What to say at a book launch: a speech outline

How long to talk

Shorter than you think. The people who run author events publish fairly consistent numbers:

So plan on 15 to 20 minutes of talking and reading at a launch you host, and less in someone else's slot. The rest of the evening is questions, conversation and signing.

Do not plan your speech by word count. Speaking rates vary a lot from person to person. Instead, read your draft aloud with a phone timer running, at the pace you would use in a room, and cut until it fits with a minute to spare.

The four parts of a launch speech

A launch speech has a simple job, and four parts do it. Keep them in this order.

1. Thanks (2 minutes)Thank the host or bookseller first, by name. Then the people in the room who made the book happen: a spouse, a team, the clients whose stories are in it. Group everyone else ("everyone who read early chapters").
2. Why you wrote it (5 to 7 minutes)Penguin Random House's advice to its authors starts with two questions: what did I write, and why did I write it? Answer both with one story: the moment you knew the book had to exist, and the reader you wrote it for.
3. A reading (3 to 5 minutes)One passage, read from the printed book. See the next section for how to choose it.
4. The ask (1 minute)Tell people exactly what to do next. One ask, said plainly, works better than five.

Good asks for a launch night:

• "If you know someone who is dealing with this, buy them a copy tonight and I will sign it to them."
• "When you have read it, an honest review on the store where you bought it helps other readers find it." Ask for honesty, not stars, and never offer anything in exchange for a review; the reviews guide covers Amazon's and the FTC's rules.
• "If your company or group could use a talk on this, find me after the signing." This one matters for authors who speak or consult.

Do not end the speech on the ask. Give the ask, then thank everyone once more and hand over to questions, so the last thing the room hears is warm.

Rooms like this can do more than sell books. Rachel A. Williamson's story lists her result as "Hired on the spot" from a book-signing line, and Mike Brunel's Selling is Not Optional sold 100 copies at his launch, after which he booked a talk series. Each is one author's result, not a typical one, but both came from people who met the author in person.

Choosing the passage you read

Reading is optional. Book Riot's advice to authors, written from the audience's side, is plain: "You don't have to read an excerpt", and if you do, pick a passage that needs little setup. Penguin Random House notes that fiction authors often read. For nonfiction, a short reading still helps, because it lets people hear the book in your voice before they buy it.

What makes a good launch passage:

• A story, not a framework. A scene with a person in it reads well aloud. A list of five principles does not.
• Self-contained. If you need more than two sentences of setup, choose another passage.
• Three to five minutes. Time it aloud. Mark small cuts in pencil in your reading copy: long asides, citations, anything that only works on the page.
• Ends on a line, not a fade. Stop where the passage lands, even if the section goes on.
• Not the ending. For a memoir, do not give away the turn the book builds to. For a how-to book, read the problem, not the whole solution.

Read from the printed book, not a phone: it reminds the room the book is for sale ten feet away.

A fill-in outline

Copy this into a document and fill each bracket. The minutes add up to about 17, before questions.

A sample opening

This is an illustration. The author, book and details below are invented to show the tone. They describe no real person or book.

Running the questions

Questions are often the best part of the evening, and the part authors prepare least.

• Seed the first question. Writer Unboxed suggests arranging a few questions with friends in advance so the room does not stall. One is enough; once someone goes first, others follow.
• Repeat every question. Book Riot: "Always always ALWAYS repeat the question before you answer it." Without a good microphone, half the room did not hear it.
• Prepare for the usual five. How long did it take? What was the hardest part? How did you publish it? What is next? Who is it really for? Have a two-sentence answer for each.
• Long statements, not questions. Thank the person, pick out the question if there is one, answer it briefly, and move on: "Let's take one more from this side."
• End on time. Take the last question, repeat the ask in one line, and point people to the signing table.

If you are interviewed instead of speaking alone, agree on the questions with your interviewer ahead of time, as Writer Unboxed advises, and give them the introduction you wrote. Penguin Random House also suggests preparing a few questions for the person interviewing you.

Notes and practice

Use notes. Penguin Random House tells its authors that even seasoned authors use notes at events and practice before going on the road. A single card with the four parts and the first line of each is enough; the reading is in the book.

Practice aloud at least three times: once alone with a timer, once recorded so you can hear yourself, and once in front of one person who will tell you where they drifted. Penguin Random House suggests rehearsing with a friend or spouse and recording yourself. Know the first minute cold; nerves are worst at the start.

For an online launch, the same structure works with two changes: keep the speaking part nearer 10 to 12 minutes, because attention online is thinner, and put the buy link and the questions box on screen before you start the ask.

What most authors get wrong

• Thanking everyone by name. Name a few; group the rest. Write personal thank-you notes after.
• Summarizing the whole book. The talk should make people want the book, not replace it.
• Reading too long. Five minutes is plenty. Twenty minutes of reading is a different event.
• No ask, or six asks. One clear next step, said once in the speech and once at the end of questions.

The speech is one part of the evening. The launch event guide covers the venue, the timeline and the run of show around it, and selling books at speaking events covers taking payment and the books table. The launch planner dates your event steps for your launch week. Scribe Media makes this site and sells book publishing and marketing services; if you want a person to look at your launch plan, book a free consult.