Book Launch Advice (and a giveaway!) with Debut Author Jenny Goebel

Welcome Jenny Goebel!

Jenny is a middle grade author from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Her book launch for Grave Images (Scholastic, October 2013) was last week at an amazing indie bookstore in Denver called The Tattered Cover. I was lucky enough to attend and it was fabulous (scroll to the bottom to see a YouTube video of the event). 

Her debut middle grade novel is a perfect read for anyone who likes endearing characters and eerie plots. I am not a fast reader these days, but I bought this novel last Saturday and emailed Jenny the following Monday about doing an interview and giveaway. It was devoured in just two reading sessions because I HAD to uncover the mystery and make sure Bernie came out unscathed (no comment on whether or not that happened).

Today she's stopping by to share insight and tips about one of the most exciting events in an author's career: THE BOOK LAUNCH. Indie and traditionally-published authors, pay attention~ Jenny offers some wonderful advice in her answers below.

1. How far in advance of publication did you start looking into 

your launch? Who were your points of contact (aka, who is the 

best person to talk to if you want to schedule an event?)

I’m pretty sure I started planning my launch party the day I 

knew GRAVE IMAGES was going to be a real live book. Okay, 

maybe even before that. Sheesh, in all honesty, I was probably 

fantasizing about releasing my precious little book into world 

long before the first word was ever written. But as for actually 

thinking about the logistics of the party (and not just what I 

would say on Oprah someday), I started attending launch 

parties for other debut authors about a year in advance of my release date.  It was while I was attending one such party that I discovered the awesomeness of the Tattered Cover Book Store. And then at another event I was given an introduction to 

Tattered Cover’s event coordinator. So my advice to people 

planning a launch would be to attend as many author events as 

possible in the months leading up to your release date. I’m sure 

you can call around looking for points of contact, but in my 

experience a face-to-face interaction is usually more fruitful. 

Plus, just think of all the great new books you’ll be introduced 

to while making the circuit!

2. How did you determine the right location and timing of your 

launch? Can you offer any advice on how days of the week 

might factor in or time of day might affect attendance?

One reason I felt The Tattered Cover was ideal for my launch 

was because it was centrally located for the friends and family I 

knew would be attending. As for the timing of the launch, 

everyone agreed that a Halloween themed event would be 

perfect for my spooky middle grade mystery, so luckily my 

publisher and the bookstore worked together to make it 

happen the Saturday before my book was actually scheduled 

for release. I did have the option of doing the launch one night 

through the week, but, as my book is written for a younger 

audience, I knew a school night would make it more difficult 

for children to attend. Another upside of having it 

midafternoon on a Saturday was that my guests could stick 

around and peruse the bookstore after the event, whereas the 

store would’ve been trying to close if we’d done it one night 

through the week.

3. Did you consider the purpose of your launch to be sales-based or celebration-based? A combination?

I would say my focus was primarily celebration-based. My 

friends and family have been cheering me on for quite some 

time and I wanted the chance to formally acknowledge their 

support as well as provide an opportunity to gather together 

and just enjoy each other’s company. With that said I also 

knew many of them had been waiting for the opportunity to 

purchase my book and have it signed, so sales did factor into 

consideration. I knew I wanted a venue where the books could 

be sold, and that I wouldn’t actually have to handle the 

exchange of money.

3. How did you get the word out about your event? Formal 

invitations/flyers?

That’s always the trick isn’t it? In addition to the bookstore’s 

advertisement through newsletters and in the local paper, I 

also sent out evites to just about every email address I could 

scrounge up, and I created an Event Page on Facebook. I also 

dropped off flyers and bookmarks to an elementary school I 

had previously taught at.

4. What did you include in your speaking points? How long was your “program”? Anything you would have changed?

Knowing that there would be a number of young children in 

attendance, I didn’t want to natter on for too long (which was 

totally fine by me), and I also wanted to keep it interesting for 

the adults. I’ve been to a number of events where the author 

chose to speak about their writing process and the journey of 

their book to publication. I think these types of speeches go 

over very well, especially when there are other writers in the 

audience. I tried to touch on these points briefly, but my 

primary focus was on the collaboration of author and reader 

and the magic that happens when the two meet. This was 

something I hoped everyone would be able to relate to. My 

program took around 15 minutes and included a reading from 

GRAVE IMAGES. Looking back, I probably would change the 

part where I burst into tears (Jess note: this was such a 

beautiful, heartfelt moment!); but, what can I say, in addition 

to being a day for my book to be released into the world, the 

event was an emotional release for me as well.

5. Can you offer any advice concerning refreshments? Amount, type, etc.

This is where those evite RSVPs come in really handy. 

Otherwise it’s very difficult to gauge what the turn out will be, 

and how to plan accordingly for refreshments. Once I had a 

vague idea of how many people would be there, I started to 

think about what would work well with my theme. I was 

fortunate to have my book launch landing close to Halloween, 

so it took less creativity on my part. (I ended up having 

pudding cups with headstone cookies sticking out of them, 

cupcakes decorated like eyeballs, and witchy brew.) But I’ve 

seen other authors come up with some very original ways of 

incorporating themes from their books into the refreshments 

they offer. For example, Melanie Crowder offered a beverage 

at her launch that was made from the aloe vera desert plant 

referenced in her middle grade novel, PARCHED. Whatever 

you plan, just be sure to check with your event coordinator to 

make sure the venue doesn’t have any restrictions on what you 

can bring in.

6. Any other advice on launching a beloved book into the world?

Try to remember that it is a celebration. It’s supposed to be 

fun! Don’t lose sight of that stressing over the particulars of the 

event. Typically, the people who turn out for these things are 

incredibly happy for you and excited to be a part of this 

momentous leg of your journey, so just relax and allow yourself 

to enjoy their enthusiasm for you and your book. 

Thank you so much! Jenny is giving away a copy of her book to a lucky person leaving a comment. To be entered, tell us: what is the best Halloween costume you've ever worn (or, if you weren't the trick-or-treating type, the best costume you've seen).

Book Description:

Thirteen-year-old Bernie's summer is looking pretty grim. It's hard to make friends when your family runs a monument company, and your backyard is littered with tombstones. It's even harder when your mother suddenly refuses to leave her room . . .

To make matters worse, her father has just hired a new artist to engrave the headstones--the creepy Mr. Stein. Bernie has a bad feeling about him right from the start, and after snooping around his cottage, she discovers an engraved portrait of their neighbor . . . a woman who promptly dies the next day. And it's not just a weird coincidence. The pattern continues, and Bernie realizes that Mr. Stein has begun engraving headstones before people die, which forces Bernie to ask a horrifying question: Is Mr. Stein predicting the deaths . . . or causing them?

*Cool aside, not only did Jenny own her own engraving business, but she also engraved headstone portraits, just like Mr. Abbot Stein, the mysterious drifter who comes into Bernie's life, thus beginning a spectacularly creepy series of deaths in her town.

LINKS:

Jenny's Website: www.jennygoebel.com

Jenny's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjennygoebel?ref=hl#

Jenny's Twitter handle: @jennygoebel

YouTube Video of Jenny's Book Launch 

(click the link)