It has become easier to connect with your audience from the comfort of your home.
No matter what, virtual communication cannot replace the physical experience. Nothing can beat the satisfaction of sharing your book and knowledge with people. The best and most traditional way to introduce your book is through a book launch event.
Successful book launch increases word of mouth and builds your credibility. Book launch events can be pretty hectic, yet they are beneficial. That’s why we bring you these 10 tips that will help you to host a great event.
1. Pick the right venue:
Choosing the right venue is really when it comes to booking launch events. You need to be mindful of the locations. Ask yourself questions like, would there be easy access from freeways or parking? Is it too crowded or not? Apart from that, I also try to choose a unique venue. Try to think of a place except for the bookstores, writing panels, festivals, and libraries.
2. Sell books and feed the crowd:
You should also ask yourself before you hold the book launch whether you will be serving food and selling books or not? It is essential to consider. It will help you to arrange the fare beforehand. You will also have an idea about how many books you will need to sell?
If your chosen venue is a bookstore, you need to be extra careful about the books. It is because they can be very conservative and ask you to arrange ½ or ¾ of the number of expected attendance. More isn’t always better, especially when shipping books and paying for returns. So think about the number for a while once the order is placed. Set a reminder on your calendar to check in regularly to ensure that the books have arrived. People enjoy receiving free food. There’s no need to be fancy. Everyone will remain seated as a result of this.
3. Promote the event beforehand:
Make a marketing strategy before releasing your book. As stated by Book Publishing, you should ideally plan three months ahead of time. Determine your goals. Set a time frame within which you want to achieve those goals. Everyone’s marketing strategy will be unique.
Determine how you intend to promote your book. You can host a book launch party, a book signing event, or simply use social media to promote your book.
If you’re a writer, you need to be on social media. Engage your readers across multiple platforms.
4. Invite influencers:
Social media marketing is an efficient marketing strategy. Social media platforms can be an excellent place to begin promoting your event. When your book is about to be released, you can boost your social media presence.
Collaboration with influencers is also an excellent way to reach many people. Invite them to your book launch to increase the event’s hype. Influencer marketing is a perfect way to promote your book.
5. Make the event interactive:
People will eventually get bored if you continue to read the book to them for two hours. A book launch is more likely to promote your book. So you don’t need to read the entire thing out for the guests and read enough to make them curious. This will also encourage them to buy the book.
However, it will also save your event from being tedious. People want to discover more about you and your book, background, and inspiration. Keep the reading portion to no longer than 15 minutes. Don’t rush, avoid jargon and pretentious language. Allow the audience to grill you on your inspiration and the book. This allows them to enjoy their levels and brings a positive experience for everyone.
6. Use social media to promote the event.
No matter how well your event went or how many books you sold, your job is to make it appear like a huge success and fun. This way, everyone who could not attend the event can feel envious and vow to attend the next one. Remember that the social media buzz, newsletter announcements, and promotions you put into the event and the updates you share after the event are excellent methods to increase the event’s hype and viewers. Overall, it’s a great way to remind everyone about your book’s existence.
7. Set a budget:
Before deciding to host a book launch event, the first thing you should do is set a budget. If you are a beginner writer, you probably will not have a lot of cash. You need to see what you can pull off within a set budget. Don’t go overboard and spend a lot. Only invest in what you can afford.
Remember that a successful book launch does not have to be expensive or extravagant. How much money you want to spend depends on you. But keep in mind that hosting a simple, well-thought-out launch can be equally beneficial.
Divide your budget once you’ve determined how much you’re willing and able to spend on your book launch. Beware of getting carried away with your planning and, as a result, blowing your budget. Throughout the planning process, refer back to your figures.
8. Offer prizes/giveaways
Another great way of engaging everyone at your book launch is to give away free prizes. You don’t need to keep every prize book related. People will most probably be buying the book at the end of the event so try to give them something other than that. You can give away discount coupons or even send out special PR packages to renowned people.
9. Offer Deals and discounts
Consider providing special offers or discounts with some of these purchases during your book launch. You might want to encourage people to purchase by offering a ‘buy one, get one half-price’ deal or something similar.
Offering small bonuses with purchases is also a viable option. Consider including a bookmark with each book purchase. You can even offer deals where you give totes or any other stuff for free on a certain number of books being purchased.
10. Decide if it is a public or private event:
When organizing your book launch, you must decide whether it will be a public or private event. This comes down to a personal preference about what you want to achieve from the book launch. If your book launch is about a lovely night with friends and family, the invite-only option is excellent. But if you want to promote our book at the event, consider holding a public event.