In two Sundays time, I shall be standing up in front of an unknown number of people to read from my brand new book of poems.
A daunting thought even though I have been lucky enough over the past four years to have participated in a number of formal readings at conferences and collaborative publication launches. The solo launch has the potential to be a lonely place. However with the right amount of careful planning and forethought, I believe it can be steered towards certain success.
I have been asked how I prepare for such events and I thought it might be useful for other emerging writers facing this challenge for the first time, to learn more about how I go about it. In this blog, I shall focus on the planning the actual event rather than addressing the question of how to market the launch which is a separate whole game-plan of course.
The venue of the launch event is the most important consideration. I have read in the open air without a mike and although I could successfully project to the audience, it was soul-destroying to have police car sirens going off in the most emotive part of a creative piece! I now always ask what the venue will be and decide whether or not to participate accordingly.
The second most important factor to bear in mind is the length of the launch. This will depend in turn on your market audience. There is nothing more off-putting than glancing up from the page, to see people shifting, restless in their seats. I would suggest that at a free-admission, public event to which all are welcome, keep the total reading time shorter than if you have been invited to speak at a writers’ conference, a private club or to a writers’ group. The former would best run from thirty to forty minutes maximum; the latter forty five minutes to an hour.
It is important to decide if you want members of the audience to purchase books at the beginning of the launch or at the end. I feel the end is a more natural place, and allow extra time for any requests there might be for personalised, signed copies.
How do I plan?
Having ascertained my maximum reading time, I choose a selection of poems to read, usually linked together by some sort of theme (eg. people or places). I make sure that the mood of the pieces will be varied and build variety into the programme in this way. I spend a minimum of half a day practicing reciting the pieces aloud to make sure I have the tonal and pacing variations of each one correct. This then gives me an accurate total read time. I then add a few minutes either side of each poem in the programme, for some sort of segue into the next piece. If it is a public event, I might well offer more pre-reading explanations than for a writers’ group.
At the actual launch, I allow an extra five minutes at the beginning for people to find their seats — or move seats at the last minute. The traditional acknowledgement from Truth and Reconciliation comes first, followed by my general welcome. This might include any key housekeeping information that need to be dealt with before reading can start and will include a broad outline of the programme. Now I start the set reading section already outlined above.
It is always a good idea to allow time (another thirty to forty minutes) for a question and answer session. This can either turn into a lively and stimulating debate – or complete silence. I always keep one or two lighthearted poems ready to fill the gap!
I reserve another five minutes at the end of my readings, for specific thanks to any key organisers of the launch or volunteers. Now you can relax and meet members of the audience, sign books and enjoy the remainder of the launch.
Sometimes the most informal of reading events can turn out to be the most memorable: one that stands out in my mind was an impromptu videotaped event recording done in the launderette in downtown Sooke!
Thank you for reading this blog. I hope that some of my suggestions may prove useful. Do contact me via the contact page if you have additional ideas that you would like to contribute.
Launch and reading events August 2021 to present day: Sooke Arts Council Gallery; the Reading Room at Union Club of British Columbia; Sooke Region Museum Pavilion; Sooke Fine Arts Show; Vancouver Island Regional Library, Sooke; Federation of BC Writers zoom launch for Roots to Branches Volume One.
All photos ( c) cem winstanley ; AMGray studios 2021 and Sean Pullen Media 2023
In My Own Words 
You must be logged in to post a comment.