How to Have a Successful Book Launch

It's a done deal, this new book of mine. We launched it last Friday and now it's into the world. The online link to purchase will be coming soon, so hang tight. Or drop by the Red Awning Gallery in Hudson. Speaking of which, that's number one on my list of "How to Have a Successful Book Launch," pick a spot. 

This book is about tying the flies that attract fish, an art of its own, and the stories we've included prove it. So if that's true, what better place to hold a launch than an art gallery! Imagine that!

I was fortunate enough to saturate the room with beautiful creations by the artist members of the Western North Carolina Society of Artisans. If you study the picture above, you'll see artwork somehow connected to fishing in the great outdoors. There's a gentle one of a fisherman on a stream by Zan Thompson. There are bold drawings of bugs, lots of bugs, by Carole Childers. Look closely and you'll even see a trout on a guitar, by Rozzy Smith.

Step two: Send out invitations. We invited the men and women who wrote their chapters. We also included invitations to men and women who were in the previous books about fly fishing. And they came! Not all, but many. And these people drove through heavy rains on Friday evening!

Step three: Advertise. I did that, thanks to the HUB staff, who not only placed ads on their various websites, but also set up the room according to our suggestions.

Step four: Speaking of room arrangement: Decorate. In addition to the artwork, we added something unique. We had planned ahead for people to bring displays of their flies, and as it turned out, that offered plenty of discussion opportunities. Thank you to those who brought a case or two, as in this case from co-compiler, Alen Baker. A friend of his from the West Coast designed this display of original flies dating back to Native American traditions through the nineteenth century. Wow!

Step five: Food. Offer food and hey, they will come! 

Step six: Nametags. When I launched the first of my fly fishing books, Fly Fishers of Caldwell County, I had this bright idea to label each fisher who contributed to the book by having them wear their name, chapter, and page number. That was so successful that I decided to do it again. That way, everyone could open their copies to the correct page to be autographed. That worked! The otherwise shy and modest people were almost forced out of their shells to participate. What fun!

 

Step seven: Speech. Yes, it's a must. You must thank them for coming and in this case for sharing their life stories in the book. 

Step eight: Enjoy the evening. Hard work deserves celebration. 

Step nine: Bask in the afterglow! And when that glow subsides, take time to recover

Step ten: Go back to what comes next. For me that's two nearly finished projects. More on that later.

This launch was accomplished with a great deal of planning and help from others. The artists who created their beautiful works. The HUB staff who had the perfect space and set up for us. Those who brought food for the bountiful table. My friend and critique group member, Sandra Warren, who snapped these photographs that evening. Members of Foothills Writers who supported me through the process of publishing and showed up at the launch. Thank you to everyone. 

Books remain for sale at the Red Awning Gallery or you can order online by clicking the title here: Southern Fly Tyers: Life Stories of Those Who Tie Flies. Or, you can purchase directly from Alen Baker or me. We humbly thank you.

Being an author can be a solitary endeavor, for sure. Sitting in front of the computer for hours. Researching. Revising. Sitting. Typing. Persevering.

But in the end, the final product is a group effort. How wonderful is that!

Catch of the day,

Gretchen