Special Guest Eden Baylee & Contest!!!

I am so very pleased to have one of my most favorite new authors here today, EDEN BAYLEE.

And she’s got an AWESOME Valentine’s Treat for you all!! Eden’s  giving away TWO signed copies of her super hot collection, FALL INTO WINTER!! Just leave a comment and be automatically entered to win!

Anatomy of a Book Launch

I feel very honored to be a guest blogger for one of my favorite writers, Lisa Fox. Lisa was kind enough to offer an opening to me on her blog and extremely generous in her approach.

As she has given me free reign for both topic and format, I would like to show my appreciation to readers by giving away two copies of my book, Fall into Winter, a book of four erotic novellas. To be eligible, make a comment here on Lisa’s blog for this post. Two winners will be chosen at random by the end of business day, Feb. 14^th, and it will be my pleasure to send a signed copy of my book to the winners. Good luck!

Now, to the topic at hand…a book launch. Mine is happening tomorrow—my first one—for my first book. I’m having it at my favorite new bookstore in Toronto, where I live. Ben McNally Books does not even carry a romance section, let alone an erotica one. I must have had balls of steel on the day I approached the owner about hosting a book launch for me, and I couldn’t have been more shocked when he agreed to it. His attitude reflected his magnanimous spirit to support a local writer, get some traffic for his store, and have some fun doing it. That process started a little over a month ago, and now it’s happening.  I’m excited, scared, and still in a state of shock some days. It’s been a time of firsts, and I’ve stumbled and tripped along the road to get to this point. Given that, I thought to share some of the things I’ve learned in planning my launch. Hopefully, it will help other writers when they decide to do theirs.

My Tips for a Book Launch

Pre-launch buzz: Let everyone know about your event. Create the buzz as soon as possible.

Location: Don’t be afraid to approach a bookstore or other venue to host your launch. It should be free or inexpensive. It’s good exposure for their business too, not just for you.

Date: Have your launch date relate to the nature of your book, if possible. I’m doing mine just before Valentine’s Day, which is perfect for erotica/romance.

Time: A PR friend taught me that timing is crucial. Plan it so you can have both media and friends and family attend.

Promotional material: Get bookmarks printed up, and have them available at the launch. This is the business card of the writer, and should have details of your book, and how to reach you.

Get sponsors: I cannot stress this point enough! You don’t need to, nor should you break the bank hosting your launch. In exchange for catering and sexy products I received from vendors, I will promote them in my blog, and have their advertising displayed at my launch. I will also personally acknowledge them at my launch because it’s important to promote those who go out of their way to promote you.

Food and Drink: Have some finger food and drinks (get this sponsored if possible). If you are providing alcohol in a non-alcohol venue, ensure you get the proper permits.

Invitations: Send out invitations to everyone you know. Announce it through your social network, blog, and website. Create a Facebook Event and invite all your friends, even those you suspect will not be able to make it. It’s important to include everyone as they will help you spread the news by word of mouth. It also gives them the opportunity to offer you their good wishes even if they cannot attend. Request an RSVP to give you an idea of how many people will show up. (This helps you plan how much food and drink you will need too).

Invite media: Prepare a news release to mark the event and forward it to your local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations. Also send personal invitations to any media people you know.

Plan out the Event: Decide if you want both a book reading and signing, or just a signing. If you have both, make sure the book reading is brief, or at least jazz it up to make it exciting. No one likes to be read to for fifteen minutes, no matter how arousing the material is.

Register your Guests: Have a sign-in book for all guests who attend your launch. Collect names, e-mails, and addresses. Tell them they will be the first to know about your next book release, contests, and giveaways.

Free Stuff: Have giveaways to make it fun and build buzz around your book. The prizes can be something very simple along with a copy of your book.

Take pictures: Have a few designated photographers take pictures with you and your guests while the party is going on. The pictures will be great as promotional material on your website and blog. Do inform guests their pictures may be posted online, and give them the opportunity to opt out if they prefer not to have it.

Sell your book: Ensure you have copies of your book on hand for sale at the launch.

Practice your signature: Have several pens that you are comfortable with, and practice what you want to write.

Show gratitude: This may be the last item on my list, but it’s the most important. Provide a gift to all who attend. This can be just a small token of appreciation such as chocolates/candies to thank guests for attending. It’s important they leave your launch feeling happy they took time out of their busy days for you.

I think that’s it! Since my launch hasn’t happened yet, I did not title this list “My Tips for a Successful Book Launch.” Of course, I hope it will be.

I’m a firm believer that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I’m not sure who coined that phrase, but it’s a mantra I follow if I’m serious about what I’m doing. I’ll keep you posted on my blog as to how everything went.

I’m looking forward to any comments you may have, and to sending out a couple of free copies of my book.

Lisa, thanks again for being such a gracious host. It was great fun!

Warmest regards to all your readers,

eden baylee

EXCITING, EXOTIC, EXTREMELY EROTIC

www.edenbaylee.com