You don’t want to stay quiet about this one. You have a new book! Let’s get loud! (Cue Jennifer Lopez.)

Now you need a reason to get all the media, local celebrities, networking group leaders, or whoever you need to be there together to talk about your book, mingle, buy a copy, and tell their friends. You need to have a launch party! A launch party is a great excuse to celebrate your book and your business while drawing a tone of attention to . . . well, you and your business. When you have an event associated with the launch of your book instead of just doing it online, you have a better chance of getting some media coverage because they can get pictures and video, which get way more attention in newspapers and online than just print.

So start with a few simple things to plan your launch party. It doesn’t have to be super involved, and it doesn’t need to be hard!

Start here:

1. Pick a location where you will have a crowd. If you have followers in more than one city, then do more than one city. For your first book, though, you will likely only need to plan one party. Once you’ve selected your city, start brainstorming venues that will be free or reasonably priced, as well as central to you and your clientele. You want it to be convenient and not break the bank. Think about who you serve and what types of venues they frequent. If you work with women entrepreneurs, you may want to choose the deck of a winery. If you develop healthy diets for people, you may want to partner with a local gym or other type of fitness venue. Work with kids? Look at an independent ice cream parlor, indoor play place, or somewhere that hosts kids’ birthday parties. Remember that many of these venues will benefit from your advertising, so don’t forget to mention what you will do for them to sweeten the deal.
2. Publicity, marketing, advertising. Don’t neglect the most important piece of the puzzle. Make sure you get a jump on the publicity for your book and biz a couple months before the big day! Market the event, of course, but use the time ahead of the event to talk about what the book will do for the reader (not giving away all the details of the book). Advertise locally on social media, depending on where your ideal audience is. And get publicity through basically any platform you can: TV, radio, podcasts, local newspapers, the alumni association of your university, etc.
3. Stick to what your audience will want. Don’t water down the event by collecting for a charity that isn’t related to your book or book goals. Don’t host a bunch of different vendors. Basically, don’t confuse the people who are interested in you, your book, and your business by creating a three-ring circus. Yes, you want people there, but you want them to be the right people!

Most of all, plan ahead so you can enjoy the event! This is all about you, after all!