When I start planning a publicity campaign, I like to think about the different elements that will be important – is this an author where my focus will be on reviews, or on broadcast – or does the book lend itself really well to written pieces? It is a really fun part of the job, that initial planning phase and while it is different for fiction and non-fiction, the area of real crossover for everything is events.

Events come in all forms – festival invitations, panels, launches and libraries – and I know that there is a lot of conversation and debate around events, particularly as the landscape appears to be forever shifting.

During lockdown, everything went online and while I would say that we are mostly "back to normal" what normal looks like is very different for every book. I worry that sometimes we can just assume that an event is the right thing to do, but maybe we need to rethink why this is.

An event can be a wonderful thing to do – readers get to meet authors, readers get to engage with the material and if it’s done right, it can be absolutely exceptional. I have had the absolute privilege of hearing some incredible authors connect with their audiences through an event, and then while managing signings have heard beautiful and intimate stories from people about why these books are important and how they have genuinely changed lives.

I have, however, been on the other side too – with events being cancelled because of a lack of sales, or events not selling to full capacity because books are expensive – and I understand that these things are not in anyone’s control either. No shop or library ever wants to have to let an author down, but unless we get to know them and trust their insight into what events will do well, we’re going to be in a constant vicious cycle.

Fleur Sinclair, Sevenoaks Bookshop, says: "The success of our events programme is measured on the variety we’re able to offer our customers – and this is across subject, format, author (celebrated big names as well as exciting debuts) and when and where we host them. Smaller lunchtime events have become increasingly popular – attracting people working from home as well as older members of our community who prefer not to go out in the evenings. And we’re also able to sell out theatre-sized events for paperback as well as hardback tours.

"Our focus is on providing a cultural hub for our community, at the same time as generating essential revenue for our bookshop. It is years and years of work to build trust so that our audiences show up time and again. We love working closely with publishers who trust our knowledge and experience and are willing to be flexible on the terms of an event. Success doesn’t have to look a certain way – it’s different for every book, every author."

No shop or library ever wants to have to let an author down, but unless we get to know them and trust their insight into what events will do well, we’re going to be in a constant vicious cycle

I worry that we can turn to an event as being the solution to a campaign – whereas it should be part of the puzzle itself. It may be that it is a book that would better benefit from money being channelled into another element of the campaign instead – or perhaps we agree that if an author has local connections then those shops are important, but trying to branch out is not the right energy focus and instead push for additional regional media coverage. Sometimes we should think about format too – if the book has a second format, it might be that by that time there has been some traction and an author has gained a following, so we shouldn’t be afraid to consider a paperback tour over a hardback one.

I think events can be wonderful – but they take a lot of resource and planning (for context, every evening that I’m out on tour, is a day I’m not seeing my family and friends, or getting to sleep in my own bed; it can be quite disruptive to our lives too) – and if they do end up being cancelled or not being as brilliant as you hoped, it can feel really disappointing for both the author and the publicist, not to mention the amazing bookseller who will have worked incredibly hard to get that event over the line in addition to doing their whole day job. We have to support our bookstores and an event is a great way to do that, but only if it makes sense to do so.

An event will not be the right thing for every book, in the same way that you would not assume every single book will be right for broadcast, and we need to keep that in mind when pulling together campaign outlines and being candid with authors about what we will be focusing on. In that same vein, launch parties, while a lovely moment of celebration, are probably not where you want a publicist to be focusing their efforts – it can certainly add value but should not be the bread and butter of a strategy.  

I am currently in the middle of planning my third author tour of the year, and we are only in April – so suffice to say it is a huge part of the job and it can absolutely pay dividends – plus taking authors out of London and into different cities is a real win to make everything more accessible. But it has to be for the right reasons, particularly as travel and accommodation is costing more than ever. I think sometimes it is about striking the right balance for the book – and having that conversation nice and early when it comes to planning, taking us right back to managing expectations and being honest with authors about the reality of what success looks like.