The Secrets of a Successful Book Launch - V Campbell

V. Campbell, author of the sensational young adult novel Viking Gold, overwhelmed the staff at Waterstones, Sauchiehall Street a few weeks ago with the phenomenal success of her book launch.  Over one hundred people attended, the store sold out of the book and the friendly Vikings, in attendance for entertainment, were forced to curtail their revelries due to the size of the crowd. 

V Campbell with Vikings and a happy audience

How was it for the author?    V Campbell reveals all.

How important is a book launch to the success of a book?

I don’t know, but the success of my launch certainly got Viking Gold off to a jogging start.

Your main launch was in Waterstones in Glasgow.  Why did you/your publisher choose this venue?

I chose this venue because I’d been to launches there before and they’d gone so well. I also live in Glasgow, so the main Glasgow branch of Waterstone’s seemed logical.

How much input did you have in the planning of the event?

I planned it all.

What do you feel went well?

We had a band of Viking warriors storm the proceedings half-way through. I thought this was great fun and leant a certain light heartedness to the proceedings – sometimes book events can be so dry. And Viking Gold isn’t a dry sort of book; I wanted to reflect the book’s sense of mayhem and uncertainty in the launch. They also provided a great photo opp.

If you could do it all again what would you do differently?

Nothing, actually.

What advice would you give to first time authors embarking on their first book launch?

Organise it well in advance, especially if there is a specific date that you want. Tell everyone you know about it!

    

Read an extract of Viking Gold at www.vcampbellauthor.com

Follow @vcampbellauthor on twitter

Viking Gold is available to buy at Waterstone’s, WHSmith, Amazon and on Kindle.