How to Host an Author Event at a Library

The publication of your book definitely deserves some celebration. There's no better way to do that than a book event. Maybe not your first thought, but a local library can be a perfect party venue. If you're wondering how to set up a live author event at your local library, then this video is for you. Hey there, I'm Julie, the book broad of book Launchers. We're your expert self publishing services team. Now going to let you in on a little secret. Libraries love supporting their local authors. There's a good chance that your nearby library is ready and waiting to become your fan. And now that the world is opening back up, live events are a wonderful opportunity to bring your fans together and hopefully gather some new ones in celebration of your book. Organizing a book event can seem daunting at first, but the process is easier than you might think. And really, I've broken it down to six steps. Step one Research. You gotta know your library what they like to have for programs, their past themes, and figure out if you and your book have a tie in. Most libraries have an event and activity calendar right on their website, so check it out and see if there's anything listed that can relate to your book genre or expertise. You may not know this, but many libraries actually host weekly or monthly book clubs. Now, they often revolve around a certain topic, and that topic might be a perfect fit for your book. Libraries also hold events to coincide with holidays, awareness months, or other celebrations. Some libraries even have things like creative writing workshops in November for NaNoWriMo. Or they might have a panel discussion in January for Martin Luther King Day or some other thing to celebrate in awareness or special month. So check it out. Step two Come up with an idea and a plan. What kind of event will you host? Authors often default to hosting typical readings and book signings, but it doesn't have to be just that. I mean, sometimes there can be festivals, book launch parties, book clubs, meet and greets. I mean, there's so many options. I've offered short workshops in the past at libraries to teach a small part of my book to the audience. It was free, but it was a great way to build my list, get books bought by that library and connect with my local community. Just keep in mind your goals and your resources, as well as the capacity and interest of the local library. Here's a few ideas to get you started. Of course, the tried and true author reading. Share a bit of your book and answer questions from the audience afterwards. You could also host an author interview if you'd rather interact with your audience a bit more. And that can work especially well if your live event unexpectedly turns virtual, or if you're going to do a hybrid version, because you can take questions from your live audience and and your virtual audience who couldn't attend in person. You can also ask your audience to send you questions in advance so you can prepare accordingly and make sure that you're covering stuff that your audience really wants to hear from you. You can also potentially participate in a book club and it can be a great opportunity to deepen your connection with your readers. And of course everybody who attends has to have read your book, so it's potentially going to lead to some awesome in depth discussion and rapport building. And afterwards, absolutely sign books and encourage readers to sign up for your email newsletter so you can stay in touch. Now, depending on your book, a workshop or some sort of an interactive activity can provide a great hands on experience for your audience. If you cover something interactive in your book, like a checklist or a step process, or you have spots where they can fill in, you know, and answer questions or do activities, that could be a great opportunity for you to create a little session all around that. At your local library. You can also use Kahoot to make interactive quizzes or games for your audience. You can use Canva to design printables or do some worksheets. If you have a workbook, doing a workshop could be a great opportunity to sell that workbook. If you are lucky enough to know authors in your genre or that have a similar angle to something that you do, maybe you can create an author panel. This also has the added benefit of you promoting to your audience and then promoting to their audience so that you might be able to expand your readership and have a larger attendance at your event. Now, if you're looking to have some fun, you could potentially host some sort of a party. Now, you probably have to host it quietly, of course, because this is still a library, but you can do this for many things. It doesn't have to be your book launch to celebrate. You could host a party to celebrate a book award winning or some sort of an event that's happened in the community, or some other sort of thing that the library would be interested in and their membership would be excited about. For a library, a local author that won a book award could be a great thing that they would be willing to host some sort of a celebration for. Once you've decided on your event, it's time to put together a plan. You don't have to map out every little detail, but it helps to have a general outline, a summary of the event, the costs, knowing any supplies that you need, the expected length and itinerary, the number of people you'd expect to attend, and of course, your marketing plans. Step 3 Pitch it. You gotta get the library to say yes. So take a look at the library's website and find which librarian to contact for nonfiction books. Your best bet is probably the adult services or programming librarian. There's often a youth services librarian that specifically handles children's and young adult books as well. When in doubt, just reach out to the library. You can always reach out to the reference librarian in particular. To begin with, I'd send an email introducing yourself, sharing a bit about your book, and then putting one or two sentences together on what you're planning. Then, if the librarian decides it's a good fit, you can sort out the details after that, probably by phone, or even walking in and introducing yourself and sorting it all out. Step four Prepare and promote. You got the green light, okay. That means it's time to get ready, get prepped and promote. So spreading the word is vital to this event's success. Libraries mostly will put up a poster. They might have a newsletter, so they might put something in there. But really, you need to hop onto your social media and start promoting it. Post regular reminders at least a month in advance, and if you have an email newsletter list, use it. Reach out and let everyone know about upcoming festivities. You can even potentially get posters printed and put them up at your local coffee shop, your local gym, or any place that you frequent. Those things could be great because this is a local event celebrating a local author. If you still need help building your author platform so you have people to promote events like this too, I'll hook you up with a video at the end on that glorious topic. See if the library allows food or drinks to let your guests enjoy treats while you treat them to your reading talk or workshop. Send out reminders the day before and make sure you've posted again everywhere on your social media. And remember to bring copies of your book to sign and sell. And if you're ordering them, make sure you've ordered them at least a month in advance so you've got them. Step 5 Execute. The day has come. Get there early. Set up as needed. Your attendees will need certain materials, potentially like pens or paper. Make sure they're available and that there's plenty for everyone. Since your event probably won't be gigantic, greet everyone as they arrive and don't forget to introduce yourself before the event kicks into gear. Some attendees might know you, but others might not remember you're not just there to promote your book. This is a process perfect opportunity to create connections that have the potential to do more than sell some books. Ideally, have a friend at the book table for you helping to sell books and hand out materials that you might have for this event. After the event wraps up, let them know that you're signing books and give attendees the chance to approach you directly with questions or comments. Thank the Library There's a good chance that the library probably won't charge you for their event space, and they almost always buy a copy of your book to add to their bookshelves. Your library deserves all the love, so make sure they get it. Thank the librarian in person right after your event and let them know that you'd be interested in events in the future. And of course, post pictures and a happy note on their social media with your gratitude for their hospitality. Still stuck building that author platform? I got you covered right here with this playlist and if you're really thinking that you need some more book reviews, well, this talks about some paid sites we've had success with getting reviews. Either way, it's a guaranteed great time. So I'm going to put some fresh coffee on to put in your hashtag noboringbooks mug and I'll see you there.