’ll likely want tall, narrow glasses for champagne and sparkling wines that go well with the celebratory vibe. Or, if you’re planning a sip-and-read style event, you’ll likely want to rent a few dozen red wine glasses with deeper bowls for easy drinking and enriched flavor. This small consideration makes a world of difference to readers who have high standards and want to be properly entertained.
Conclusion
A good book event can build a buzz around your authorial brand and help you generate extra income while working on manuscripts. Engaging events are simply a lot of fun, too, and are a big part of the joy that comes with being an author. Just be sure to bolster your attendance by tapping into your community and researching your audience thoroughly.
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