DIY book release party tips and tricks

I will be discussing this topic at the Writer.ly PubCamp workshop this weekend. I'm really looking forward to talking about it, and you may have read my series a few weeks ago about just this topic here on DIY Author. There are lots of great tips in that series, so I won't rehash them here. What I will do is lay out my new "equation" for coming up with a good book release party idea and marketing for that idea.

Your Event Story = You +Unique Event Twist + Emotional Hook + Attendee Benefit

I came up with this "equation" for the presentation, and it distills a lot of the gobbledeegook that comes with talking about "branding" and "story" and whatnot. My main message is that when you have a book release party, you'll get more people more excited if you tell a story that culminates with the event and that people can be part of rather than just saying "Hey, I published a book, come hear me read it!"

You = Something that stands out about you as an author. For example, I'm a Misison-based poet.

Unique Event Twist = Something special, but you don't have to reinvent the wheel. For example, I had a special microbrew.

Emotional Hook = Make an emotional appeal and tell people how they'll feel if they are part of your party. For example, mine was "adventure."

Attendee Benefit = What specifically do attendees get out of it? For example, at mine they got free beer and lots of readers.

Those, to my mind, are the key elements of coming up with a good idea for a book release party. It also becomes the base for how you pitch your party to people. Put together, it looks like this:

As a Mission neighborhood poet, I write about transformative experiences and moments. For my book release party, I asked a local beer-maker to create an original beer recipe based on what grows here in this neighborhood. This book release party is about feeling connected to the place you live, and that's why I have five poets from the Mission reading along with this specially brewed beer. You get all of this for free next Saturday night.

Now, that's not completely polished, but you get the idea. It's a heck of a lot better than saying, "My name is Scott and I've got a new poetry book coming out in two weeks."

What do you think? Is the equation helpful? Too corny? Too consultantish?

Image courtesy of Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Cake via flickr

I'll be part of a Writer.ly PubCamp workshop day for authors on Saturday, May 18 in San Francisco. Each day this week I'll be writing some of my own tips and tricks based on the topics that day will cover. If you or someone you know is interested and in the SF Bay Area, find out more here.