#15: Quickie Q&A: βHow to Host a Book Launch Party (Without the Stress) + Buzzworthy Book
In this episode, we’re diving into the realities of hosting a book launch party. Spoiler alert: You don’t need a big, expensive event. I’ll walk you through simple strategies to make sure your book launch is a success—no matter where you hold it.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- Why big, fancy parties are not necessary for a successful book launch
- How to make your event an ongoing marketing tool
- Simple ways to create signage and capture photos that boost your brand
- Key insights into the types of photos that help your book long-term
Timestamps:
- 0:00 – Intro: The Reality of Book Launch Parties
- 2:15 – Do You Really Need a Launch Party?
- 4:40 – The Book Launch Party Myth: Carrie Bradshaw vs. Reality
- 6:10 – Where Should You Host Your Book Launch?
- 7:55 – Why Signage is Critical (and How to Make it Affordable)
- 10:25 – Essential Photos You Need to Capture
- 12:50 – Hiring a Photographer? What to Tell Them
- 14:30 – Using Your iPhone for High-Quality Marketing Photos
- 16:05 – What Contextual Photos Can Do for Your Branding
- 18:20 – Behind-the-Scenes of a Successful Book Launch: Jessica Waite
- 21:00 – Buzzworthy Book Mention: On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good
- 23:15 – Wrapping Up: The Free Ultimate Author Event Checklist
πResources Mentioned:
π Free Ultimate Author Event Checklist: https://LaneLit.com/checklist2
π Join my Author Branding & Bestseller School: https://LaneLit.com/bestseller
π Check out the Manuscript Academy: https://manuscriptacademy.com
πOn Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good - https://bookshop.org/a/55773/9780593243053
Got a question? Email me at [email protected].
#BookLaunchTips #AuthorBranding #BestsellerMarketing #BuzzworthyBooks
Transcript:
It just looks like you're doing homework in front of a line of people. Unless you have signage of your book, then we understand what you're doing there.
Ooh, we're getting into it now. First, I want to say how happy I am that you're listening and that you're tuning in for yourself and to share this. So, if you know someone whose book needs to be in the world in a bigger way, share this podcast with them. They're looking for straightforward answers, and that's all I have. I lay it out on the line. I want you to know the information that is in my head, and this is the only way that I can do it. You can, or you can email me. It's Allison at LaneLit dot com. That's my personal email. You can email me and say, here's my question. So here is a question.
Here's a question I got this week: What should I do for my book launch? That's a big question. It's a big question. I think what this person meant was, what should I plan to do on my book launch day? Like, how should I launch my book thinking like it's in a big event? What should I do for my big book launch party? What does a book launch party look like?
Okay, let's roll back a little bit. Do you have to have a book launch party? No. I think the literary myth, maybe this is an urban myth, is that a book and the author are thrown a launch party and that is attended by the literati and notables and restaurateurs. I picture like a Carrie Bradshaw kind of thing, or that Emily in Paris sort of thing. That's myth. That's just the movies. That doesn't happen. So you don't necessarily need to get disappointed. I’m telling you in advance, your publisher will not be throwing you a book launch party. Just catering costs too much. That's the thing.
Here's what I think: people think that there's a party and it's a celebration. Yes, it's a celebration, but you have to throw yourself your own party. And let's talk about the need for this party. The reason and the rationale to spend a lot of effort on a party is so you can capture marketing assets and materials that you will use for the next four years. That means you don't have to throw yourself an expensive party. I had one author who thought she was going to have to rent a party space in New York City. Yikes! And then get it catered because her publisher wasn't going to do that. There’s no real reason to do that because journalists don’t come to cover book launches at parties like that anymore.
Those, that was the olden days. That was like in the 90s when God was a boy and I lived in New York. That's when those things happened. I went to plenty of those, but they don’t exist anymore. Instead, have yourself a little get-together. It could be at a bookstore. It could be on your porch, wherever it is. You want to make sure that you have signage and that someone else is taking pictures for you. And you've got to give them really good specifics on what images work.
Now, if you want to get my free guide, it’s at LaneLit.com backslash checklist2, and it’s my ultimate author event checklist. It’s a list of all the images that you could possibly take, and that matter related to you as an author and your book. These only work when you follow my directions because it’s not enough for you just to be standing in front of a white wall holding your book. That's boring, and we don't know where you are. You've got to capture the photos as I've described and as I show you.
So this is a free guide. Go to LaneLit.com backslash checklist2, and you will get my free video guide and a downloadable. You can hand that checklist to someone and say, “Could you get at least five of these shots?” That would be super helpful. You won’t need 35. You’ll need five good ones.
At the book launch for my client, Jessica Waite, who wrote The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards, which is number one on the nonfiction list in Canada, yay, in its first two weeks. It’s amazing that a memoir got number one. Congratulations, Jessica! I took 556 pictures on her launch day. And that was just on my cell phone because iPhones are fantastic. So, it doesn't need to be hoity-toity. You don't need a humongous camera. You don't need to be an expert. I am not, but I'm telling you, these images, if you take them with your iPhone or with your Android, they're high-res enough, they can live on your website, you can contribute them to media. Are they going to be magazine ready? Probably not, but digital media can definitely use them, and you will use them a lot. You just have to make sure that we have context and that you're not posing for the camera.
Context means we need signage behind you. The best thing you could do is send your book cover to FedEx or Kinko's and have them print it on 11 by 17, like a foam core thing with a little kickstand in the back. Make sure it's shiny so that you can splash sparkling water or wine on it when you're at your events. Make sure it’s next to you wherever you go at your book signing. Put it next to you as you sign books. You know why? Because we can't see the books when they're in a stack. We can't see them when we're there, and we can't see them in the image. So, it just looks like you're doing homework in front of a line of people. Unless you have signage of your book, then we understand what you're doing there.
It's your job to do that. If you do that, send it to UPS or FedEx. I developed one of these foam core things for a friend of mine, Julie Kingsley, who is the co-founder of the Manuscript Academy. If you don’t know what that is, go to Manuscript Academy. I'll put it in the show notes. And it cost me nine dollars. Nine bucks! And that was including the rush service because I was like, I need this in two hours. But you know what? They did it, and it cost me nine dollars, and it was worth it. It was my gift to Julie.
Context is important and candid. We really don't want to see more than two people in an image because then we can't see what's happening, and those photos don't get cropped well. Max three people, unless you're shooting from the back of a room, and then we see the backs of heads, and we need to see you. You'll see some of these examples in this guide that you're going to get.
Context is good. We need to know where you are. We need to know who you're with, so it needs to be obvious. If another author is there, hold up your book and hold up their book. Make sure you hold the book high enough so that when we crop the image, we can still see the book. Here's a book that I love. This is a buzzworthy book: On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good. Are you kidding me? I love this book. Plus, the cover is super dreamy, and I want pajamas in this design. We could have a PJ party. It'd be awesome.
The way you hold this—you can go to YouTube and watch me do this—is right above the nipple. Now you know where my nipples are because normally what you would do is hold it down in front of your abdomen, and then when we crop the image, you can’t see the book. And this is weird, like right below your chin. It's weird. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It could be lopsided. We just need to know that it’s there with you and that the person you’re with, if they're an author, they can hold your book. They can hold their book. You can stack the books, but it’s nice if you're gesturing, if you're talking, and we can still see why you're there. Otherwise, you could be just in your living room, smiling, and we don't want that.
On your book launch day, don’t worry about having a party, unless you want to. Because an event is what you make of it. The most important thing, wherever you go, is to capture images that matter, and the images that matter—I made a big fat list of them. They are on this free guide and video guide that you can get at LaneLit.com backslash launch. If you're looking for more support, or you're like, “Allison, I love the way you lay it out and you tell me what to do and what not to do,” that's what I like. I like to tell you what to do. Don’t do this, do that. Thank you.
If you’re looking for a clear guide and some no-baloney Sherpa action, I’m it. My Author Brand and Bestseller School starts October 3rd. This is for you whether your book is coming out next year at this time. And you think, “Oh, it’s 12 months away.” Start now. This is a six-month experience, and it’s so comprehensive. It's author branding, build your website, build your pitch materials. Let's get your book into the world, get you booked on podcasts that reach your audience, boost your appearances, and weave them into your life so you don't feel the crushing pressure of everything all at once.
Go get your guide at LaneLit.com backslash launch. And if you want more support, LaneLit.com backslash bestseller, and you'll get so much more. Jump into the Bestseller School—author branding, Jump in to the bestseller school. Author branding, media training, how to pitch podcasts, how to show up as your very best self with power quotes and mic drop moments.
What to wear to your book launch events. What to wear to your bookstore events. PS, do not wear your favorite shirt. I don't care what it is. If it's, you know what, I'm going to save that for the next episode because what to wear, it's important and it's super simple, but once you hear it, you'll be like, Allison, why didn't somebody tell me this sooner?
Just that's what I'm going to tell you next time.β π
