I had a successful author event earlier last month—the first solo event I’ve ever created—celebrating Sunkissed Feathers & Severed Ties and let me tell you it was amazing! I had two weeks to pull it together, and it was stressful and intense and creative and fun and also insane. Here are some things I picked up along the way:
- Make a list. Yeah, make a freaking list of things you need to do between now and the day of the event because if you don’t, the Thursday prior you’ll realize that you don’t actually have nice pens and you’ll have to borrow some from work on Friday and bring them back on Monday. (That featured image? Yeah, it was a part of the Night Before list of things I had to gather.)
- Get some pens! Seriously. Pens are kinda necessary for authors when they do a signing. This tip builds into another—prep ahead of time. Gather all the things you need in one location, so you’re not scrambling the week—or night—of.
- Pick a unique venue. Venue plays a huge part in the event. I chose a local coffee shop called Jitters because I live in Eagle River, I’ve been to Jitters a million times, and I really enjoy the comfortable and casual vibe of it. (Plus, it’s literally two minutes away from where I live.)
- Expect one disaster. Yup, this is a tip I’m giving you. Expect a disaster. Just plan for (at least) one and try not to panic when it happens. I had a cat literally leap onto my freshly baked and decorated tray of cupcakes the morning of my event. Disasters happen, just breathe through it.
- During the event, enjoy it. Have fun. Yes, it’ll be stressful and you’ll be juggling a lot and you’ll have to be “on” the whole time, but this event is yours. It’s a celebration, and you should enjoy it while it lasts! (I know I did.)
Have you thrown events before, and if so, how’d it go? Did you have any fabulous or favorite disasters that happened? Let me know!
Warm regards,
Kellie
Have Pen, Will Pen 