how to throw an influencer event for your book 🤳🍸

for $100 or less

My first review for If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You—from Kirkus, the most notoriously difficult trade pub—is in and it’s a rave: “Gothic horror meets the glitz of 21st-century Los Angeles in this surreal and bingeable story…”

If my newsletter has helped you with your own writing career, it would mean a lot to me if you pre-ordered my new book today! I genuinely appreciate (and remember) everyone who leaves a comment, or sends me a DM, to let me know they pre-ordered. It’s like getting a “yes” RSVP to my wedding.

The first 150 people who pre-order from Madison Street Books in Chicago will receive a limited edition sticker sheet of the tarot cards that Jennifer May Reiland painted, based on scenes from the novel.

How to throw an influencer event for your book

Now on to the main event! I loved, loved, loved speaking to

Andrea Bartz

this week, about how she hosted an influencer party for her new thriller The Last Ferry Out. To me, this is a perfect example of how writers can leverage their skills at making friends on the internet (Andrea is top notch at this) and strategically collaborate with their publishing teams to make their own book buzz-worthy. Andrea is generously sharing her playbook with Attention Economy readers.

What inspired you to organize an influencer event for your new novel?

A freelance book publicist had told me that one of the best things you can do is to make your book feel like a big deal—whether it’s a lead title or not. In my initial marketing & PR meeting for The Last Ferry Out, I floated the idea of a media luncheon or something with my team. They didn’t bite, so initially I’d given up on the idea of any kind of event.

Then I saw on Instagram that my friend

Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

hosted what looked like a lovely influencer party at a French bakery for her (excellent!) new thriller, The French Honeymoon. I was all envious, like: Now there’s a publisher investing in a new title!

When I saw her not long after, I asked her about the event, and what she told me blew my mind: She actually planned the event herself. Anne-Sophie used to work in advertising (with much exposure to marketing pros), and she took it upon herself to find a sponsor venue and put the party together. Her publisher loved the idea and handled invitations, in addition to providing all the marketing materials for the event. (She wrote about her influencer event here.) When I told her I wanted to do the same for The Last Ferry Out, she very kindly coached me through the first steps. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude!

How many months in advance of pub date did you approach Ballantine about collaborating with you on the event? How much of the party (who, what, where, when) had you conceptualized when you pitched them the idea?

My publication date was May 20, and at the end of March, I basically informed my marketing team that I wanted to plan an event for shortly before its publication. (I took an ask-forgiveness-not-permission approach to promoting this book.) Luckily, my marketer got on board immediately and volunteered to brainstorm, send out invitations, and more.

With Anne-Sophie’s help, I drafted the following outreach email to send to possible venues.

I shared this with my marketer, who suggested a few tweaks, then researched 30+ venues to target—boutiques, restaurants, hip spas, etc. I looked for places that had multiple locations, because I figured they’d be big enough to have a marketing budget. I also wanted pretty, Instagrammable spots to entice influencers. And I spent days tracking down PR and marketing contacts on LinkedIn and similar so that my emails wouldn’t go into the void.

The vast majority of my emails went unanswered, but I wound up with two boutiques, one spa/nail space, and one Mexican restaurant—La Esquina, which we went with—offering to host and understanding the value of bringing influencers into their space. La Esquina was an especially great fit for a book set in Mexico, so we moved ahead.

Special shoutout to

Liz

from

Open Book Club NYC

!

I was so flattered to be included on the guest list (look, Ma! I’m a content creator!) and when I got there, I was so impressed with the whole spread: passed margaritas and appetizers, a beautiful table display of your new book, swag bags, a backdrop for photographs, a professional photographer, and best of all—great company. How much of this did you organize and how much did Ballantine help with? How much money did you spend on the party?

La Esquina was an incredible partner right from the start—they had ideas for special touches, like a killer menu, a liquor sponsor (Catedral Mezcal) and signature cocktail, and branding items like the custom menus and bespoke “ferry tickets” attendees received upon checking in. They also provided takeout bags for the gift bags and a special card with their friends and family hotline.

When venues started getting back to me, I asked my marketer if Ballantine would consider paying for some simple appetizers (e.g., a crudite platter and cheese board from Whole Foods), as well as beer and wine, and they okay’ed that. But several of the venues offered to provide food and drink from their own corporate PR budget, which was even better.

La Esquina immediately had a vision—guac and a signature cocktail upon arrival, then passed hors d'oeuvres and sangria, beer, and mocktails—and they were willing to provide the space, food, beverages, and service in-kind. I asked my marketer if Random House could cover gratuity for the servers (thinking the odds were good now that we were getting the food and drinks comped), and they agreed.

More brainstorming ensued with my marketer, and once we had a great spot secured, my publisher invested in a custom cloth photo backdrop and stand (sort of like a step-and-repeat), a two-foot tall foamboard of the cover and an easel, some photo-booth accessories, The Last Ferry Out pens and maps (which were already in their plans for influencer mailings), Mexican candy for the gift bags, and many copies of my book. They also sent a photographer from their social media team, so we didn’t have to hire an outside one.

I knew I wanted to give attendees swag bags with a few other goodies. I used to be a magazine editor and then a freelance journalist, so I still had a few publicist contacts in my inbox. I sent them a similar email name-checking some of the influencers and media who’d already RSVP’ed yes and asking if any of their clients would like to send product.

I wound up packing the gift bags with audiobook codes from Libro.fm, skincare from Marmur Medical and Qure, Mexican-made bracelets from Visit Jalisco, and mezcal from the liquor sponsor, Catedral Mezcal. I made sure we got a photo of all the goodies and that the thanks-for-coming email to attendees included all the sponsors’ handles.

Altogether, I personally spent…$100 for the Instax camera and film I impulse-bought the day before! My publisher really supported me (with both time and money) once I got the ball rolling, and I’m super grateful. But even if an author’s working with a less-generous publishing team, I think it could be worth securing sponsors (the venue, a liquor sponsor, gift-bag donors) and covering stuff like party platters and a photographer yourself. Definitely a business expense and therefore a tax write-off!

A critical part of any party is the guest list. How long have you known these book influencers? What advice do you have for writers who wish influencers were posting about their book… but they don’t know where to start with building these relationships?

My marketer and I joined forces on the guest list; Random House has its own contacts, and I provided the emails and handles of some journalists and influencers I hoped to invite. So there were both bookstagrammers I’d known for years at the party as well as many I’d never met. And that was part of the goal—my content-creator friends already knew about the book, so this was a chance to get it on the radar of additional book influencers.

In my experience, the best way to get to know content creators is to interact with their content! It doesn’t have to be disingenuous or self-serving; if a bookstagrammer is posting beautiful photos or interesting reviews or content that’s appealing, I comment and join the conversation. Everyone in the book community is, by definition, looking to connect, so it’s always a win-win to be a part of the conversation.

When I get ARCs, I politely contact a bunch of content creators to personally ask if we can send one—and to offer up free copies for a giveaway, my time for an Instagram Live, etc. I approach it with a “what can I do for YOU?” attitude and try to always be friendly and gracious. And it’s genuine! Book influencers do so much for authors, often for free, and I want them to know how much I appreciate it.

I also post my face on social media a lot, and that’s meant that Instagram followers, including influencers, have recognized me at other authors’ book events and said hello. This might sound kinda dumb, but—if you want people to feel like they know you, you have to show yourself now and then. You’re not just a ~brand~; you’re not even just your books. You’re a person!

Is there anything you wish you would have done that night, or something you would do differently at your next influencer event?

This is minor, but I would really think about what influencers need to get good photos and video. The venue cranked the lights down low right before the event started—great for creating a sexy vibe, but not so great for photos. I also wish I’d brought small lights to train on the foamboard cover as it sat on its easel (lost in the shadows) as well as the photo backdrop.

Finally, I very stupidly failed to get a photo of myself holding the foamboard and/or posing solo in front of the custom backdrop. If I did it again, I’d think ahead of time about what photos I wanted to grab for my own social media.

The week I went to your party, and posted photos to my Stories, two different clients on the West Coast told me on Zoom about how fun it looked—out on the town, living the New York City author dream! The party was a great opportunity to connect in person (I met creators like

Becca Freeman

and kayreadwhat for the first time), but I’m sure it also generated a ton of content about your new book.

Can you share some examples of content that resulted from the party?

I love that! It was such a good time and I had a blast seeing old friends and making new ones. We had about 30 attendees with a collective social media reach of over 2 million. My publisher, Random House, did two dedicated posts covering the party (one static carousel and one Reel), and pretty much every attendee posted footage from the event to their Stories, at minimum.

We also got some static posts and videos, including from bookstagrammers like StarrySteph, Robyn_Reads1, and Reading_under_covers, as well as journalists like Bloomberg’s Stacey Vanek Smith, and People.com’s Benjamin Vanhoose.

I caught a bunch of “I’ve been seeing this book everywhere!!” comments from their followers, which was the idea! And many content creators who were invited but couldn’t make it requested the book and shared it when it came in the mail.

Meeting all those lovely book influencers face-to-face was a huge boon, too. My hope is that we’ll keep in touch through future books and beyond. This industry is all about relationships, right? I can’t prove the event resulted in any book sales, but planning the event made me feel like I was doing something to create buzz. Plus: I love a party, so it was really, really fun.

Follow Andrea on Instagram and Substack!

Giveaway

I have one signed copy of The Last Ferry Out to give away to one lucky Attention Economy subscriber!

On a trip to the tropical island where her fiancée died, a young woman begins to suspect the death was no accident—and the killer’s closer than she could’ve imagined—in this “unputdownable” thriller from “a master of suspense” (Elle).

To enter, comment “all aboard” on this post. Giveaway open to anyone residing in the lower 48 states.

Client wins

Much to celebrate this week: my client

Melanie Anagnos

’s crime novel Nightswimming, set in Paterson, NJ in the 1970s, is the first featured title in Sarah Weinman’s monthly New York Times column. Weinman says it “made quite the impression” on her.

And my client

Martha Hall Kelly

hit the USA Today and Boston Globe bestseller lists this week with her new historical novel The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club!

Congratulations to you both!

Upcoming Events

On Wednesday, I’ll be talking to Ingrid about what publishers can do on BookTok, why every marketing plan includes a Goodreads giveaway, and how writers can best collaborate with their marketing teams.