Hey Clan!
In February, I was privileged to rejoin my Clan Council (aka, the members of the Clan Launch Team who helped organize the launch party) on Writers Chat to share the Launch Party Lessons we learned.
Admittedly, when the team first approached me about addressing the topic of launch parties, I felt unqualified to teach on the subject. But they reminded me of an overlooked truth. There are many authors out there like myself facing their first launch parties. Knowing how I felt in their shoes, I relished every opportunity given to hear from others who trod that path before me and had advice to give.
So if you’re in that boat, or you’re just curious about what it was like for me and my team to put together a book launch party, check out the Writers Chat recap below to watch the replay on YouTube.
Launch Party Lesson Highlights
While I want to stress you’ll get the most from watching the replay, here are some highlights from the show that I think you’ll find helpful:
- Start out by brainstorming a plan for your launch party. What are your expectations? What are the expectations of your readers? Don’t know? Ask!
- Use your newsletter followers as a sounding board (social media followers too) and survey them, not only about their interests in a launch party, but their willingness to help fill roles in the planning. It takes a village in this instance. You can’t do this alone.
- Schedule planning parties or brainstorm sessions with those who volunteer. These can be in person if you live close to eachother, or they can be virtual via platforms like Zoom, for those who need to communicate long-distance.
- Consider the logistics of your venue. If this is a virtual party, what technical things need to come together to make the party run smoothly for you, your team, and your guests?
- If you plan an in-person launch party, then you’ll need to consider the venue location, permissions and fees needed to hold an event there, number of guests invited based on lot capacity, basic amenities, entertainment and scheduled events (games you may play, book signings, readings, Q&A, etc.), and time of day as well as the length of your party. This last bit is especially important if you need to plan a meal or appetizers for your guests.
- Even though I chose to hold a virtual party, time of day still played an important factor. Consider that your guests may attend from different time zones. While it’s impossible to accommodate every time zone, be aware of the areas where most of your guests/readers are located and strive to pick a time of day that’s most suitable. We chose evening around 8 PM Eastern time and encouraged attendees to bring food and their favorite beverages to join us in a virtual toast.
Have You Read Tale of the Clans?
If the answer is, “No, but I want to!” then you’ve come to the right place. Visit my book table to see all the books in the series and find your preferred format and retailer.
If you have read any of the books, I would be so grateful if you would consider leaving a review. Click on the book you’ve read below to be taken directly to the Amazon review page for that novel.
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