Ready?!? Checklist Time!
Are you ready to party?!? I am getting so excited for my upcoming book launch! I love celebrations and I love planning. :) I'm especially loving this party: sci-fi pizza, gourmet cake, Jones soda, nine awesome raffle prizes and a surprise art activity too.
But, how will I know that I am ready? I like checklists. Checklists help me know that I have handled all the important elements. This party is pretty important, and has a lot of elements. And, it isn't just any party; it's a book launch. That means it has a purpose: launch a book. So, the checklist for a book launch is going to have quite a bit of promotion activity, because that is what launching a book is all about.
Here is my book launch party checklist:
1) Research Key Elements of a Book Launch
2) Set up a Pinterest Board for Vision
3) Brainstorm meeting with volunteers/helpers/supporters/the-best-people-on-the-planet to set realistic expectations and goals
4) Select & Negotiate a Venue
5) Select & Negotiate Sponsors
6) Finalize Detailed Budget in Excel (I went for a $0 net plan, non-profit, with donation to local artists built-in)
7) Decide on Raffle Prizes
8) Decide on Marketing and Promotional (materials/resources/avenues)
9) Design Promotional Items (flyers, bookmarks, business cards, posters, giveaways)
10)Order Promotional Items (Vistaprint, Zazzle, Shutterfly)
11) Procure Raffle Prizes
12) Create Eventbrite Event
13) Post Event to Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon Author Page, Website, Blog, Goodreads Author Page)
14) Create News Release
15) Research/Find and Contact Local Media (newspapers, radio, blogs) with news release
16) Post Flyers at Strategic Locations (community centers, coffee shops, libraries)
17) Send out social media updates and ask friends and family to invite others
18) Create a budget friendly paid promotion on Facebook for the Event ($25 was my budget)
19) Finalize Payment plan (Square device set up, locked cash box, hand stamps, etc...)
20) Finalize details meeting with volunteers/helpers/supporters/the-best-people-on-the-planet
22) Send out updates to social media
22) Day of party activity items acquired (raffle tickets, raffle box, papers, markers, pens, etc...)
23) Day of party food, drink and utensils purchased and set up (cake, pizza, soda, ice, cups, plates, forks, napkins)
24) Activities, giveaways, raffles, displays and book arrangements at party set up
25) Relax and have fun!
So, I have my checklist ready for the party, yay! But, I am also in the process of writing the second book in the Cyborg Dreams series. How will I know I am ready to send it to my publisher? Checklist! For the launch, I knew it was all about promotion. For the book, it is about telling a story and entertaining people. But, I also have to follow guidelines of spelling, grammar, format, and syntax (among other things).
Here is my book writing checklist:
1) Decide on key story elements (what is it about?)
2) Pull in any details from first book that need to be maintained (dates, names, descriptions)
3) Create an outline (main acts)
4) Decide on length goal (~65k words)
5) Breakdown main characters (who are they, what is their background, how do they look)
6) Research main technology (get references) and places (get images)
7) Create a chapter-by-chapter breakdown (decide how many chapters, 16 for this one)
8) Write first draft ~3k words per chapter to leave room for later (~4k words each at final)
9) Get feedback from writing critique groups on first, mid and last chapter of draft
10) Go through draft submissions incorporating all useful feedback
11) Create a 5 page synopsis and check for storyline-overall plot points consistency
12) Go through draft to make sure it is entertaining by reading it aloud to someone
13) Have friends & family provide feedback and incorporate their comments (make it funnier)
14) Check for "showing not telling" and "five senses" opportunities in descriptions
15) Look for character consistencies (dialect, dialogue and action)
16) Find tense changes and opportunities to make it more action/impact oriented
17) Check for narrative changes and improve consistency
18) Look for overused words (like check and draft)
19) Find dialogue tags to remove where it won't be confusing to the reader
20) Check readability and syntax (helps to read it aloud)
21) Check comma usage (most difficult) and other grammar issues
22) Find spelling and word use errors (no instead of not, too instead of to)
23) Put in proper format (12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, doubled spaced, no space between paragraphs, no headers or footers, chapters centered, page breaks before chapters, take out any tabs)
24) Create a short synopsis (1 page max) and an ad blurb
25) Send manuscript and synopsis in an email with the blurb to publisher and hope for the best!
Planning is about executing your vision-whether is it a party or a book. Even when you have a checklist, it can be difficult to know when you are truly ready for something.
A person in a writing critique group recently said the draft of my second book was no where near ready for publishing and that I should practice on short stories first before attempting to get a novel published. That was a big blow to my ego! However, I know better and I'll know when the book is ready to go to the publisher. Why? Because I have a checklist? Not really. Checklists help, but there is more to it than that.
When it comes to being ready, to executing your vision and taking risks, Steve Jobs is kind of the expert. I like his quote:
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Steve Jobs
Visionary Steve Jobs with Cybrog Dreams
Basically, just know what you want and go for it.
I don't know if the book launch party will be successful in promoting my first book "Cybrog Dreams: The Mind of Mine." I've never thrown a book launch party before. What I do know is that it will be fun and will be executed to the best of what I know and what I have as my resources 3 days from now.
I don't know if the second book "Cyborg Dreams: The Buried Past" is going to be rejected by my publisher as garbage writing and sent back for a total re-write. Its only my second book ever written. However, I do know that it will be executed to the vision I have for it and the standards I set before I submit it 8 days from now.
I can only do my best and hope to eventually make my all my crazy Cyborg Dreams come true.
But, how will I know that I am ready? I like checklists. Checklists help me know that I have handled all the important elements. This party is pretty important, and has a lot of elements. And, it isn't just any party; it's a book launch. That means it has a purpose: launch a book. So, the checklist for a book launch is going to have quite a bit of promotion activity, because that is what launching a book is all about.
Here is my book launch party checklist:
1) Research Key Elements of a Book Launch
2) Set up a Pinterest Board for Vision
3) Brainstorm meeting with volunteers/helpers/supporters/the-best-people-on-the-planet to set realistic expectations and goals
4) Select & Negotiate a Venue
5) Select & Negotiate Sponsors
6) Finalize Detailed Budget in Excel (I went for a $0 net plan, non-profit, with donation to local artists built-in)
7) Decide on Raffle Prizes
8) Decide on Marketing and Promotional (materials/resources/avenues)
9) Design Promotional Items (flyers, bookmarks, business cards, posters, giveaways)
10)Order Promotional Items (Vistaprint, Zazzle, Shutterfly)
11) Procure Raffle Prizes
12) Create Eventbrite Event
13) Post Event to Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon Author Page, Website, Blog, Goodreads Author Page)
14) Create News Release
15) Research/Find and Contact Local Media (newspapers, radio, blogs) with news release
16) Post Flyers at Strategic Locations (community centers, coffee shops, libraries)
17) Send out social media updates and ask friends and family to invite others
18) Create a budget friendly paid promotion on Facebook for the Event ($25 was my budget)
19) Finalize Payment plan (Square device set up, locked cash box, hand stamps, etc...)
20) Finalize details meeting with volunteers/helpers/supporters/the-best-people-on-the-planet
22) Send out updates to social media
22) Day of party activity items acquired (raffle tickets, raffle box, papers, markers, pens, etc...)
23) Day of party food, drink and utensils purchased and set up (cake, pizza, soda, ice, cups, plates, forks, napkins)
24) Activities, giveaways, raffles, displays and book arrangements at party set up
25) Relax and have fun!
So, I have my checklist ready for the party, yay! But, I am also in the process of writing the second book in the Cyborg Dreams series. How will I know I am ready to send it to my publisher? Checklist! For the launch, I knew it was all about promotion. For the book, it is about telling a story and entertaining people. But, I also have to follow guidelines of spelling, grammar, format, and syntax (among other things).
Here is my book writing checklist:
1) Decide on key story elements (what is it about?)
2) Pull in any details from first book that need to be maintained (dates, names, descriptions)
3) Create an outline (main acts)
4) Decide on length goal (~65k words)
5) Breakdown main characters (who are they, what is their background, how do they look)
6) Research main technology (get references) and places (get images)
7) Create a chapter-by-chapter breakdown (decide how many chapters, 16 for this one)
8) Write first draft ~3k words per chapter to leave room for later (~4k words each at final)
9) Get feedback from writing critique groups on first, mid and last chapter of draft
10) Go through draft submissions incorporating all useful feedback
11) Create a 5 page synopsis and check for storyline-overall plot points consistency
12) Go through draft to make sure it is entertaining by reading it aloud to someone
13) Have friends & family provide feedback and incorporate their comments (make it funnier)
14) Check for "showing not telling" and "five senses" opportunities in descriptions
15) Look for character consistencies (dialect, dialogue and action)
16) Find tense changes and opportunities to make it more action/impact oriented
17) Check for narrative changes and improve consistency
18) Look for overused words (like check and draft)
19) Find dialogue tags to remove where it won't be confusing to the reader
20) Check readability and syntax (helps to read it aloud)
21) Check comma usage (most difficult) and other grammar issues
22) Find spelling and word use errors (no instead of not, too instead of to)
23) Put in proper format (12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, doubled spaced, no space between paragraphs, no headers or footers, chapters centered, page breaks before chapters, take out any tabs)
24) Create a short synopsis (1 page max) and an ad blurb
25) Send manuscript and synopsis in an email with the blurb to publisher and hope for the best!
Planning is about executing your vision-whether is it a party or a book. Even when you have a checklist, it can be difficult to know when you are truly ready for something.
A person in a writing critique group recently said the draft of my second book was no where near ready for publishing and that I should practice on short stories first before attempting to get a novel published. That was a big blow to my ego! However, I know better and I'll know when the book is ready to go to the publisher. Why? Because I have a checklist? Not really. Checklists help, but there is more to it than that.
When it comes to being ready, to executing your vision and taking risks, Steve Jobs is kind of the expert. I like his quote:
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Steve Jobs
Visionary Steve Jobs with Cybrog Dreams
Basically, just know what you want and go for it.
I don't know if the book launch party will be successful in promoting my first book "Cybrog Dreams: The Mind of Mine." I've never thrown a book launch party before. What I do know is that it will be fun and will be executed to the best of what I know and what I have as my resources 3 days from now.
I don't know if the second book "Cyborg Dreams: The Buried Past" is going to be rejected by my publisher as garbage writing and sent back for a total re-write. Its only my second book ever written. However, I do know that it will be executed to the vision I have for it and the standards I set before I submit it 8 days from now.
I can only do my best and hope to eventually make my all my crazy Cyborg Dreams come true.
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