A school visit to remember - Tips on how to have a successful school author visit

A month ago I had my first school visit for Animania at my children’s school. We had a whirlwind afternoon of visiting all of the key stage 1 children in the space of 2 hours. For my American friends that covers all years within the 4 to 8 age range, which is the perfect age for learning the alphabet

The visit was a huge success and I owe a lot of that to Critterish Alllsorts who Animania sponsors. You can read more about the organization in my earlier post Animania Sponsors Critterish Alsorts Dale from Critterish Allsorts kindly offered to come down for my first school visit so that we could read the book and introduce the children to some of the critters. I didn’t tell the children about Dales visit, it was all kept hush hush. So a couple of weeks before, I gave the school a load of posters and leaflets to pop into the kids school bags to tell them about the author visit. I mentioned Critterish Allsorts and said that all percentage of the sales will go to them. I said that it would be an author visit with a twist, but that was as much as I gave away.... I do like a tease.

We only had 20 minutes in each classroom which was a bit tight, so I decided the best thing to do was for me to go in and read some of the book to the children. After this I mentioned that Animania was sponsoring Critterish Allsorts and that I had a surprise for them. That’s when Dale came in with one of his critters. We had Stoosh the skunk, Connie the boa constrictor and Shiver the Blue Skink. Well, you can imagine the excitement that caused! The looks on their little faces was absolutely priceless!  Dale was amazing with the kids and told them all about what the organization is about and then gave a little talk about the animal he had bought in. The children then had a chance to handle the animals briefly before we rushed off to the next room.

The whole experience was so much fun! The children’s excitement was infectious and I felt like a big kid again. It was so rewarding to finally share my work with children and I was blown away with their enthusiasm and interest. Sadly due to distance issues this combined author visit will be the only one of it’s kind as we live quite a distance away from each other. Such a shame as we made such a good double act and the interest was definitely there for both the book and the organisation.

My plan with future visits is to use my artistic abilities to add the extra factor. Animania is about completely made up animals so I thought at the end of the session the children can help me create their very own Animania character which I can draw out for them. We could have a lot of fun creating a new character and discussing what their characteristics would be, what we should call them, what they will look like etc…hey you never know, it could well trigger a new book concept he he.

Another success was introducing the colouring book. At the end of Animania I included a couple of colouring sheets and some blank sheets for kids to create their own Animania character with. So when I finished reading the book, they saw the colouring page and there was alot of excitement over that. So when I heard the “oooo a colouring sheet” response it was the perfect opportunity to show them the colouring book which I had recently published. The colouring book is basically the entire book republished in line art so that the children can colour in their own version of Animania. The colouring book did very well and I took many orders that day so another little tip, colouring sheets go down very very well!

So how can you have a successful author visit?

Find something that stands out from the norm

I can’t thank Dale enough for helping me with the first visit. The combined double act really added a little something special to the visit and made it a more memorable experience for the children. Try and think outside of the box a bit. Have a think about what your book is about, is there anything you could utilise that would be a fun little twist on the visit? There could be organizations or people out there that could help out. So for example, say your book includes a magician… get a magician in to do a couple of tricks. If it’s about an animal and you know someone who owns said animal then ask if they could come in with you. You might want to dress up or have some friends that are happy to dress up for you, you might even have some budding actor friends who would like to act some of the scenes out.  The possibilities really are endless, you can be as crazy and whacky as you like, that’s the beauty of children, you really can’t put a foot wrong. They will enjoy whatever you do but giving them something that leaves a lasting impression will make the occasion more memorable.

Another fellow author Rosie Russell shared with me what she does with her school visits to make them tailor made for her.....

I go and do a reading of my Maggie, Millie, and Merrie's Magical Adventure" book. There is an art project in the back so the art teacher I know invites me to do this with her 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. The students really love this project. I give them each a bookmark and they all enter a chance to win a box of school supplies. (The supplies are in the story.) I also talk to them about how they can become authors and illustrators.

Twitter @RosieRrbjj /  Facebook

Interact with the children

Kids love interacting with you so ask lots of questions throughout the reading and get them involved with the story.  Ask them if they can guess what happens next, or if any of them can relate to a scene in the book. You will find this happens naturally anyway, kids will certainly put their two pennies worth in.

Another indie author AJ Cosmo has recently had a school visit and I wanted to share one of his pictures with you.  I loved how AJ actually sat down on the floor with the kids, making himself at their level so that he in essence was just a big kid there inspiring them.  I thought it was a great idea for AJ to actually get on the floor with the kids, I am going to have to pinch that idea he he.  So  let your inner child out and be one of the kids for the day.

AJ also gave some invaluable advice on self publishing in a past blog post 

To Self Publish or not Self Publish

Twitter:  @AJCosmokids / https://www.facebook.com/ajcosmokids/

Dress to impress

You could go the whole hog and go for the full fancy dress costume, you will certainly get noticed that way and guaranteed to make quite an impact. If like me though you are a little more introverted than that, then choose an outfit that stands out. I am a bit of a girly girl hippy chick anyway so my style is a bit in your face at times. I chose one of my favourite long skirts, a bright purple layered number and the little girls loved it, they made me feel like a princess. I was sitting there reading and these little fingers kept playing with the ruffles on the bottom of my skirt, it was very cute. So go for something bright and cheery and if you are brave enough to go for a costume then go for it, they will love it!

Set some tasks so that the memory of your visit lives on

You want your visit to leave a lasting impression so set some tasks for the children so that they are still talking about the visit days after. For our one Dale came up with the idea that each of the classes were to create an Animania character based on the facts they had learned for each of the animals. They could draw the character or come up with a verse for it and then they could share it on the board outside of the classroom so that other classes could see each others ideas.

This will encourage the children to carry on discussing the book and characters after the visit too. Again be inventive and think of a task that specifically relates to your book.

Everyone loves a Freebie

                    

You can’t go wrong with freebies. I went for colouring sheets with mine, they are the most affordable option and kids love them! I have supplied a few sheets to other authors I have worked with in the past by using the preliminary line drawings as a basis for a colouring sheet . From an illustrators point of view creating colouring sheets are super easy to do. So have a chat with your illustrator and see if they can do some bespoke sheets for you. Or like Rosie Russel did for her recent book launch reach out to people to ask if they are happy to donate some colouring sheets.

There is a fantastic group on face book called Colouring in with Colour. This group is packed full of amazing creatives and are always offering free colouring sheets. I gave Rosie some of mine and so did Karen Emma Hall founder of the colouring group and the fabulous Kid Literature Authors group. I am sure there will be people on there happy to donate some of their colouring sheets, I am more than happy to share mine too.

Other inexpensive ideas are stickers, bookmarks, badges etc.  You could even bake something , again chose something that relates to your book.

Have you any other tips you would like to share with fellow authors on what particularly works well with your school visit? If so then please do leave a comment below.

To self publish or not self publish - A J Cosmo's success story

pic by http://confusedcartoon.blogspot.co.uk/

As you might be aware I recently self published my first children’s book Animania.

It was not a decision I took lightly, I off course wanted to try to get a traditional publisher on board. However after  a year of rejections from both agents and publishers I decided enough was enough, it was time to do this on my own.

In this day and age it is so simple to self-publish a book. I never thought I would say this but the actual production of the book is the easy part. How to market yourself and your work is a whole new ball game and one that I am still struggling to get my head around.

I have learned a lot the past year with the self publishing versus traditional publishing routes and I am continuing to learn each day. I think it will be a good couple of years until I have established myself as a children’s author. I have had a great start with it, but it is going to take more time and alot more writing/illustrating before I start seeing the results I am working towards.

One of the main ways I have taught myself about the wonderful world of publishing is by connecting with fellow creatives and swapping stories/ideas. I am always fascinated with everyone’s stories about how they have got to where they are today, it inspires me and keeps me motivated to keep going. I thought I would interview a few people that I look up to in the hope that their success stories will inspire me and other hopefuls out there. I will try and do this once a month as a new feature.

A J Cosmo is the first person I have chosen to quiz. This super lovely chap is a creative machine when it comes to writing and illustrating books. Over 40 self published books to date, and his first book was published only 4 years ago… see what I mean about a creative machine! When I first came across A J Cosmo earlier this year I remember going through his website and thinking wow, this is exactly how I would like to see myself a few years down the line. You can’t help but admire the level of success he has achieved all by himself. It just goes to show that self publishing can work providing that you have the passion and commitment to see it through. So here we have a few questions that I wanted to ask the man himself…

INTERVIEW WITH A J COSMO

You are an illustrator and an author; did you have any training in either field? 

I have always taken art and writing classes, my best subjects, and have an undergrad in fine art and a master in film with a minor in painting. I have also worked as an airbrush artist for many years, which gave me my speed, and written screenplays in my spare time to try to break into film.  

When did you realize this was your path in life? 

Children's books were one of many spokes I had in the fire when I found myself unemployed. People responded after the third piece and I have been creating children's book sever since. 

When did you publish your first title and how did it feel? 

My first children's book for Kindle came out in December of 2011. It was called Gordon's Gravy and has since been discontinued. It felt like a naked relief. I never expected fame or fortune, still don’t, but I was happy to simply have something out there. So much of my artistic life has revolved around asking permission; so simply publishing something, anything, was a breakthrough. 

The self-publishing industry has a huge learning curve. Did you find it easy to publish your first book? 

Publishing is easy. You can find hundreds of tutorials and services to get a book on Amazon. Publishing professionally, creating something of value people want, that's hard. Self-publishing has a bad reputation because so many people forget that our audience has been fed filet mignon for years. They have high expectations and want indie writers to match or exceed the professionalism of traditional publishers.  

Did you invest much financially in your first book? 

No. Doing almost everything myself, I invest very little in each of my books. Doing things this cheaply means that I spend a huge amount of time on each project. Luckily I am quick. It also means that I have had to acquire every skill that a book needs to be created. The past four years have been one long education. I do not recommend people break the bank with each book. Rather, spend thriftily and where it matters (cover and content) and expect that your investment will never show returns.  

You have self published all of your titles, did you ever try to go down the traditional publishing route and how did you find it? 

I have tried half-heartedly and still think of trying to this day. Traditional publishers frustrate me because everything is on their terms and they are painfully slow. It's also bizarre to talk to traditionally published authors who brag about their one book and be looked down upon myself for having sold twenty times their numbers. 

What made you decide to go down the self-publishing route? 

Fear of rejection from traditional publishers and ease of entry combined with the newness of the technology. It became a job as soon as I started treating it like one and it definitely gives back in proportion to what I put in. 

What are your top 3 dos and don'ts for self-publishing? 

Do 

1) Be professional. 

2) Pay attention to your market. 

3) Be humble, expect nothing. 

Don't 

1) Carelessly throw anything out there. 

2) Assume that you cannot be better. 

3) Rely on magical thinking, easy solutions, or other people.  

At what point in your career did you feel like you were on the right track and started to see significant results? 

There's an assumption that once you do well you will always do well. Make no mistake, I struggle same as everyone else. I have had mind-blowing months and heartbreaking months. You cannot have success without failure and often they are mixed together. I'm just now coming out of a personal recession, so to speak, and I'm still not entirely sure whose fault the whole ordeal was. Regardless, if this is something you want, expect to keep working even after you do well. That's why it's so important to value the craft over the rewards. 

I have found marketing to be the hardest part about self-publishing. Did you have any help with this or was it a case of picking things up as you go along? 

I have asked many questions of people who call themselves marketers. I have read many books on marketing, taken many online courses, read articles, and watched countless videos, but the most useful advice I ever found was that you need to be of use to other people. No one cares that you wrote a book; they care if you can help them make their life easier. If your book can stop a child from crying at night, you will sell a billion copies. Realizing that the customer, the reader, is the most important person in the world is the first step in effective marketing and is what I stress when teaching marketing to others.  

Have you ever paid for help with marketing and if so was it beneficial? 

Yes I have and I encourage everyone to try whatever he or she can at least once. What works for one person may not work for another. As for me, the most useful paid advertisement has been with the email blaster services such as BookBub and FreeBooksy. Those both require either substantial discounts or for you to offer books free, so to take full advantage of them you need to have an email subscription shell around their promotion. 

I was researching awards recently but was quite shocked with the fees for entering. What is your view on awards and paying for reviews, in your opinion is it worth the investment?

Awards can be a cash cow to the creators of the awards (same with contests) so you would do well to research the notoriety of the award before entering. You want an award that is hard to get and that people care about. Unfortunately, so many authors have slapped award seals on their books that I'm afraid it has lost a lot of meaning (same as palm fronds with films) so the value of the award might be in the recognition that the award gives to its audience, not on what you can stick on your book. 

I have found the journey so far to be a rollercoaster of emotions, a mix of extreme highs and lows. Did you go through similar feelings when you were starting out? 

Always have and always will. Fear is a sibling of creativity. Depression is the shadow of joy. Even the simplest walk has a vast variety of surfaces on the path. It's best to make peace with your emotions and use all that as a fuel to power you. I believe in feeling emotions fully, cherishing them, and then releasing them. It can be very good to be afraid. 

What plans do you have for your future writing and illustrating?

I plan on continuing to create, market, and help in whatever ways I can. I just want to be able to continue to do what I'm doing because it feels right. Sure, other things may come up, but I plan on producing at least one book a month until something stops me. There are a huge variety of projects on the slate from new middle-grade novels, to sequels, to multimedia iBooks, as well. I want to create something for everyone. 

What would be the biggest bit of advice that you would give people like me that have only just dipped their toes in the huge self-publishing ocean? 

Three steps: 

1) Decide if this is really what you want. Some people may only wish to publish one book and be done, that's perfectly fine. 

2) Be honest with yourself. Look at your work like others would. See the faults and the strengths. Look at your work like a stranger would look at you, not someone who is invested in you. 

3) Never stop learning. This industry changes quickly. Learn everything you can about business, marketing, art, graphic design, publishing, everything, and teach whenever you can (the best way to learn.) Knowledge will give you confidence and confidence will give you endurance. 

Thank you Corrina for this opportunity to speak. It was a pleasure. 

If any readers have a question for me I'm always available through email at aj@ajcosmo.com 

You can contact AJ at:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Thank you so much for the fantastic interview AJ, you are a true inspiration… keep up the fantastic work!. AJ has always been so helpful when I have had any questions, so do get in touch with him if there is anything I haven’t covered here.

I still have a lot to learn but the biggest thing that came as a shock to me was the harsh realization that selling books is HARD work!. Please don’t be disheartened if you don’t sell many copies. I had a huge amount of support when I published Animania but the actual sales of the book was incredibly disappointing, to the point where I had a bit of a grey spell over it. I soon found out though that this is quite normal and even AJ himself said that the average sales of your first book is 20 copies! Well that made me feel a load better and I have been plugging away ever since. Sales are beginning to trickle in now and I am sure there will be more once I start getting myself out there in person. There is only so much you can do online, it is time to now see how sales go through things like author visits, Christmas fairs etc.

As they say “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so even if initial sales are disappointing you mustn’t give up, keep plugging, get yourself out there and start writing and producing more books. It will take time but with strength and determination you can get there. I won’t lie deciding to go solo is scary, there is a lot to get your head around but the actual process of getting the product together is really very simple and very affordable. I encourage anyone to give it a go, you really can’t lose with it. The hard bit is the work after, but if you like a challenge and have the passion then anything is possible, AJ is a prime example of this.

Have you self published a book? Do you have any tips on what helped you with your journey? If so please do leave a comment. If you have any questions at all then do feel free to ask me, I may not know an awful lot right now but I know a lot of people who do ;)

Happy writing xx

Don't Let Being an Introvert Stop You From Living Your Creative Dreams

If somebody outlined what I do now to a younger me years ago I would have thought they were having me on. See, I have never been your little Miss Confident. I am getting much better with age but I have always been a very quiet person. I was quite shy as a child and painfully shy as a teenager. I barely spoke a word in my teens. 

Over the years I have overcome this by literally throwing myself at any challenges that come  my way. I try to embrace every ‘scary opportunity’ as an opportunity to gain a little bit more confidence.  I still get scared and hate hate hate public speaking. I don’t think I will ever overcome it fully, but I am much more comfortable in my own skin now. This blog is to reach out to all other introverts out there and say, look,  if I can do it…. anyone can!

As you can imagine being an introvert does not go hand in hand with splashing yourself all over social media and trying to market yourself. If you want to get your product in the hands of people you need to jump out of your comfort zone and get yourself out there. Easier said than done I know, but if you start taking baby steps now then you will start to see a difference and before you know it, you will be ready to embrace any challenge that comes your way, heck you might even enjoy them!

Do you know, most creatives I have spoken to over the years are actually quite shy. They would much rather sit in their studio and just paint, or stay in the comfort of their study writing, I would too! But that isn’t the way you will get your work noticed. You need to get out of your comfort zone and start connecting with other creatives and you will soon see many opportunities coming your way. I am not promising that these tips will make you the next Steven King or Andy Warhol, but what I can promise is that it will build your confidence. You will soon start meeting like minded folk who will want to include you in their brainstorming sesssions, and hopefully make some very special friendships along the way.

So how can you take control and combat those fears?

Found on engelta.hubpages.com

1. GET SOCIAL ONLINE

When I started out on my artistic rebirth journey one of the first things I did was to discover the wonderful world of social media. Now, this is a great way to connect with people in the comfort of your home and the more you do it the more comfortable you will feel with interacting with others.

The first page I set up was my facebook page and then from there I started signing up to all sorts of art sites and social media sites to get my work out there. I have found that it is best to stick with just a few rather than plastering yourself all over the internet. Try them all out to begin with, then find the ones that you connect with the most and stick to them. When I first started out my top sites were Facebook, Fanart, RedBubble and Deviantart. 

http://www.fanartreview.com/  was the site that pushed me down the illustrating path and was the most sociable and interactive site I found. You could post artwork on the site and had the option to promote this on their home page. To do this you would have to review other artists work in exchange for member dollars which you would then use to promote your own work. It was quite a time consuming site to be part of, but back then I had nothing else going on so I thoroughly enjoyed it. They even held competitions  and had chat forums, so it was a very social site.

They also had a sister site called Fan Story  where the artists had the option to share their work with the authors so that they could use them for the writing they posted. I will always be grateful for my time on this site, without it I might never have stumbled into the illustrating world.

When I first joined up I was very nervous about posting my work, I was incredibly insecure about what I produced, and I was intimidated by the other art that was clearly of a professional standard. I will never forget posting that first painting and thinking ”please be nice, please be nice”. Well long story short it was the best thing I did and I met some wonderful people through it.

These days my platforms of choice are Facebook and Twitter with Instagram and Pinterest in the background, I really must get back into them. Oh and a little nosey on Linkedin now and again.

I can’t advise which ones will suit you, all I can say is give them all a go and then stick with the ones you like the most, only you will know which feels right.

Twitter for me really opened up a  floodgate of opportunities and new connections. It’s a bit strange to begin with, but stick with it. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing on there at first and thought the whole thing was a ridiculous concept. Try it for a fortnight, follow people, retweet posts you like, look for groups to join and I can guarantee you will love it. Within a month I was meeting all sorts of people and have made some great friendships through it. As a start you can follow these groups which I highly recommend. All are a great way to meet other people with the same interests:

Twitter group for Illustrators:

@Daily__Doodle

@Clr_Collective

@Sketch_Dailies

@pinchpunchpost

Twitter group for Authors:

@KidLiterature

@inkspokes

2. DON'T BE AFRAID TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE

One of the biggest things I have learned over the years is that there are some wonderful people out there who are all willing to share their knowledge with you. I have learned the majority of what I know today through my connections with other like minded peeps. If I get stuck with any technical issues or even get stuck with a drawing or concept there has always been someone there to give me some advice.

Most people love to chat to others and offer advice so don’t feel afraid to reach out to people.  My approach is very much a bull in a china shop, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t he he. You have absolutely nothing to lose so make the first move, say hi, compliment them on their work and show an interest, before you know it friendships will be formed and great connections made. Also don’t take it personally if you don’t get a reply, these things happen and it really is no reflection on you as a person, the creative bunch are ridiculously busy! So the odd snub here and there is perfectly normal. Don’t be intimidated to reach out to the high profile creatives either, from my experience they have all been interactive and have answered any questions I have had. Don’t forget we all had to start somewhere once so don’t be intimidated with reaching out to the pros, they are more than happy to help with any questions you have.

3. GET SOCIAL OFFLINE

Another thing I did at the beginning was join my local art club. Now I was a bag of nerves as you can imagine, walking into a room full of people I didn’t know was incredibly daunting. I won’t lie, it was scary but at the same time I knew that it would really help me out. Not only to meet other people but also to improve my skills. There are usually local clubs for artists and writers, if there isn’t then why not start one?

I have been involved in all sorts of little events over the year that has lead to social occasions with other artists and meeting new people. Once you start getting yourself out there and start connecting with people who have the same interest, you will soon find a whole new world open up. I can’t comment on the author side of things as this area is very new to me, but I know for artists, there are loads of opportunities out there. Art clubs, local art oganizations, art trails and tours. Have a google and see what’s near you then sign up!

4. REPEAT AFTER ME "I CAN DO THIS"

As Richard Branson quoted “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you’re not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later” This is very much how I do things, what harm can it do after all.  So I have got involved in all sorts of different ventures the last few years and this year is no exception. I was asked to read to my children’s school earlier this year…. Aaaaarrrggh! Me and public speaking are not best friends! But I did it, and you know what….. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had absolutely nothing to worry about.  Ask me again when I have to do it again in October he he. 

The biggest challenge so far was an hr long live interview on The Ron Shaw Show on the 17^th of August. I really put my poor little body through the paces with that one. I was in what one can only be described as a “state” on the day itself and the butterflies started a week before. Yes I didn’t want to do it, I was petrified but I kept telling  myself “What is the worse that can happen?” Life moves on and if it really was terrible people would soon forget about it. If it was truly awful then it could probably even work in my favour as it might attract more listeners he he. Anyway I did it…. and you know what?.... I absolutely loved it! Even though everybody kept telling me I would be fine, I really didn’t feel that way on the day, but they were right.

So as the good old saying goes, “There is no such thing as can’t” Yes you will be scared and yes sometimes things don’t go as well as you would have hoped for, but at least you are trying. You can’t control what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow so try to live for the now. Keep telling yourself that you can do this!

I hope this blog inspires other introverts, it is a horrible trait to have at times but it doesn’t need to control you. Baby steps in the right direction is all it needs.

Have you had to overcome the dreaded introvert curse? What techniques did you use to overcome a fear on a particular situation? I would love to know, so please do leave a comment below.

And if you fancy a giggle here is my interview with Ron Shaw:

http://66.49.193.35/ArtistFirst_Ron_Shaw_2015-08-17.mp3

http://artistfirst.com/ronshaw.htm  Twitter: @RonGizmo

The Secrets to a Successful Book Launch

I have recently made the decision to self publish my book Animania. I am in the process of uploading the book to createspace and have started to put together a marketing plan for the book launch. As if by magic I came across an advert on facebook for a webinar on how to host a successful book launch by Joel Friedlander, talk about perfect timing! I shared the post and one of my fellow author buds suggested I write up a blog on what tips I pick up as they couldn't attend the webinar. So here I am to share my findings with you. I must admit at the end of the session I was a tad overwhelmed and came to the conclusion I really need to be doing this full time. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I am actually doing what they suggested albeit in a half hearted manner but at least I'm on the right track. Anyway here is what the session covered, I hope it helps some of you too, it was certainly an eye opener...

So the first thing that was covered was the 14 reasons that most book launches fail. I have picked the points that stood out to me the most, and thrown in a few of my own comments.

Why Most Books Fail

• Refusal to Collaborate and Socialize

It is vitally important that you network your socks off way before your book is launched. You should engage with people throughout the whole development process. Their input will help you identify what matters most to them, the benefits they want your book to deliver etc. 

The more invested people are, the higher the value they will place on your work – because they helped create it. Encouraging a social, community-oriented mindset builds trust and and makes people feel that they are part of something special. 

Social media is a fantastic tool for this, so get out there and start networking, you won't look back. If you haven't signed up to twitter then you are missing out. I was dead against it to start with, but I cannot stress how valuable it is as a networking tool. The other sites facebook, pinterest, instagram etc are all great ways to connect too, but for me personally it was twitter that opened up a whole new world.

• Rushing to Get It “Out There” 

It is very tempting to rush to get your book out there, but for a successful launch you need to do your research before and come up with a marketing plan that is achievable. Once you announce your launch date stick to it and allow for a bit of extra time for breathing space. There is nothing worse than getting a stress head on because unplanned events get in the way of your very tight schedule. So avoid that and give yourself some extra time to make everything run as smoothly as possible. Start your planning process early – ideally while you’re still writing or editing. 

Have your author website or book landing page ready and functional. Make sure it’s not only easy for people to buy your book, but easy for them to share the information with their friends.

• Assuming Book Launches Are Only for Big Name Authors or People with Deep Pockets

A successful launch doesn’t require heaps of cash, a huge network or a secret handshake. If you have a well planned launch, with clear goals and objectives you expect to achieve, your launch may be dramatically more effective and fruitful than a well-financed but unfocused one.

Putting together a book is no easy task, why shouldn't you celebrate all of the hard work you have undertaken. You have every right to be proud of what you have accomplished so share this with everyone. It doesn't need to be something fancy just a gesture to give yourself a little pat on the back and a chance to celebrate with all the people that have supported you throughout the process. 

• Enveloped in an Author Identity Crisis

You need to get to know yourself, self-knowledge is a very powerful tool, and knowing who you are, what you’re about, and why you do what you do can provide a significant and compelling way to break through the noise.

Spend some time getting to know yourself and the reasons you write what you write. 

Infuse your personality and message into every piece of content you share, and your uniqueness will give you your competitive edge. When you discover and build on what makes you different, you eliminate your competition.

• Being The Lone Wolf

It takes a village. 

The most successful authors have used the power of the group to increase their sales. This all boils down to networking again. When you start networking and building friendships with people you will naturally start to collaborate with like minded individuals. This key group of supporters will be the basis of your success. 

To gain the support you must be willing to help others too, it is a two way game. If you support others and build friendships then they will want to help you in return. Reach out and start making connections early so that relationships have time to develop, and clever ideas for joint ventures during your launch can be fleshed out. There are loads of ways you can collaborate with others such as blog tours, interviews, guest blog features etc

Many people claim that they can't possibly do this as they are born introverts. Well I hold my hand up to being the dreaded i word and from what I have learn't over the years in this industry is that most creatives are. If you really want to be a success you have to try and overcome this, it is hard and it takes time, but the more you network and start meeting like minded people the more your confidence will grow. There are many things that still freak me out, but I am willing to step out of my comfort zone because I have to.... and you know what, I am actually enjoying it. Don't be afraid to reach out to people, you will find that the majority of people out there are more than happy to strike up a friendship and if not, no biggy, not everyone will get you so don't take it personally if some people have their guard up.

• Failure to Ride the Wave

It’s tempting to take a much needed break after all the excitement – and you should take time to celebrate. You’ve just launched your book to the world!

But having a plan in place to leverage your launch momentum, to follow up with new opportunities and to analyze and measure the results of your launch, is critical.

Don’t be tempted to pull back. Use the energy and buzz you’ve generated to open even more doors.

Note what worked well, what didn’t, and take the time to personally thank everyone who contributed to, or supported your launch in some way. Their help was no doubt indispensable.

To see all 14 tips you can view their blog here.... 

14 Ways To Crash Your Book Launch

The next part of the session was based on the 6 essential elements of a flawless book launch

The Six Essential Elements of a Flawless 

Book Launch

• Define Your Launch Objectives

Try to get a bird's eye view of your launch and it's relation to your overall career path. What do you want to accomplish?

• Get Clear on Your Message and Positioning

Master your message, what do you want to say, who do you want to say it to. Get to know yourself. When you connect to your purpose and can articulate clearly on what you have to offer, your ideal audience will respond. Focus on you passions, strengths and goals, discover who you are and what you are trying to do. Outline your unique values and clarify what makes you unique and different. Your story is what people will connect to on an emotional level. One of the best strategies to quickly establish credibility and to get known and differentiate yourself is to share our why. So attach your launch to a bigger story and give people a reason to care.

• Take Inventory

Use all of your assets to their full potential. Your author website/blog, social media, email lists etc. Often it is your early adopters that are the best supporters so reach out to them and get them involved in your book launch. It's not the tools but the implementation that matters, if you use these assets to their full potential you can be sure to have a successful book launch. 

• Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse

A hard truth but people don't care about your book, they care about what your book can do for them. Focus on launch content that will add value and not that solely pushes your book.

• Gather Your "A" team

As mentioned before, you really need to network and collaborate with people throughout the entire process. Gone are the days of the introverted writer, connections are critical and incorporating networking in your launch strategy is a must. To survive you have to have a shift in mindset, you need to have the approach of what can I do for them rather than how can they help me.

Once you have a team of "super supporters" include them in your launch strategy and give them extra special attention and care. Help them tell the story, create resources, pre written blog posts, images, videos, quotes... whatever you can to get your team excited. Create an insiders list and give them advance copies of your book. Get feedback on content and encourage them to get invested in your project. 

• The Launch Plan

Your launch plan is your blue print to your entire book launch. It combines the task involved and the sequence of events for the launch. It should include the tools you use (implemented in the right way), the tasks completed, day by day plans before launch. 

Your plan needs to include what you need to do, when you need to do it and how you will get it 
done.



I have condensed all of this down for you to give you a rough idea of what was said. Their were loads of other tips but these key points stood out to me the most. 

Have you launched a book? What worked / didn't work for you? Maybe you have some tips that you could share in the comments section.