12 Organising events, presentations and other opportunities to share content
Ten top tips for preparing for events
Promotional parties and title launches
Author tours, literary festivals and signing sessions
Publishing is a collaborative endeavour, and it often happens that material has to be assembled to convince others – whether organisational colleagues via a meeting to consider a range of options for investment or members of an external audience that may be prepared to buy. Whatever the nature of the event being prepared for, some common rules may be identified.
Ten top tips for preparing for events
1 Understand the audience
Who, where, when? How many, how interested, currently how positively inclined towards you or your organisation? What would they rather be doing and what comes next on the programme?
2 Understand the wider context
What kind of event is this, and what else is going on – both within the organisation and within the wider world? For example, a meeting held in the context of sustained sales growth or decline may be more or less inclined to invest in new ventures; a talk at a new festival may appreciate a different type of presentation than one that has been long established. References to organisational experiences, culture and local detail, and how this replicates a national or international pattern, may be particularly appreciated.
3 How much time is available to you?
Let’s dwell early on the importance of not taking more time than has been allocated to you. While this may sometimes be tolerated (within the context of a meeting, where an important related discussion arises) or not (within the context of a tight programme where to run over would delay the start of the next event) it will nearly always be resented. Running over shows a lack of respect for the audience’s time, a lack of consideration for other speakers and an inability to manage material within the period allocated.
4 What do you want your audience to understand – and do – afterwards?
A presentation is not the opportunity to tell those listening everything you know about a particular product, service or idea. This can be gathered afterwards, prompted by handouts and developed through other opportunities to share. Rather it’s the chance to present tempting details, to encourage your audience to want to know more, and preferably buy the book. So concentrate on thinking about your key message.
5 How can you best get the message across?
What core and additional resources do you need to enable your audience to hear as well as listen? These could range from sharing delivery among several speakers and commissioning supporting cartoons to themed dressing up or offering samples of what is being talked about – or small takeaway gifts. Whether your presentation is to two colleagues within a publishing house, or a vast audience of potential readers for a new book, take care. All will be people who value words, ideas and their effective presentation. You do not have to be word-perfect but it is important to be prepared, to have thought about what you want to say, and for your ideas to be in order.
6 What to say
Provide yourself with a list of key points to mention and practise talking around them. Talking from memory, while engaging eye-contact, is much more persuasive than reading from a script. Even worse is reading aloud from documentation that they too have in front of them. Speak slowly, particularly at the beginning. You don’t have to be word-perfect; this may encourage you to speak too quickly. Hesitations and occasional repetitions help to get the message across. Practise and time yourself.
Some presentations are group affairs with teams of people involved. Not every member of a group needs to be part of their delivery team to feel they have participated, and too many contributors can detract from the idea or product being presented. Again, consider how you can best encourage the audience to hear. Practise and time yourself.
7 The use of slides for presentations
Presenting your ideas on sequential slides can look branded and professional, but if they all look alike it may be impossible for the audience to distinguish one from another.
Too much text on the screen also inhibits listening. In a study of how the medium works, Professor John Sweller of the University of New South Wales commented:
It is not effective to speak the same words that are written, because it is putting too much load on the mind and decreases your ability to understand what is being presented … It is difficult to process information if it is coming in the written and spoken format at the same time.1
Screen presentations work best as support to the verbal presentation, with images that confirm the ideas being presented, and the offering of key word summaries, not as a doubling up of content.
8 Involve the audience
Make eye-contact, not just with those you know are sympathetic – allow your gaze to move around the room so everyone feels included in what you say. Ask questions and share associated anecdotes; vary your tone and pace.
9 Deal effectively with feedback
Presenting ideas for the engaged attention of others is an important part of growing a project and helping your ideas develop. The point at which you promote debate and gather ideas is, however, generally at the disposal of the speaker – so say whether you would like to make a short presentation and then receive questions, or whether you are happy to be interrupted if what you say is not understood.
There will also be feedback that moves towards a less productive outcome and you need to be prepared to deal with objections. If the question is surprising, restate it. Confirming your understanding of what is being asked may serve to get the audience on your side and buy a little time. While being prepared to deal with objections shows your own commitment to a project or idea, it may detract from the purpose of the event – or how the rest of the audience want the time to be managed. If there is a danger of spending too much time on this, and getting behind schedule, suggest you discuss further difficulties in a separate meeting.
10 Think about what to wear
However the audience is constructed, there will be more of them than there are of you. It follows that their attention will be focused on you, so how you present yourself, and in particular what you choose to wear, are both important. If possible, try to stand to present – it gives you authority – but ensure your shoes support this. Resist the temptation to fiddle with your clothing or hair. Breathe deeply before you start and remember to smile. The questions at the end are part of the presentation, allowing you to respond more specifically to their enquiries and showing that your audience has been listening – so do try to maintain the confidence from your presentation.
Having offered general advice to those presenting, in any context, here is some more specific advice for particular occasions.
The business of publishing is regularly conducted through meetings at which all functions are represented, whether this is on a departmental or organisational level. For example, meetings of the editorial department generally present new publishing ideas to all colleagues; later in the decision-making chain other publishing functions (sales, production, marketing, editorial, rights, etc.) will be present at meetings which discuss product streams and overall direction.
Sharing ideas in this way enables their precise description, to gather feedback from others and in the process to both refine and improve them. Although this may mean that an initial concept may move away from its original thrust, it may be a more effective and more generally owned solution that emerges. Airing a forthcoming project before a critical but home audience can be immensely useful in helping you develop your thoughts and marketing approach – or not, as such presentations also offer the opportunity for ‘paralysis through analysis’. It’s usually a good idea to brief the person who will be chairing the meeting about particularly important agenda items.
Most publishing houses brief their key selling staff – representatives who call on shops, deal with key accounts or represent the house in other ways – at regular sales conferences. New titles are presented, feedback on previous promotions sought, information on company news passed on and team-building promoted.
When they are held depends on the kind of list being promoted. Educational publishing houses may hold one in the school holidays before the start of each term, or perhaps one before the autumn selling cycle, and another in the spring. A general publishing house will usually tie the conferences into the major selling and catalogue seasons: one mid-year to launch the Christmas list, another around the turn of the year for the season ahead.
At first the role of junior members of staff will probably be to put together the documentation for these events, and you may not even get the chance to attend. If you can manage to get an invitation, there is much you can learn for when it’s your turn to present, from your reactions to spending the majority of the day listening and the presentational style of those you hear.
If the organisation of a sales conference falls to you, here is guidance.
• Keep in mind the real purpose at all times
While a sales conference offers a valuable opportunity for marketing and editorial staff to get together, and everyone enjoys a day out of the office, the real function is to brief those who sell on your behalf. These occasions give them the chance to tap the brains of those who commissioned and authorised the material they will try to sell over the next few months – and to find out all they can about them.
• Consider who should be there and for which parts of the programme
It may be pertinent to invite the organisational head to give a motivational or overview presentation at the beginning or end of the day, but consider whether their presence throughout may inhibit reps from asking the questions they need to get answered. Very large groups can jeopardise both the presenter’s ease of delivery and the audience’s willingness to respond out loud.
If political necessities mean the entire hierarchy is assembled for the formal presentation, consider organising an informal session afterwards for questions. Alternatively, can you divide into two smaller groups (perhaps home and export staff) and present different subjects in different locations at the same time? This is harder work for the staff presenting titles, but worth the effort if improved recall results.
• Provide materials to accompany presentations and promote recall
Even though presentations can be downloaded, or covers made available online, your audience is likely to remember more if they can make notes and find them again afterwards, and a physical representation of material that will have a physical presence is similarly important. Provide the delegates with a folder containing copies of advance notices, leaflets and covers for all the titles to be presented at the conference along with other relevant information (copies of news stories showing the currency of the material, comparisons with the competition). They can then make notes on these as they listen. If speakers are presenting by PowerPoint (see p. 299) you can make a copy of their slides for the file. While it’s tempting to distribute hot-off-the-press promotional materials as you speak, wait until you have finished unless you want all present to participate in a live proofreading exercise.
• Have a session chair for each section of the programme
This is to ensure variety, draw attention to particular key points, keep to time and provide a second voice. Encourage them to restart the programme promptly after breaks. Running late is a big attention-blocker.
• Produce a varied programme
What other contributions could be used to extend the experience – a guest speaker, a quiz, a sporting activity? Consider asking an author along to talk about a ‘big book’ or to make a short reading. Brief them very carefully; this is a star appearance to motivate those who will sell the associated work, not a lecture. What the reps really want are anecdotes with which they can enthuse the retail buyers: ‘As David Beckham told me …’
• Organising the space
You may inherit a room layout used by everyone else, but try to consider its best arrangement: as a conventional boardroom (with everyone sitting around in a circle, behind tables), ‘café style’ (various tables with chairs around each) or as an audience (chairs in rows)? Sitting without desks between speakers and the audience can mean people feel more obliged to take part and ask questions, but also reduces their ability to make notes.
• What equipment do you need?
Should there be a lectern at the front for speakers, or is there then a risk that they will hide behind it and feel isolated from the audience? Encourage speakers (if they feel sufficiently confident) to stand close to the audience, and to move around. If there is no lectern, there does need to be somewhere for speakers to put their notes and a glass of water. Any venue that offers conference facilities should have all the equipment you need, but a preliminary visit is essential.
Promotional parties and title launches
The publisher marketing technique that most debut authors have heard of is the launch party. It’s also now probably the rarest form of author promotion.
The theory was that a promotional party or book launch would prompt media interest and coverage and hence lead to more sales. Today the exigencies of time and budget, and a desire for greater accountability over costs, mean they are much rarer. But a party still may be organised as a celebration, to boost the company name, as a cumulative effort – perhaps to encourage publisher brand awareness of all authors published within the past 6 months – or to keep a particular author or agent happy.
Launch parties can also be organised on a variety of different scales, and a home-based gathering, with food you have produced yourself, a group of interested people invited and a journalist from the local paper along to report can be as effective as a larger gathering in a city centre – and vastly cheaper. Authors organising their own party may be able to ask their publisher for a contribution towards the costs.
Top tips for organising effective parties and title launches
When to hold them
Match the day you choose to those you are hoping will attend. Journalists working on Sunday papers do not work on a Monday and Tuesday is a little early in the week for them to be interested – the story may be stale by the weekend. Fridays are best avoided as they may clash with religious observations and the start of the weekend. As regards timing, after work is convenient, say from 6–8pm, on the assumption that people will be going elsewhere to eat. Alternatively, try breakfast or lunchtime. Those attending will expect some form of refreshment.
Whom to invite
Ask enough of the author’s friends and relations to make them feel comfortable and prevent the room from looking empty. Ask all the relevant journalists and ‘media people’ you want to cover the title. Consider who else is interested in the title’s subject matter; politicians, captains of industry, television personalities can all be invited. If there are well-known names who can’t be there, but are fully committed to the subject, ask them if they can provide a message of support that you can read out – or to give a presentation by Skype.
Send out the invitations three to four weeks ahead, accompanied by a press release giving more information on the title being launched. Provide your name and email address and telephone number for RSVPs and make it clear where the event is being held. All the information needed should be on the email or card – so delete the address beneath your email signature or letterhead if this is different.
Make a list of all those invited and possibly still expected, in alphabetical order by surname. On the day sit by the entrance and ask the names of all who arrive, tick them off and hand out pre-prepared name badges (if appropriate). If possible get someone experienced to stand next to you so you don’t ask the company chair for their name. All members of the home team should carry a badge saying who they are; it has the added advantage of deterring them from talking to one another.
If you are inviting a VIP or main guest, the event may have to be organised around their diary, and when they can be available. Find out in advance what they like to drink and if there are any limitations on their diet. On the day, ensure someone is ready to receive and host them for the rest of the evening. ‘Big name’ or not, they may still be nervous.
Book a photographer to take pictures of (preferably recognisable) guests enjoying themselves. Brief them on the combinations of people you want recorded. You can circulate the results afterwards to members of the press who failed to turn up, and still secure coverage in the media. Try offering an image to one medium as a scoop first, in return for a guarantee that it will be featured in a prominent place. Newspapers are much more aware of the artistic and intrinsic merits of the camera than they used to be. No longer do all photographs have to appear as illustrations to the text; a good photograph and caption can form a feature on their own. Photographs can also be used to generate a buzz, both during and after the event, via social media (see Chapter 9).
When to expect the guests
If you put 6.30pm on the invitation, most will arrive around 7pm and stay (depending on how good the party is) for about an hour. You can influence how long they stay by the timing of the welcome speeches: most will wait until they are over.
Make the drinks as simple as possible. In general, more white than red wine will be drunk, and many will ask for soft drinks: the commonest mistake is not to provide enough. Guests are usually given a drink as they come through the door into the reception; thereafter glasses are most easily replenished by waiters or staff walking around with bottles and topping up; offering to top up glasses can be an effective way of moving around the room. If you decide to provide more exotic drinks (e.g., cocktails or spirits) have them ready-mixed on trays; waiters can circulate and offer to exchange empty for full glasses.
For early evening receptions, organisers generally lay on simple ‘cocktail party’ nibbles. Include vegetarian selections. Most people prefer to help themselves from passing trays rather than have to make their way to a single delivery point and load a plate – which they then have to juggle with a glass while risking looking greedy. For lunchtime launches, something more substantial may be needed, but choose dishes that can be eaten with a fork, standing up.
If it’s a sit-down meal, provide a seating plan and place cards, but put the names on both sides of the card so they can be read by those across the table. Consider moving guests between courses (every other person moves two places to their left) so they have the opportunity to meet a variety of those present.
Speeches
After the party has been in full swing for about half an hour, someone should thank everyone for coming and the author(s) for providing the occasion for the party, welcome any key guests and reporters and make a few pleasant remarks. The author may want to reply – or ask someone else to do so, on their behalf. You may find some resistance to formal speeches, but it is very important to concentrate people’s minds on why they are there, to provide a focal point to the event. However, do ensure that the speeches are neither too long nor too numerous.
What to have to hand
Even though you have already sent out press releases with the invitations, keep a pile of printed materials to hand. There will almost certainly be journalists who want to go away and write up the story up straight away but have lost or not yet located the necessary information. Copies of what is being promoted should be on display. They are very likely to be removed by guests (a traditional perk), so if the material is valuable then the number available needs to be carefully controlled.
What to do afterwards
Follow up journalists who did not attend and offer them a photograph and a story. Try to ensure those who said they would feature the title do so, but do this through helpful reminding (‘Is there any other information you need?’) rather than scolding (‘I can’t believe you have let me down. How could you?’). Something more newsworthy may genuinely have pushed your story out, despite their best intentions, and you will almost certainly want to work with them again.
When circulating a photograph, always send it with an effective caption: it can make the difference between the shot being featured and being ignored. Ensure you repeat the caption on the accompanying press release as a reminder to the people assembling the pages that there is one available. See Chapter 10 for advice on getting images into the trade press.
Did the venue provide all it said it would; did all go smoothly? If not, negotiate.
A press conference calls together representatives of the relevant media to impart a story or version of events. They should only be called if you have definite news to announce. If you call a press conference and there is no news story then you will make journalists wary of accepting your invitation the next time you ask them.
You will need someone to chair the event: to coordinate questions and ensure that all the news points are raised. The book’s editor or author may be the ideal person. Alternatively, consider asking someone with related interests who is a ‘name’ in their own right. If chairing your press conference links the person’s name with a cause they support, or their personal ambitions, they may do a particularly good job for you.
Press conferences don’t have to be physical. There are lots of possibilities for organising media interest online (see Chapter 10).
Author tours, literary festivals and signing sessions
Promotional tours during which popular or newsworthy authors gave a series of talks, or signed copies of new titles, were once a familiar promotional gambit.
They also took a huge amount of organisation. While these may still be organised for particularly important titles, or newsworthy authors, the large number of literary and other local festivals that now exist offer similar opportunities to publishers, but with someone else doing the organising. The scale of this activity is both wide and spreading. Carl Wilkinson writing in The Financial Times commented:
just over 30 years ago, in 1983, when the Edinburgh International Book Festival was launched, it was one of only three. Today, according to www.literaryfestivals.co.uk, a website that tries to keep up with them all, there are more than 350 in Britain alone and a further 100 in Australia and New Zealand. Not to mention others in Gibraltar, Colombia, India, Spain, Kenya … 2
There is an increasing public appetite for meeting their favourite writers, or simply those whose point of view they are interested to hear, and as many festivals are either hosted or serviced by local booksellers, they draw more people into bookshops and can prompt significant sales. Festivals tend to be the one remaining location where stock is not discounted and stock signed by the author is generally not subsequently returned to the publisher for credit. Win-win.
Part of festival management will be to manage associated marketing and publicity, but there is much that supporting publishers and contributing authors can do to assist, through social media and other opportunities. Some festivals seek financial support from publishers, asking them to take advertising space in the programme. If the event is being coordinated by publisher and bookshop, it is common practice for the publisher to share the cost of some preliminary space advertising in local papers and to jointly build associated social media activity.
Whether you are making contact with a festival to try to get your author(s) on to the programme or confirming details of arrangements already established by someone else within your organisation, it helps to be prepared.
Ten top tips for effective publisher collaboration with literary and other festivals
1 Find out about the festival before you make contact. Read previous programmes and study their website. You will discover that most were started by local activists who feel strongly about where they live, had observed festivals elsewhere and wanted to offer something similar to their neighbourhood for like-minds to enjoy. Find out about their ethos, motivations and history and ensure your early discussions are infused with this. Be particularly clear about how long they have been going – if you imply a long-established festival is part of their more recent expansion, you will offend.
2 Find out the names of the programme managers and make a tailored submission to their festival by email. This may prompt a telephone discussion if your ideas look sufficiently interesting. However much thought you put into this, and however complete the information you provide, the festival will want to own the event – so it will help if you are flexible and willing to listen to their suggestions and improvements rather than defend your outline at all costs.
The outline you send should be based on the kind of event they like to host (as you read their programmes look out for ‘returners’ who seem to get asked back every year): local details that make it particularly relevant to them (local history, vegetation, politics), their wider ambitions (to be more inclusive in the range of people they attract or more self-sustaining) or forthcoming anniversaries. Then offer a range of appropriate, relevant events – offering a selection means they can make a choice, but whatever they select, your house and authors hopefully remain on the programme.
3 Contact the festival management in plenty of time. Most are planning next year’s events almost as soon as the current year’s programme is over. Do so with one specific outline rather than repeated requests for a meeting.
4 Understand the context. They are juggling many different publishing houses and authors, not yours alone. If what you are offering is big enough, or sufficiently attractive to their audience, they may move events to fit – but other publishers and authors will be inconvenienced in the process. And vice versa.
5 Once a programme item has been agreed, be meticulous in confirming all the details. What kind of event has been agreed on (talk, participation in a panel, discussion?). Sort out the money early, to avoid confusion or resentment later. In general, if an author’s name is appearing on the ticket, and the paying public are being charged for the opportunity to listen, then as the main content provider they should be remunerated:
There is no such thing as a literary festival without authors in it. It’s the one component that a literary festival can’t lack.
Guy Walters, author, interviewed by Carl Wilkinson3
But there are significant associated costs – a week may take a whole year to organise, the weather is unreliable and ultimately it is the festival that is taking the risk:
The only people who make money from these festivals are the caterers.
Jeremy Lee4
Some festivals offer presents rather than fees to offset the significant costs of mounting such events, sometimes authors agree to do a guest appearance for nothing as investment in getting themselves better known. Establish who is paying for expenses. Some festivals do, others ask supporting publishers to pick up the tab. If a contributor is registered for VAT or sales tax then this must be added to the fee they receive, not deducted from what is offered (which is illegal).
6 Many festivals prefer to work with traditional publishers who handle a range of authors, as this cuts down on administration. Individual authors can put themselves forward, and this can work particularly well for locals, but it may be a good idea to suggest an entire event, with several presenters and a relevant chair. Make it clear you are professional and easy to deal with.
7 Respond quickly to their requests for marketing and publicity support – quotations, photographs, checking of copy. This is a chance to have someone else market your author or publishing house for you. Build on their efforts, retweeting and blogging about your involvement. Add details of your involvement in it to your own website.
8 Note the specific venue and find out who is managing arrangements there. A centrally managed festival may be working with a number of different venues. Find out the names and mobile numbers of the key staff on site.
9 Festivals are often organised in conjunction with a supporting retailer, and some retailers will be charged for the opportunity to sell books. The range of titles they stock is a commercial decision, so the more flexible you are able to be about its provision (sale or return, redelivery timings) the more inclined to stock your material they may be. Establish the name of the supporting retailer and liaise directly. Mistakes can happen (stock unordered or that fails to arrive, insufficient quantity requested) and while it’s a good idea to take some with you on the day just in case of emergencies, it is perhaps best kept to one side, or in the car boot, until it’s evident whether or not it is needed.
Be aware that the bookseller managing stock for sale at the festival may not be the same one who runs the high street bookshop around the corner, even if they sport the same logo. And this may have caused some local resentment about a non-local retailer, or head office, swooping in and selling to customers with whom they are uninvolved for the rest of the year. Ensure you are dealing with the right manager before you complain about non or insufficient stocking.
10 Some authors will appreciate or require being accompanied by a representative of their publishing house, others will be happy to go alone. Whatever arrangement you come to, a phone call or text message afterwards, to find out how it went, is generally appreciated.
Case study
Interview with Sarah Smyth, artistic director of the Times Cheltenham Literature Festival
While it’s almost never too early to contact us, we appreciate it if the first approach is made by email – which means we can consider your suggestions in the context of the festival as a whole, and the other submissions we have received – and then follow up with a telephone call if appropriate. We are looking for a well-worded submission that shows some understanding of the Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, the kind of event that works well, and flexibility in how we might work together in delivery.
It’s always more attractive if the author(s) being proposed are flexible about the kind of event they would like to be part of (e.g., presentation, interview, panel discussion) and over the dates when they are available.
Managing a programme is an immensely complicated process, and it’s helpful if those submitting ideas have some appreciation of this. Being pragmatic, it’s a good idea to establish the cut-off date for the programme – the date by which the full programme must be decided – in order to get the information out to the audience. Throughout the planning process, we may have several dates out on offer to speakers we particularly want to secure, and be waiting to hear back from them – and so 3 months before the cut-off date, literally no options to offer other contributors. But once we have heard back from key speakers, options may emerge that were not previously available – and so an email two to three weeks before the cut-off date may yield a positive response. The day before the cut-off date is far too late.
Another issue to bear in mind in connection with timing is that for us the festival starts well before the first event. So if there are changes to be communicated (there has been huge and controversial press interest in this author) or particular issues to bear in mind (the speaker has broken her leg and will have difficulty getting up stairs) do try to let us know as soon as possible – rather than just before the event. We may need to inform others (change a hotel booking; ensure the bookseller knows about potentially increased demand) and so the sooner we know, the sooner this process can be implemented.
While Cheltenham is a festival of international scope, we particularly appreciate programme suggestions that offer some specific value to Cheltenham. So, for example, a talk on castles would go down well if mention was made of its relevance to Sudeley Castle and Berkeley Castle, which are our nearest. Or is the author willing to show specific materials to the audience, before, during or after the talk? We appreciate visual material that can be used in event promotion – photographs they have not released before, or items from their personal archive that they are willing to share. For example Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans, brought along her grandmother’s tiny shoes, for which her feet had been broken and bound. An author of a book on gardening brought along a series of samples in pots with which to illustrate her talk and which the audience could examine afterwards. Our press team appreciate quirky stories that are likely to attract press attention and circulation on social media in the short term, and in the longer term promote the range of fascinating content on offer to audiences at the Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Ten top tips for preparing authors for an appearance at a literary festival or tour event
1 An enquiry about availability is not the same thing as a booking to appear. Festival managers may express interest in a title and ask if the author is available, but they will be going through the same process with many other authors, publishers and agents before the various options are distilled into the final programme. Just because the author was excited to be asked, and immediately noted the dates in their diary, does not mean they have an automatic place on the programme. Indeed the more difficult they become, the less likely the organisers may be to include them – or work with their publishing house or agent in future.
2 If booked, confirm all arrangements clearly, make a note of key mobile numbers and read the briefing notes carefully. Be clear about what kind of event has been arranged, the specific contribution required, and for how long. Find out who else is taking part, who is going to chair the event, and do some research into how they tend to contribute – for example, are they inclined to be supportive, seek controversy or score points? Send the chair a copy of the book and provide a few interesting briefing notes with which to introduce the author – not just a reworking of the jacket copy. Mention any specific local connections. Sending the other participants a copy of the book may be appreciated too.
3 Encourage the author to understand the specific context of the festival in question and to make effective preparation – rather than delivering the same speech offered the last time they did an event. Have they ever been to the locality before? If so, make sure they mention it.
Guide them on the kind of audience to expect as regional variations can be marked. In general, if a reader has paid to see a particular author, they are keen for that author to do well – and will tolerate hesitations that indicate a writer is present rather than a talker. But do provide a warning that audiences at literary festivals can sometimes convey a strong ownership towards a title in which they have invested both time and money. They should not be surprised if questions feel invasive bordering on impertinent – ‘Why did you let the main character do that?’; ‘Your understanding of today’s mental health patient is quite wrong.’
4 Leave in plenty of time to ensure arrival without worrying the management – most will specify how soon before an event to arrive and offer a location for refreshment and relaxation. Ask them to arrive in time to absorb the atmosphere. If possible encourage them to attend another event at the festival – and ensure they make reference to it. Or have them mention what they wish they had been able to see. Conveying a wider sense of the festival rather than assuming it’s all about them will generally be appreciated. If short of time, suggest they buy the local paper or talk to the taxi driver or person sitting next to them on the bus.
5 Remind that audiences are seeing all speakers in the context of the other events they attend and are inclined to sympathise with those who are not being treated fairly; for example, during two-author events when the first speaker encroaches into time that should be at the disposal of the second speaker, looks bored during the other contributions, or dominates during question time.
6 A programme manager comments: ‘There is nothing that will sell a book less than authors continually announcing that their title is available from the bookstall after the event. The audience knows that. They are at a literary festival.’
This is really important. The more they mention the availability of their book, the less people may feel inclined to buy it. Let the chair do the talking up for them. Just before an event, maybe at the sound check, is a good time to let the chair know if anything has changed – maybe the title of the book or the addition of a foreword.
7 Grand, idiosyncratic or newsworthy behaviour may appeal to the audience – or it may repel. As Andrew Franklin, founder publisher of Profile, commented to the AGM of the Society of Authors, ‘if your books sell, you can be as difficult as you like’. But be aware that what is communicated will not stay within the confines of the event – not only will the press develop stories based on controversial content, the audience may be live tweeting.
8 Signing stock. Some authors insist they will only sign copies of their new books – this is often resented by loyal readers who, while bringing along a less than pristine title for signature, are identifying themselves as longstanding fans. Others offer enhanced personalisation through the addition of ink-stamping or drawings, which may be particularly appreciated.
9 Warn them that some people in the queue will ask for only a signature, rather than a dedication. This may be because they are planning that the purchase will be a gift, or perhaps is destined for more commercial reuse – books signed by the author and resold online generally attract higher prices. You might take the view that a book sold is helpful, however it is later distributed; some festivals limit the number of titles an individual may buy for signing if queues are likely to be long.
10 Thanking the organisers is always a good idea – preferably in person before departure. It is particularly appreciated if all involved are included – so if a specific driver, stock manager or member of the event support team has been helpful, do mention them by name. Letters or cards of thanks afterwards are similarly appreciated. Juggling so many contributors and their retinues is much harder than it looks.
Some firms instruct reps or have mobile exhibition teams who will provide everything needed if you inform them in good time of the nature of the exhibition and the stock required.
If you have to mount the display yourself, find out what will be available on site (screens, tables, chairs, platforms and so on) and from what time the exhibition room is available for assembly. Take enough additional promotional material to make your stand look interesting (posters, showcards and so on). A large cover for the table looks professional – a few yards of crease-resistant polyester may suffice and, whatever your organisational livery, if it is black it won’t start to look grubby. All those who are to help run the stand need a name badge to identify them as part of the company.
Never underestimate how many people you need to help run an exhibition stand. Organise a rota with several taking stints rather than relying on one person.
Business cards are treasure troves of relevant information – far more detail than you could write down in the short time generally available at fairs. People respond well to having their business card received with respect and interest, so when handed one, consciously read it before adding it to those already received. In some cultures, it is polite to receive a card with two hands. Once they have moved on, either write relevant information on the back of the card or staple it to a larger card on which you write additional notes (using card because the firmness means it is easier to write on).
You should have stock of your brochures and catalogues ready to hand out, but you want to ensure that they re-emerge from the ubiquitous exhibition carrier bag handed out to visitors as they enter. Can you mark the products you discussed with a highlighter pen? Staple your own business card to the front of the brochure to make recall more likely.
Literary prizes and awards are hugely important, offering a market overwhelmed with choice a convenient and topical selection. Winners of key prizes are featured on the news pages (not in the book section) of the national press and they can offer both shortlisted and winning titles the promise of substantial extra sales. The publication of many novels is scheduled in order to ensure work is eligible for consideration for particular prizes.
If one of your titles is a frontrunner for a forthcoming prize you will be required to put together a plan of action to support and sustain media interest, and further capitalise on it if the book wins. For example, you may have to produce (overnight) stickers to go on book jackets for circulation to booksellers saying ‘Winner of X’ and prepare attractive point-of-sale material for retail use. Trade organisations issue lists of which prizes are run and when and how to enter titles.
Choosing a venue for events and presentations
Whatever kind of event you are organising, a location is a starting point. Here is some associated guidance.
1 Start with the obvious
Give yourself a scaffold on which to build ideas and expectations. An online search into possible options will probably give you a shortlist of hotels and other locations with conference facilities and often isolate a point of contact – a conference or events manager. Enquire about conference packages, the ‘delegate daily rate’ and juggle this with how many you estimate will be attending.
2 Consider more imaginative locations
Other locations may occur to you, perhaps the contacts of the author or organisation, and if they are particularly relevant to the service, product or purpose of the event they may be worth further investigation. Working with a venue unused to organising events may ensure yours feels fresh and original but you may be able to rely on them less. Early consideration of the location and associated transport/parking is vital – beautiful but remote could be difficult if everyone is relying on the same taxi to collect them from the nearest station.
3 The price
Look at the overall price for hire, delegate rates and any other additional costs (do they charge for internet access, do they insist you take overnight accommodation too?). Overall, is what is on offer reasonably priced? Negotiate with the venue’s manager about the room rate for the day(s) and other options for refreshments (‘Do you have anything simpler?’). The printed price list and sample menus should never be accepted as absolute, particularly if the venue or time of year is not busy and the opportunity helps get their venue more widely known.
4 Ask about programmes of work
Find out about building renovation programmes in advance; they tend to be noisy and not to run to schedule. So if you are assured they will be over by the time you arrive, have it confirmed in writing. Is there air-conditioning; how loud is it? If not, will opening the windows make it impossible to hear the speakers over the roar of passing traffic?
5 Record the names of those responsible
Find out the name and mobile number of the operations manager whose responsibility it is to check that everything is working and get familiar with the practicalities (how do you dull the lights during presentations, is there a light for the speaker?).
In general, launch parties fell out of favour because they were expensive to organise and uncertain in outcome. Much more common is becoming the organisation of events that boost the relationship between consumers and publishers and which extend the range of publisher content for sale: from what is purchased to be read to what is listened to, or otherwise experienced.
Concluding case study
Bloomsbury Publishing, The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and the Bloomsbury Institute
Bloomsbury have been proactive in organising events to engage with the reading public. They organise a series of events to tie in with the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and launched the Bloomsbury Institute in January 2011, a new programme for the public held at their offices in Bedford Square.
Associated events divide broadly into two types: ‘how to’ and experiential, with some overlap in the middle. ‘How to’ events may include months of one-to-one tutoring, whole days on the processes of publishing, or short seminars offering guidance on specific issues. Experiential events may include book groups that include a copy of the book and an opportunity to meet the author or debates about key trends within publishing, reading and the extension of literacy. The overlap between the two tends to be those who want to hear about how work came to be spotted or commissioned – and are gleaning hints about how their own might be developed. They want to hear how the editor for a particular title found the author or book; find out about their particular writing process; interact with them on the meaning and observe how best to present to those they are hoping will invest in their writing.
Eela Devani, digital development director of Bloomsbury, comments:
From research among authors I became aware of the stages the writer goes through in crafting their manuscript: starting out with their first concept; crafting their work; reviewing and finalising the manuscript; trying to stimulate external interest from agents and publishers. Taking our basis as the cumulative expertise and experience contained within the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook we now offer a range of events, both online and in person, that support the writer’s journey and offer advice that is both inspiring and practical, with plenty of opportunities to hear first-hand how techniques have worked or experiences felt for others approaching the same challenges. This is finding an interested audience and proving successful – making a significant financial contribution and promoting our brands within core markets.
Claire Daly is manager of the Bloomsbury Institute and works with James Rennoldson in organising the Writers’ & Artists’ events for the public. These range from literary salons and debates on a topical issue to the regular hosting of the Bloomsbury Book Club, for which the charge includes a hardback copy of the book and the chance to attend an event with the author, usually in conversation with the title’s editor. Claire says:
I try to organise the kind of event I would like to attend myself, and take huge care with how we describe what is on offer. When we plan Writers’ & Artists’ events, James and I send the copy backwards and forwards between us many times, and we involve others to help improve it too. In the process we are linking with people who previously only knew the names of our authors and reminding them that these titles are published by Bloomsbury.
Information for both markets – which are relatively separate – must be enticing, clear and error-free; the anticipated standards and usefulness of the event and a decision on whether or not to attend will be based on the surrounding copy. Once the programme has been established, however, online marketing offers the opportunity to present customers with information directly, and this can be further shared through social media. If it’s possible, hosting events at the organisational headquarters keeps costs down, although there may be some additional unanticipated costs (the temporary employment of security guards to guard against theft; expert removal people to dismantle, move and later reassemble the boardroom). Writers are remunerated for their involvement but also appreciate the associated promotion of their work and the guaranteed sale of stock. Staff attend in return for a day off in lieu during the week; journalists and academics contributing to debates are paid. All participating may be willing to provide additional content of interest to the market – for the website or by writing a blog – and on the day, live tweeting of what is happening can spread enthusiasm, creating awareness among those present of the uniqueness of what is on offer and reaching out to those who may come next time.
Timing for such events needs to be carefully considered. Avoid periods when your key contributors are too busy (the build-up and timing for major book fairs if you are hoping agents will attend) and times when the market is likely to be away (over Christmas and other key holidays). But there are also good synergies to incorporate – the start of the new year or a long holiday period is when so many budding writers decide to embark on their writing resolutions, or encourage ‘living the dream’ by tying your events in with the announcements for major prizes.
Looking wider, this is a significant trend within publishing, part of a closer relationship between publishers and their readers that boosts awareness of – and confidence in – the publisher brand, helps make buyers aware of who publishes their favourite authors and encourages them to try other titles from the same stable. It also offers access to changing patterns of consumer spending. De-cluttering and a wider desire for high quality experiences mean that such opportunities access the treat, gift and personal investment market for which there are higher expectations of cost.
In the longer term, such programmes may affirm publisher brand and build relationships with those who may have work worth future publisher investment. In the shorter term, they can make a useful contribution to organisational finances and help fund the launch of new writing.
For more information see www.writersandartists.co.uk and www.bloomsburyinstitute.com.
Notes
1 www.smh.com.au/news/technology/powerpoint-presentations-a-disaster/2007/04/03/1175366240499.html.
2 www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1ed23824-e687-11e3-9a20-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz33SlMqodS.
3 www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1ed23824-e687-11e3-9a20-00144feabdc0.html?utm_content=buffer2458e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#axzz33NenBYKx.
4 Ibid. Jeremy Lee runs www.JLA.co.uk, an agency for speakers.