How to run your own book launch – your event management checklist

In my experience, these are the most important steps in planning any event, including your own book launch:

1. Decide on the focus and desired outcomes for your event. Are you launching your book?
Do you want to sell books, raise money for a cause or raise awareness of an issue? How many attendees are you hoping to get? How will you gauge the success of your event?

2. Consider the ideal date for your event. Make sure it doesn’t conflict with any other events taking place in your area, or any major holidays.

3. Devise a plan for each stage – up to and including the event itself. Include your choice of venue, insurance, health and safety planning, accessibility, marketing and promotional opportunities, the people to involve (including your committee and helpers, speakers / writers), etc. Build a to-do list.

4. Think about how you will promote your event: website, PR, media invitations, print collateral, etc. Who will you invite? Start with your own network, but also consider your publisher, agent, media contacts, other writers and don’t forget your family and friends.

5. Consider the budget and potential sponsorship / financing for your event. Think about the likely expenses, speaker fees, venue rental, catering costs, etc. Is there an appropriate sponsor who can bring more than just cash to the event? Consider what you need to achieve but also what’s in it for the sponsor. It’s not just about badging your event with their logo. The best sponsors get actively involved in the event and its promotion themselves…

6. Set up a bookings system. This could be something like Eventbrite. Test the bookings system in advance and make sure that you understand the costs involved and check that it works!

7. Brand your event. Get a designer to help you design the logo, event branding and the overall look and feel of your event. Make sure that it all chimes with your ethos and ambitions for the event.

8. Start the publicity for your event. This could include a variety of different methods and channels, including social media, PR and personal engagement with conventional media, etc. If you have an agent and / or publisher, they should also get behind you.

9. Contact and agree terms with any speakers or special guests for your event. Look after the talent well! Be professional and make sure that you have a clear agreement that sets out your expectations and each party’s responsibilities.

10. Launch ticket sales. Get selling!

11. Coordinate with the venue and event suppliers (catering, equipment, etc). Ensure the registration tables / stands, banners and directional signage around the venue are in place. Ensure you have prepared attendees’ name badges and that you have plenty of stationery, with spares of everything.

12. Manage the event day set up. Is everything where it should be? Revisit the Health and Safety plan and review your Risk Assessments one last time.

13. Take a deep breath and run the event. If you have planned everything well enough, this may be nerve-wracking, but hopefully it will also be fun.

14. Get feedback from attendees before they leave.

15. Break down and tidy up after the event! Remember to thank everyone!

16. Evaluate the success of your event! Update the budget. What could you do better next time?

Overall, my advice is to:

Start early!
The earlier you start planning your book launch or other event, the better. For smaller events (and where you have already built up a following), you may only need a few months to prepare and promote everything, but for bigger events, especially where you need to build your audience, you will need more time. For certain events that I have worked on, we started a year and a half ahead of time…

Build your team!
It’s a good idea to have a team of like-minded people with whom you can develop your plans and off whom you can bounce your ideas.

Make it fun!

Contact David Jones if you would like help in planning your book launch or other event:

David R. Jones,
Barnstormer Studios
Mobile: 07966 578999.
Website: www.barnstormerstudios.co.uk