How To Launch A Book
Adventures of a Debut Author
It’s been a while since my last newsletter, but not because of a lack of material. Quite the opposite - we started the year with lots of theatre trips and Chinese New Year celebrations with family and friends in London and in Singapore, and there have been various shenanigans with my day job but mostly I’ve been busy with writing, because of some secret deadlines, and 2026 is my debut year!
In three months’ time, Harper Collins publishes my first book, The Kingdom of Tigers, illustrated by Megan Snyders and available to pre-order now.
I’m told that the Harper Collins team have big plans for launch week at the start of July, so to clear my diary and not make any plans, or even talk to anyone about what we might or might not do when my book launches.
But they didn’t forbid me from dreaming!
Only joking. I'm wildly grateful and kind of awed at the efforts my publicist Charlotte and marketing whiz Annie have already gone to (more on that to come!) and I can't wait tov hear what they've planned. The head of the Kumusha Books imprint, Ken Wilson-Max is somehow both awe-inspiring and very approachable, so when he greeted me warmly and said he'd seen the plan and it's great that they're thinking big — well, I've been fizzing with anticipation since.
The Book Launch feels significant because it’s the collision between your writing life and your real life. It’s the moment you can share with the friends and family who knew you before you willingly devoted yourself to the moonshot that is traditional publishing. They may have witnessed you obsessing over writing a story, finding an agent, securing a publishing deal and…everything that hardworking professionals do after that to make your intangible thoughts into a tangible reality. A book. With a cover and pages and words and pictures and everything. Something you can hold, feel the weight of, open and read for the first time. It’s the point at which it will all make sense. All the time and headspace and stress and heartbreak—it was for this, you can show them. It was for this, all along.
(of course, there’s the risk that this could backfire and they’ll wonder: is this it? was it worth it? But a loud enough party can drown out any naysaying voices, right? Especially the ones in your own head?)
I love other people’s book launches the same way that I love their weddings and birthday parties and any opportunity to celebrate my friends. It takes a lot to make me leave the house in the evenings (three small children to put to bed + day job to wake up for in the morning + the call of the laptop and word count tracker spreadsheet) but I do try to go to book launches and I feel really privileged to be invited.
The first book launch I ever went to was a Carmelite House rooftop extravaganza. Carmelite House is the head office of Hachette Book Group and houses all their many imprints, and at the top is a spectacular glass event space and roof terrace overlooking the River Thames. That first book launch was for GHOST, GIRL, BANANA by the adorable Wiz Wharton, and I was so touched to be invited, especially because I hadn't even met Wiz in real life, we'd just exchanged friendly messages on Book Twitter (RIP) and I was really keen to read her book, which spans generations and continents to tell the story of Sook-Yin, who comes to London from Hong Kong to train as a nurse, and whose daughter Lily receives a mysterious inheritance years after her death.
In 2023 I had no idea how book launches work so here's the guide I wished I'd had:
The Neophyte’s Guide to Book Launch Etiquette
Do I need to obtain my own copy of the book beforehand and present it to gain admittance to the launch party?
No, this is not required. Nor is it logistically possible, past Felicity, as the book hasn't been released yet but it will be available to buy on the night (I like to think I would have deduced this if the launch had been at a bookshop, as many are).
Supplementary question: can I go to the book launch and not buy the book?
Speaking for myself I'd say absolutely yes, I invited you because I wanted to celebrate with you and thank you for whichever ways you've been a part of my writing journey, even if it's just taking an interest. Books can be expensive1, and it would be awful to miss out on friends or family that you want to celebrate with on the basis of cost. However, if you, the friend or family member, have literally no interest in reading the book, e.g. if you clocked it at the local library, saw it at the charity shop or were given a copy by a friend then your response would be “nah”, then definitely feel no obligation to come. There will be more rewarding opportunities to hang out with your writer friend/relative! And in general don't feel obliged to go to events that don't interest you! Time is precious in this one short beautiful life, do something else that would bring you joy!
But I can't arrive empty handed?
Is this a comment or a question? Your presence (and to be fair, maybe your book purchase) is your present. (My mother is strict about not arriving empty handed, so I brought Wiz a card and a banana yellow fountain pen. She was very sweet about it, but it turns out bringing a gift is definitely not normal or expected)
What if I don't know anyone?
That's totally fine, past Felicity and other readers (although I did ask my lovely cousin Rachel to come with me to Wiz’s launch…who happens to be a top literary agent)! If you're at all interested in the book, you'll have common ground with the other people there! All the guests that the writer wants to celebrate with, so you can be reasonably confident they are friendly and interesting…unless the author has invited their evil nemesis to witness their moment of triumph.
This almost happened to me at Tania Tay’s book launch for THE OTHER WOMAN. It was at the Waterstones by my office, so I had home advantage when I encountered Kingsley Pearson for the first time. It wasn't technically the first time, as we’d both been in attendance at the same awards ceremony (at Carmelite House, in fact) and on the same Zoom calls a few times—because in 2022 Kingsley and I were both writing crime/thriller novels that kept being shortlisted for the same prizes. But the first time we spoke was that night in the packed out basement of Waterstones Leadenhall, where I introduced myself by saying,
“Oh wow, you're Kingsley! I'm Felicity!” No flicker of recognition from Kingsley, who remained inscrutable. Just as a nemesis would. “From the Mo Siewcharran Prize and the Joffe Prize and—you know, we're always up against each other for mystery novel competitions, so obviously one of us should murder the other and write a book about it!”
It turned out that we were very much not on the same wavelength about this but we did swap numbers. And he invited me to his launch for FLAT 401 the following year.
Also, my philosophy for events when I don't know anyone is to go straight up to people and ask them about themselves, particularly anyone on their own but groups as well, women or men, even if they're obviously very cool (whereas I'm more…what's the term? “Nerd-presenting” but not in a niche subculture way which is actually kind of cool, just basic nerd factor to the max?)
Is this daunting? A bit. Do I sometimes flame out in a blaze of social awkwardness? Of course!
But people are always polite, and most people are fascinating and friendly and some people turn out to be true kindred spirits and even the chance of this is worth leaving the house for, even if it's raining.
Last year I was having breakfast with two school pals, and we were discussing the different things we find daunting/easy at work. My company had recently put on an assault course event for us to undertake with our clients, giving worker drones like me the opportunity to showcase our lack of athleticism and fear of heights to both internal and external stakeholders. I tried to put a positive spin on the day. “I had a mini panic attack and had to be talked down from the wall by the head of research, but at least I contracted a skin infection(!)” I should really have claimed the cost of the antibiotics on expenses.
Then my friend L told us about her company's off-site and the skit she'd acted in about international business norms. The three of us went to an all-girls school, where we were always acting in school plays, giving votes of thanks and so on. We agreed that we'd much rather join in with a comedy sketch or musical number than be forced into group skydiving or anything physical or dangerous, but loads of her colleagues and praised her performance and said how brave she was, that they'd never be able to do something like that.
“I've realised why I don't find that sort of thing intimidating,” she said. “Meeting new people, going on stage. I just assume that everyone I meet is going to be delighted to see me.”
I honestly think this is a cheat code to life. And at book launches or other events where I don't know anyone, I remind myself on the way in — there are so many interesting people here that I'm about to meet for the first time. They'll be delighted to chat to me. And to be very clear, it's not that I think I'm inherently delightful (see above re: max nerd factor) but I'm curious, and other people's passions and projects are interesting, and I'm not totally sure if this makes me an extrovert but in my opinion the most energising thing in the world is introducing people to someone who you know will also be interested in the book or idea or situation they just shared with you.
Should I eat before coming?
If it's at a bookshop, yes. If it's at a bar/restaurant then there might be a welcome drink but generally plan to pay your own way.
Occasionally there will be a cake, or cupcakes/biscuits with the book cover on them and Tania gave me some advice on this: make a sturdy sheet cake and cover it with buttercream. Then order the customised icing top online (eBay and Etsy both have lots of options for this - you just send them the image file and they post you the icing sheet.). Obviously there's lots of scope for disaster with this — I'm imagining a large cake iced with the words “the attached file in colour, thanks” but when it works it's very fun and festive.
But what if I'm not invited to a book launch?
Oof this happens to me all the time! You see a glamorous and exclusive looking party on social media with masses of your mutual acquaintances and of course it stings. That's okay! There's always capacity constraints for a book launch, and some authors might feel like they're pressuring you to buy the book or spend money at the launch and err on the side of caution, so don't take it personally. It's still a book you can look forward to reading, and you can share a review to support the author, and there are loads of people who don't go to in-person launches out of choice or due to circumstance but are still valued members of the book community.
This week I went to two very different but both spectacular launches (although every book launch I've been to has been fun! The casual bookshop ones with a small guestlist and no catering make conversation easier and you have a better chance of meeting everyone.
Launch #1: Stylish Asian Fantasy Noir
On Monday, the ESEA and fantasy book communities turned out in style to celebrate Paris Celestial, A.Y. Chao’s stylish and sassy follow-up to the Sunday Times #1 bestselling Shanghai Immortal. It was held at Lucy Wong, an atmospheric underground bar which Alice decorated for the occasion with a huge photo backdrop, hundreds of red packets enclosing individual fortunes, and a fortune-, telling machine dispensing tickets with book covers on them, stories by other ESEA authors. There were bao buns and signature cocktails and goody bags and a dress code: East Asian/1920s fae/vampires/other magical folk, and Alice's daughter awarded prizes to the flappers and guests in robes (including the Grim Reaper).
Launch #2: Mega-launch of Joy
Alice's debut had the full Carmelite House red carpet a few years ago, and on Thursday so did my friend Mayo Agard-Olubo’s debut picture book, KID REX TO THE RESCUE. I'm convinced he's the most popular guy in publishing, because not only was the venue packed out, everyone was just so happy. It was particularly sweet to reunite with so many of our London Writers Award year - including Tomek Moss , who came in from Amsterdam for the night specially to celebrate, and bought two copies of the book—not only is he Substack royalty (his newsletter Smaak on Amsterdam food is so funny and clever and appetising that I devour every installment even though I don't live in Amsterdam and have no plans to visit). Also Kayleigh Cassidy (comic travel writing! so cute!) and Tia Bannon (total icon—don’t miss out on her exquisite writing on identity and legacy) and Millie, who’s made the smart choice not to do social media but real life readers are loving her debut novel ANYA AND THE LIGHT ABOVE THE OCEAN, and Becka White, whose memoir writing is so real and insightful and witty that it would make a fantastic Substack, just saying!
Mayo's book has already become a core text in our house. Through his interest in dinosaurs, our hero Max has become superhero Kid Rex, and with the help of his sidekick Dino Dad, they save the day again and again, using their ingenuity to finally outwit King Dust Bunny and his army bent on messing up Max's room. Diane Ewen's superpowered illustrations tell both versions of the story at once, the heroic and the mundane, and I really admired the story behind the story, of empowerment through education, self esteem and secure attachment, and especially the relationship between Max and his dad. It was even more moving because of Mayo's tribute to the support and inspiration he received from his late parents, role models and the book community.
Ruth, the CEO of Hachette Children's Books, delivered a rallying cry in support of picture books and their impact on reading for pleasure and children's literacy, and the energy in the room was palpable—and really, that's the best thing about book launches. It was even the best thing about this one, and they had two types of Kid Rex cake and the title spelled out in gold balloons, and eight types of delicious and unfamiliar food, and a memory table of adorable family photographs and a videographer and and and…joy. Maximum joy. Joy at the culmination of years of effort and creativity and teamwork and inspiration and study and artistry and now, at last, a book. A book that will become part of so many people's stories. Stories like ours, reading this book together on holiday by the sea, watching the rain fall outside with my son and middle daughter crowded onto my lap, laughing and jumping up to strike superhero poses, delighted by the stories we get to share.
Have you ever been to a book launch? What would you suggest to someone planning one?
However, THE KINGDOM OF TIGERS can be yours for the relatively low, low price of seven Great British pounds and ninety-nine pence (recommended RRP, but at time of writing HarperCollins offer a 30% discount off your first order with them if you sign up to their newsletter).
Congrats - how very exciting! Enjoy your very first book launch. You could always break all the norms and serve Malaysian kuih and weird herbal teas. 😬