When it’s time to move from a local market to the bigger, global market, The Festival of Storytellers (TFOS) Chapter 06, powered by ReadersMagnet, is the best way to go. TFOS is a virtual book display event that celebrates authors and books across different genres, from all around the globe. Because it’s an online book festival, people from different time zones and places can participate for FREE!
Why are so many people thrilled to join TFOS? What virtual book event best practices do they have? Well, it’s a matter of interactive fun. This article will give suggestions that will help you, whether you are the author, publisher, or both.
Virtual Book Event Best Practices
Virtual book event platforms, like TFOS, have risen in popularity in today’s literary world. But despite the convenience it brings for authors to reach global audiences, hosting a virtual book event can still face challenges. While it’s nice that everyone can join the book fest online, virtual gatherings may tend to be less engaging and memorable than in-person ones. As such, it’s imperative to create an interactive experience to keep attendees excited and involved.
How?
Setting the Stage: Preparing the Interaction
First, choose the right virtual event platform for your book event. The platforms you choose should offer live polls, Q&A tools, breakout rooms, and real-time chat features. Before the implementation, it’s best for you to test the platform way ahead of time to ensure it runs smoothly.
Once everything is polished regarding the use of the platform, it’s time to create an inviting event layout. When choosing a theme, opt for those that reflect the book’s tone or genre. You might want to use vibrant colors for children’s books or dark hues for horror novels to create a literary ambiance.
Engaging Activities to Include
One of the virtual book event best practices is including interactive activities. However, it doesn’t mean you’ll just randomly decide on the activities to add to the mix. No, you also have to consider your audience and participants. Think about what works for them. But for the sake of helping you brainstorm ideas, here are our suggestions:
- Live Q&A sessions
- Polls and quizzes
- Games and Challenges
Or, you might also want to consider creating a panel discussion where a group of authors and/or readers can join a themed discussion. Perhaps a breakout room where the participants will analyze specific chapters or debate character motives. Picture a scenario where the participants can share their own thoughts about the central themes of the book—it creates a sense of intimacy among them.
Encouraging Reader Participation
A good start in fostering audience participation is offering incentives. Giveaways build excitement and would definitely draw attendees into the conversation. Whether you’re an author, the assigned book event facilitator, or both, consider offering the following:
- signed copies of the book
- exclusive digital content
- branded merchandise
You can also opt for book shoutouts, like the ones we do at ReadersMagnet, or quick shoutouts to active attendees during the event in order to create a personal touch. Aside from shoutouts, you can also invite the audience to share their thoughts through fan art or any form of creative expression of their personal reflections about the book. To boost online engagement, set up a hashtag (#) on social media where participants can post their works.
Building Long-Term Connections
Lastly, the most important thing of all virtual book event best practices is building lasting memories with the participants. Ask for feedback, send thank-you emails, and connect with them on social media. Consider making a dedicated community space for readers and authors to interact and discuss your book. Keep the excitement alive!
Stay in the Loop!
Join this year’s The Festival of Storytellers for free from January 20 until February 02. Stay tuned for more updates.
