Although today’s technological world allows writers to communicate with their audiences without ever leaving their homes, nothing can equal the actual experience of sharing your work and knowledge with a room loaded with people during a book signing.
Successful book signings assist in spreading the word, selling books, building your reputation and profile as an author and authority in your subject, and giving you a real understanding of who your audience is.
Unfortunately, both new and experienced authors frequently find themselves surrounded by empty seats at bookstores or other venues, with the exception of a single ardent fan, a random bookstore straggler, and the bookstore team exchanging a look that says, “We are not likely to welcome this author back.”
Because events are complicated, here are some crucial tips to help you achieve your goal of a full house and successful book launch.
The Significant Tips For A Successful Book Launch
Pick A Prolific Venue
Keep location in consideration as you compile your list of possible venues. For example, is it simple to get there from the highways? Parking? Is there any pedestrian traffic? It’s also a good idea to think beyond the box.
Aside from the common venues like bookstores, libraries, festivals, book fairs, and literary & cultural organizations, your book’s themes/topics might be a good fit for museums, community centers, churches, colleges, art galleries, schools, restaurants, hair salons, and movie theatres, to name a few.
What track record does this venue has regarding similar events is the most important question to ask. This has a direct impact on your existing audience, the venue’s email list, and their capacity to market the event independently of your efforts. For example, how much can you rely on the venue coordinator for help? Is the venue big enough for the number of people you are expecting? So, make sure you do your homework before setting up the location for your book launch.
Go For A Suitable Day and Time
It’s someone’s birthday, marathon, day to do work in front of the location you just chose, or mother nature has chosen to let it rain cats and dogs, life is full of surprises, and some things can’t be predicted, so plan ahead and ensure that the day of your event provides you the best opportunity of attracting as many audiences as possible to take two hours out of their busy schedules to attend.
Make your best guess for the day and time of your event, then consult with the venue since each will have a slightly different perspective on the optimum time and dates for your event.
This will also be determined by your book’s genre and target audience. Events should not begin before 7 p.m. and are best held on a Wednesday or Thursday. If you pick weekends, you will be up against a lot of other nightlife activities. But, once again, check with the venue as some bookshops may prefer Mondays since they host a weekly book club meeting, and members are more likely to remain for later events.
Promote Your Book Launch Efficiently
The real work begins now that you have decided on a venue, a date, and a time. Start marketing your event at least a month before the scheduled day. The first reason is that the lead time for your media outreach and event calendar submissions is 3-4 weeks. At least three weeks before the event, send out a newsletter and an email to friends, following another reminder a week before and the event day.
The same principles apply to outreach to local interest groups like literary firms, book clubs, meet-ups, etc. Start promoting on social media approximately two weeks before the event and increase up as the day approaches.
Define Your Brief and Visuals with Precision
Focus on why people should be interested in this event in your event calendar entries, and incorporate a graphic banner that will captivate them. Also, ensure that the subject line is iconic and interesting. When contacting the media, the ideal strategy is to send a media alert, including a picture and your contact information if they wish to cover you.
Your press release should be no more than three paragraphs long. Be as precise as possible. Don’t send it to every magazine on the earth; instead, send it to the media contacts who cover books, events, or the subject matter of your book. Send a flier to your friends and mailing list requesting that they all distribute it. Follow up with the media 2-3 times after your initial contact, especially in the days leading up to the event. People often forget until 2-3 days before the event that they are supposed to come, so be sure to remind them.
