A successful author event starts long before the first guest arrives. Thoughtful marketing helps build excitement, increase attendance, and create meaningful opportunities for authors to connect with readers. We’ve gathered a few simple tips to help you market your event effectively and make the biggest impact possible.
Marketing Timeline
Having a marketing plan for your event can help you stay on track for filling the audience. This can look different depending on how far in advance you’re planning, what the size of your event is, and whether you’re hosting a public or private event. We’ve provided a rough outline for marketing, just in case you need a starting point.
2-6 months out:
- Create promotional materials with the provided media kit.
- Reach out to community partners and invite them to get involved (tips on partnerships provided below).
- Plan an announcement event… either across your virtual channels, or if possible, to a live audience.
1-2 months out:
- Put the author’s work on display at your organization.
- Get flyers and posters out in your community, wherever readers gather.
- Start sharing promotional materials – author spotlights, book facts or excerpts, interview clips etc.
- Send press releases to local media outlets and invite them to do advance features.
1-3 weeks out:
- Share event reminders on social media.
- Ramp up author related content and “count down” posts.
- Send reminders through your newsletter.
Utilizing Media Kits
Once an event contract has been signed and confirmed, our event designers will send over the media kit for the author. This will include book covers and approved head shots of the author. Feel free to use the content of the media kit to create whatever style promotional material fits your organization best!
How to use AU media kits:
- Please only use the author photos that are provided in the media kit.
- Get creative – Canva is a great tool to help create fun graphics.
- Create social media graphics, posters, flyers, ads, and banners.
- Develop book-themed decor for your organization – creates ambiance and excitement around the event.
- Design bookmarks that advertise the event/author/book. Either hand these out yourself, or place at bookstores, cafes, etc.
- Create stickers, buttons, or giveaway items for event day.
- When creating graphics and promotional language, please be thoughtful about the use of AI. This can be a very helpful tool, but some of our collaborators may not prefer or appreciate the use of gen-AI.
- Feel free to send to our team, we’ll share to help promote, but we don’t need to approve so long as the media kit is being utilized!
Promoting Ticket Sales
Tips for promoting ticket sales:
- Ticketing (even for a free event) helps prepare for expected audience and account for venue capacity.
- If you’re new to hosting a ticketed event, we recommend using sites like EventBrite to process your ticket sales, even if it’s a free event!
- Create an easy-to-scan QR code for posters and flyers. If you’re unsure how to do this, feel free to contact our team, we can create one for you!
- Consider doing a “book purchase for entry” option. This can help increase book sales as well.
- Do a ticket giveaway on your social media.
- Post countdown graphics and “seats are filling fast” messaging.
Author Collaborations
A quick video, post, or interview from the author announcing that they’re looking forward to being at the event and are inviting their readers to join can be a great marketing asset. Authors are not required to use their personal platforms to promote events. However, most of them are often happy to when they can!
If you’d like to request an author collaboration:
- Reach out to your Event Designer or AU’s marketing gal, selah@authorsunbound. We can check with the author to see if they’re able to make it happen.
- Please request this with a decent amount of notice – many of our authors have busy schedules and often can’t make last-minute requests work.
- Don’t take it personally if an author declines. They’re busy people and often have their hands full – social media can take a lot of brain space!
Community Partnerships
Your community is the best way to reach local audiences. Partnering with local businesses helps reach more community members and can incentivize more people to participate. You never know who might find interest in the author and become a new reader!
Tips for Promoting in Your Community:
- Consider the content of the book you’re featuring – how can you align with these themes?
- Partner with local cafes or restaurants to do a book-themed menu item. Think signature cocktails, flavored coffees, or a romantic dessert.
- Buy 10 items or spend X amount and get a free ticket to the event. Consider reaching out to local bookstores, coffee shops, grocery stores etc.
- Run ads in your local paper (this is a great place to include an advance interview with your author).
- Contact local news stations – great for getting the word out or perhaps including a short author clip.
- Ask local book clubs, schools, or libraries to promote/read the author’s books.
Post-Event Marketing
Marketing doesn’t end once the event is over. Be sure to snap photos and video clips during your event, and ensure to post them on your channels and share with your audience. This can also be used when promoting future author events!
Tips for getting photos:
- If you have the budget, hire a photographer to snap photos.
- If you can’t hire a photographer, consider designating one person to be in charge of photos!
- Photos of the author’s presentation and signing line are always fan favorites.
- Details, details, details. Close-up shots of a signed book, the crowd reacting to the author, etc. The intimate moments of the event make for the best memories.
- Share the photos on your social media channels and tag your community partners.
- Please send photos our way! We’re always happy to share them with the author and get them out on our channels as well.
