This is something we don't always get involved in. We
are dealing with over 200 writers in our various imprints. We do hold two
special celebration events each year to which all of our authors are invited. More
details about that later.
Where and how
A launch may put you out of pocket. You're going to
have to sell an awful lot of copies if you're going to cover a hire of venue
fee and pay for refreshments for your guests.
There are ways of making it cheaper, though. Consider the
following:
- Look out for bar or café that will give you a
free space because you are bringing in a fair number of guests. Note, some
venues will expect a minimum spend. Make sure you can cover that. If you get
this right, the venue will be free and guests will pay for their own drinks and
nibbles.
- Host the launch in your own home. Yes, only a
few will fit in but you can often sell just as many books at these as at bigger
events. Extend this idea by getting friends to host you. This could also be up
and down the country.
- Consider some of the more quirky examples mentioned
on the previous page.
Who to invite
Everyone you can think of! Do you want to open it to
the general public? This might affect how you advertise it. Remember we all
know about 250 people. Invite them all even if they're too far away to come. Invite
your Facebook and Twitter friends but don't rely just on this group of people.
Then think of other people you know who might be interested
in the book. Think locally and a little further afield. Will the theme appeal
to certain people? Are there geographical locations that might be of interest?
Is a certain period in history portrayed? Will your book appeal to certain
experts or certain categories of workers? Is it of use to schools and teachers?
How to invite
Certainly use a Facebook Event invite. If you have a
limit on numbers, use something like
Eventbrite as well as they can ticket even
for free places. You can also handily email all of your attendees from your
Event.
However, the personal invitation is by far the best. Design
an appealing invite and email, snailmail or hand-out them out. You should also start building up an email
list of fans who will be happy to hear about your work. So your invite should
include the RSVP via the Eventbrite Event and an invite to join the mailing
list.
Help on the day
You certainly can't do it all especially if you are
providing the catering and especially if you're expecting more than twenty
guests.
You'll need people to help in the following ways:
- Setting everything up
- Book sales
- Marshalling guests
- Serving refreshments
- Introducing you
- Tidying up afterwards
On the day
Don't be tempted to read too much from the book. Much
as your guests will love the book later, listening to someone read for a long
time can be quite tiring. Your total "performance" should be no more
than half an hour – the launch maybe lasting a maximum of two hours.
In that half hour:
- Let your "host" Introduce you.
- Tell your audience a little about how you came to write the
book.
- Read a few short passages from the book
- Take questions and answers.
If your launch is a little more formal, you can have a set of questions
and answers set up with your host and then take a few more from the floor.
A typical timetable for the two hours would be:
First half hour: mingle. Refreshments could be offered and
books should be on sale.
Second half hour: author spotlight as described above.
Third half hour: selling and signing books
Final half hour: more mingling
Remember when you book your venue to allow enough time for
setting up and clearing up.
Do be aware that you may have to regard your launch as a
loss leader. However, in the following
two posts I'm going to suggest two other types of launches that are virtually
free.
