Guest Post
by R.B. Frank
When I planned my first book launch, ignorance is bliss worked just fine for me. Most people research a topic and make decisions with their accumulated information. Makes sense, right? Yeah, too much of anything is not a good thing (even wine). I got sucked into the vortex of blogs, twitter postings and online articles. Then I realized if I spent lots of time down the rabbit hole of internet links, my thoughts would never coalesce into a real plan for a book launch. I would forever research, vacillate and procrastinate with an ever-changing definition of a book launch and never jump in.
I made the decision that my publishing date for my first book would be no later than April 30th. A PR friend of mine (all parties and promotion) said, “Well, you just have to throw a book launch party.”
Party? Was a book launch a party? Omg. Omg. Omg.
For the most part, writers like being wallpaper, invisible but there. A party meant being the center of attention. What if no one comes? I panicked with just the thought of it – a long lost recollection of the Brady Bunch episode when Peter threw himself a party and no one showed up.
And I’ve been to book signings before. They weren’t parties. The author sat behind a table in a store; or large crowds gathered to hear stunning wisdom couched in everyday language, and then the author sat behind the table; or wine and cheese lured in strangers, and then the author sat behind the table. That’s all I knew.
But I publish a first book only once and I would regret not celebrating. I knew this much: I would have the launch at my local library (a fav place of mine) and my friend happened to be the PR director there. She was thrilled. Any reason for a PR person to have a party is a good one. I didn’t know what I could or shouldn’t do for a book launch. I just knew I couldn’t bring wine (boo). I had the room, folding chairs and empty tables available. And my friend said to read a story from my flash fiction collection to show my awesomeness. (That wasn’t gonna happen.)
So how could I give my visitors a sample of my writing without feeling as if someone ripped off my epidermis and exposed my innards?
I abandoned the lure of “the next link has a better idea” and I jumped without my parachute and discovered the beauty of planning with abandon, without direction. Without the internet.
Here’s what I came up with: My book is divided into three sections of short stories. I took the first paragraphs of two stories from each section (so, very good, six all together). In MS Publisher, I created JPEGs that looked like those Read More teasers from online articles. I sent them out to be printed 11 x 14, spray mounted them onto poster board and stuck a stand on the back. The day of the event, I had a table for each section of the book and two excerpts on each table, along with a smattering of bookmarks, piles of my masterpiece and exquisite flowers. The set-up kept people moving, ensuring they’d find something they liked, and I could mingle with the safety of being wallpaper and still be the ubiquitous writer.
I sold over 25 books that day. My PR friend who helped organize the event had never heard of a launch like this. Well, that was because I wasn’t sure of the rules. And not knowing the rules frees you up to be creative – in problem solving, in writing, in life.
And sometimes, when you don’t know the rules, you jump without a parachute. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead. Jump!
R.B. Frank has competed one YA novel, has a YA work-in-progress, and a published flash fiction/short story collection – Bite Size Reads. She has a husband, two kids, and a dog, and when she’s not loving on them, she’s worrying about them. You can learn more about R.B. on her website and her Author Central page.
Sounds like you found the perfect vehicle for your book launch. Congrats! Thinking outside the box can definitely work. Thanks for sharing your good ideas.
Melissa- I’m glad I had a forum for sharing them. So pleased you liked the ideas!
Great idea! Brilliant way to get people milling around looking at your displays, and your “click-bait” teasers. Thanks for sharing!
Candace- glad you felt the ideas were a different approach. I hope this inspires others to trust their instincts and just go for it!
Clever. I might try that with my next short story anthology. Thank you for being kind enough to share.
You’re very welcome. Please contact me and let me know how it goes.