Hosting a book launch is a bit like organising a wedding – but the good news is it doesn’t have to be as expensive! The key is partnering with others wherever possible.

Just like a wedding, there are many things to consider: venue, guest list, invitations, catering, entertainment, photographer, decorations, book table, ushers, a running sheet, and the all important thank-yous! 

Venue: The obvious choice is to host your launch at a bookstore, but there are plenty of other possibilities, such as a church, hall or café. Think about the subject matter of your book – if it is about fashion, hold your launch at a boutique. If your book is about education or for children, ask the local school. Your library would probably be very interested too!

For my first book launch, my own church women’s ministry supported me by hiring a room at the local cultural centre (as we didn’t have a church building of our own at that stage). The second time around, I chose a café attached to a large church. 

Guest List: Invite everybody you can think of! Many people have never been to a book launch and will be intrigued enough to come along, especially if you can entice them with free food and/or entertainment. Don’t forget to invite your family, your friends, your church, your neighbours, your workmates, your writing buddies, and of course anybody who supported you during the writing of your book.

Depending on how big a splash you want to make, you could invite along some dignitaries – local politicians, community and business leaders, or the local media.

Just remember: the more you invite, the more are likely to turn up and the more books you will sell!

At the “Clues to your Calling” launch in 2003, there were about 100 people in attendance; at the “Decadence” launch in 2008 at the café, we had about 70 women (and would have been hard-pressed to fit anybody else in!). But I have been to heaps of book launches where twenty or thirty people seemed like a crowd, because a more intimate venue was chosen.

Invitations: Nothing beats a personal invitation, and with computers and the wide range of stationery available today, it’s easy to make your own. For “Clues to your Calling” we had a purple theme (to match the cover of the book), and I made invitations out of sparkly lavender card, with plain white inserts glued in (see picture below). You could use a pad of party invitations , or photocopies that you can hand out to all and sundry!

If you want to open your event up to the local public, a notice in your local paper and posters in nearby shop windows, bookstores, or your chosen venue (whether a church, hall or café)  would also be a good idea.

Don’t forget to encourage guests to RSVP, so you can keep track of the numbers for catering purposes. Be aware though that many people don’t let you know they are coming, or say they will be there and then don’t turn up. Australians are notoriously bad at RSVPing! I have learnt this the hard way. At the “Clues” launch this didn’t matter so much, but at the “Decadence” launch unfortunately I still had to pay for those ten people that didn’t show up. 

Catering: What sort of food are you going to feed your guests? Hors d’oeuvres? Morning tea? Wine and cheese? Who is going to serve it, and how are you going to pay for it?

As mentioned earlier, the “Clues to your Calling” launch was done in partnership with my church women’s team. A few of the ladies contributed a plate of goodies, while another (who loves catering and cooking) oversaw all the catering arrangements and was capably assisted by her teenage daughters at the actual event. This was great as it was one less thing I had to worry about!

In order to help cover the costs, we asked for a “gold coin” entry fee to the event. This made it affordable for everyone and I was able to give this money back to the women’s team.

As the “Decadence” launch was held at a café, they provided an afternoon tea for just $10 per head, which was exactly what we charged our guests. Or you could charge slightly extra to help you cover the costs of a performer or the invitations or whatever. Just remember, the more expensive it is, the less likely people are to come, and the less books you will sell.

Entertainment: Try to think of something that ties in with your book’s theme. At the “Clues to your Calling” launch, the whole night was a celebration of people contributing their talents and callings, a great example of my book’s message! Some young people from church played background music, and later perform a couple of items. A couple of dignitaries – our women’s pastor, and my writing group president – gave short speeches, and being the author, I also got to share a few words.

At the launch of “Decadence” we took a slightly different tack. This time our guests were all women, so we had a couple of icebreaker games (you can find heaps on the internet) to start things off. A gospel singer performed a couple of songs which she was happy to do in exchange for the opportunity to sell and promote her CDs at the event, and our speaker was a DJ from a local Christian radio station.

Perhaps you could do a short reading from your book, or show a Powerpoint presentation of photos relevant to your subject matter.

Lucky door prizes are also fun – tape a ticket under a couple of chairs before hand, and then ask everybody to check beneath their chair. Or hand out raffle tickets at the door. Of course, the prize would be a copy of your book/s!

Why not celebrate with a cake? A cake-cutting (just like at a wedding) is fun, and also a great photo opportunity! 

Photographer: You will be too busy to think about taking any photos, so assign this task to a snap-happy friend or family member – ask them to be your official photographer for the occasion! Not only will you capture precious memories, you can use these in media releases and publicity for your book.

Decorations: Some of the Footprints Team Members assisted with the decorations at the “Clues” launch. They cut out large stars from purple and silver cardboard, which we then stuck around the walls of the room with blu-tac. We also had a few arrangements of purple helium balloons tied with silver ribbon, to add to the party atmosphere.

At the “Decadence” launch, our theme was gold and red roses. We bought some roses from a wholesaler, and had some in vases, as well as leaving some loose to decorate the display and book tables. I bought some gold fabric to drape over tables, and printed out colour copies of the book cover which I laminated and stuck on the walls. Finally, we sprinkled all the tables with gold confetti.

The Book Table: To decorate the all-important book table you will need tablecloth/s, and copies of your book (of course!). You may like to print and frame a cover of your book to place on the table. And don’t forget a receipt book, cash box (I recommend a $50 float in small change), and pens so you can sign copies for your fans! As many of the guests will want to spend some time chatting with you, the author, it’s a good idea to have a couple of other people to handle the sales part.

Ushers: Make sure you have a couple of designated “greeters” at the door of your event, to collect the entry fee (if any), to hand out lucky door tickets and/or name tags, and generally make people feel welcome. 

Running Sheet: So that things run smoothly, prepare a running sheet beforehand and give a copy to anybody involved in the “formalities” of your event eg performers, speakers, the café staff.  That way everybody knows what is happening and when.

Thank Yous: It’s important to make a point of thanking everybody for all their help – after all you may need them again at your next book launch! You can do this by mentioning them in your speech, or in the acknowledgements page of your book. Make sure you give a copy of your book to those who have been especially helpful and/or provided their services for free!

Just like a wedding, you could follow up with a thank you note to each of your guests. Or, send them home with a cake bag or even a party bag!  At the launch of “Decadence” we gave each of our guests a small organza bag of goodies, including a fridge magnet, some sweets and a couple of other tiny treats, to show them that we appreciated their presence at our special day.

Most of us have organised a party or even a wedding at some stage in our lives. As you can see, organising a book launch is very similar. You’ve worked hard and have something extraordinary to celebrate – the launch of your book. This is your special time – enjoy it!

It is great to see large bookstore chains like Koorong, willing to give the “little guy” – independent publishers – a go. Anybody who has written and/or self-published a book will know what I mean when I say, it is VERY difficult to find a publisher here in Australia for Christian books – they practically don’t exist! Self-publishing can be the only option, but then it is a matter of getting your book into the hands of either distributors (never had any luck with them myself but would love to hear from anybody who has), or the bookstores.

I still find the best way of selling books is “back of room” sales when a member of the Footprints Team (usually me, but sometimes Nicola or Melanie) is invited to be a guest speaker at a function. Speaking (excuse the pun!) of which – we are now taking bookings for 2009 so if you are interested in booking an inspirational speaker for your women’s event, feel free to email editor@footprintsaustralia.com. No group too small! In fact I love the personal atmosphere of small home/connect groups! And although based in SE Qld, sometimes I do travel further afield as the Lord directs and provides …

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so for the full story on our 10th birthday party celebrations, why not check out some of the pix from the event? 

We had about 70 people there all up … one of the things I loved most was looking around and there were ladies from every possible denomination sitting in the room – we had AOG, Baptists, Catholic, Christian Outreach Centre, Christian City Church, Church of Christ, Full Gospel, Uniting, Salvation Army and Anglican that I know for sure, plus quite a few non-church people!  It was particularly wonderful to meet so many of our faithful supporters for the first time. As one lady emailed me this morning:

Congratulations to you all for such a lovely afternoon gathering yesterday. To be part of a roomful of likeminded women was wonderful. I was a little anxious turning up as I knew nobody. I asked to join a table of ladies and we enjoyed a lovely afternoon. We found it easy to talk with each other … The efforts you put into everything, be it Footprints, our Christmas surprises (gifts), or your CD, are much appreciated.

Another lady told me that she went away feeling very recharged and refreshed and thoroughly uplifted, which is just what we wanted.

Melanie was our MC, and kicked off the proceedings with an icebreaker game before the very bubbly and enthusiastic Katie Clift from 96.5 FM gave a lovely speech. Nicola shared a little about what Footprints means to not only the readers, but also the Team Members responsible for creating each magazine. We honoured half a dozen long-term Footprints supporters with special awards, before Aliki shared two songs and a message based on …. ummmm… toilets! But don’t worry, there was a message tucked into it once we all settled down from our embarrassment and laughter. The second song she sang was very powerful and I noticed a few teary eyes around the room.

Finally, I got to say a few words about the making of “Decadence” and then we cut the official birthday cake. We shared a truly decadent afternoon tea with some lovely people, and sold quite a few books too.  

Of course it all seems like a bit of a blur now!

In hindsight a second game would have worked well, and as per usual we over-catered hugely, but it’s all good!!! 

Despite giving the manuscript to the printing company TWO WHOLE MONTHS before our book launch date, I have yet to see a book proof … which I need to approve before the book can be printed. As we have already paid a substantial deposit, AND with less then two weeks to go, it is too late to go elsewhere.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A BOOK TO LAUNCH ON 29 MARCH!!!!!

Plus there will be some very special awards for some of our key supporters, an opportunity to meet and chat with the Footprints Team and some of our past cover girls, and of course, we need your help to eat our totally DECADENT birthday cake! There will be prizes and giveaways galore, AND a pamper pack of goodies for each of our guests to take home and enjoy.

Not suprisingly, half of the tickets have already been reserved! So get in quick, reserve your ticket by contacting editor@footprintsaustralia.com or  0421 482 642 (tickets MUST be pre-booked, but you can pay at the door).

It’s all happening at Rivers Cafe which is in the main building of the Christian Outreach Centre complex, 322 Wecker Road, Mansfield.

And here’s a sneak peek at the cover of DECADENCE!

- Photo gallery recording 10 wonderful years of Footprints
- Bible trivia quiz & comp
- Are you a cockroach Christian?!
- Turn your misery into your ministry!
- Could you fast from shopping for 40 days?
- A creepy spider story
- Make merry with mocktails!
- The dangers of passive sex …

… and plenty more to inspire, inform and uplift your spirit!

Not a subscriber? Love to see a copy of Footprints for yourself? To receive a free trial copy, just drop an email with your name and address to editor@footprintsaustralia.com and we’ll be happy to send you one!