There is no doubt that the day you finally have your book in your hands is one of the happiest days for a writer. After so many months – if not years – of writing, revising, editing, sending and finally publishing, you can see and touch your baby. This occasion calls for a grand celebration and what better way to send this book into the hands of your readers than with a book launch party.
One of the main considerations for this party is that you probably thought of it when you were planning to write the book. The book’s marketing plan must be prepared before the book itself to ensure success. Taking into account the theme and the audience of the book, the theme of the party is determined along with all the activities. The best days to throw a book launch party are on Friday or Saturday, to get the most attendance. The time of day has a lot to do with the theme; It could just as easily be a beach picnic with wine and cheese or an overnight masquerade.
These are the key ingredients of The Ultimate Book Launch Party:
- Theme: Select a theme directly related to your book. Fiction books are excellent in this regard.
- Invitations – Create a unique invitation for the launch. You can get an inexpensive software program and design and print your own invitations. Attendance confirmation request.
- News and media: Remember to prepare a press release to mark the event and send it to your local newspaper at least four to six weeks in advance. Don’t forget to send a personal invitation to your local news person.
- Party Registry – Have everyone sign up for your party registry and include their email and mailing address. Let them know they’ll be the first to know about your next book sale, book launch, contest and giveaway.
- Game or Contest: Create a game or contest around your book.
- Food and Drink – Have something simple to offer your guests in elegant serving dishes.
- Reading: Read parts of your books or, better yet, have some of your guests read a small part. If any of the attendees have read his book, ask them to tell the others about it. Nothing sells more than a satisfied reader.
- Photos: Take lots of photos with your guests while the party is taking place. You may want to give one of them the camera to take pictures while visiting everyone. Images will be great for promotional materials, websites, and blogs.
Note: You may want to have a release form ready for all attendees to sign regarding permission to post your images online or any printed materials without compensation.
- Sell: Offer special discounts to your guests who purchase 2 or more signed copies of your book. Have bookmarks, flyers and mail order forms for everyone and those who don’t buy can take them home and order later. For those who don’t buy on the spot, you can offer them the same special discount if they order in the next 48 hours.
- Follow-up: Send guests a thank you note for coming and include 2-3 business cards with a small discount offer for your book on the back for them to give to family or friends. Make sure your discount has an expiration date to keep book sales on a regular basis.
That’s it. Easy, fun and profitable! Let your imagination run wild and create The Ultimate Book Launch Party for you and your friends.