Publishing your Poetry Chapbook - part 4
Written by August Hawley
You’ve written a book, published it, and have, or are preparing to, advertise it to your heart’s content. If it’s safe to do so during this global pandemic we find ourselves in, you might find yourself wanting to do book signings, poetry readings, and other publishing events. Or maybe you want to throw an official book launch before, during, or shortly after the release of your book. Finding and booking these events can feel awfully daunting, especially since a lot of its success depends on your chosen location. But we have some pointers for you to get started.
To book your venue, get in contact with places like local bookshops, community centres, or libraries. This can be done over the phone or over email, depending on the information they have available on their website. Get all the basic details of your event taken care of before you start posting it on your social media and advertising it locally.
For book signing events, you’ll want to bring as many copies of your book as you can—plenty for the people who might show up, but also enough for complimentary copies for the staff and/or hosts of your venue. If you’re hosting at a library, you may want to consider donating a few copies to the library, as well.
You’ll also want signs/posters with your name and book, decorations (balloons, crêpe paper, etc), waterproof pens for signing books, and someone to take pictures for your social media. Make sure you’re helpful with both setup and take down or bring friends/hire someone to help clean up afterward.
Other than a book signing or launch party, poetry readings and open mics are always a great option to promote your work, and it’s typically free to get on a set or waiting list for most readings. If the venue allows it, it’s also good to bring some copies of your book and a waterproof pen to these events, as well.
If you have an author website, it’s a good idea to add an “events” tab to it, stating events you’ve previously been to and ways to contact you for future event offers. In addition to event booking, it gives a space for readers to sign up for a newsletter, should you have one, where you can tell them at events you’ll be scheduled at.
If you don’t have a website, there are both free and priced options for making your own, with the priced ones coming with their own domain and more features. There’s Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and a plethora of other options for building a website of your own, and which one you pick depends on your personal needs and budget.
Once you’ve started attending and running events, it’s highly recommended that you keep your social media and Goodreads active. It’s free advertising, and it helps build a community of people who are interested in your work and helps you interact with your readers outside of events that may or not be cancelled or postponed due to pesky little things like global pandemics.
AUGUST HAWLEY is a trans man who has been writing poetry and fiction for most of his life. Author of poetry collection Writing My Obituary and winner of the West Michigan Showcase, he’s pursuing writing and editing, but spends most of his time with his friends and gossiping with his mom. He lives in Michigan with his large family and his cat, Nemo.