We were honoured by TheGallery at Arts University Bournemouth as they welcomed us in launching, belatedly but officially, Silhouettes.

Taking place on Thursday 5 May, I was joined by family, friends and colleagues in celebrating and launching my short story and poetry collection, Silhouettes, released last November.

This was my first book launch event. I’d debated doing one for Lust & Liberty back in the day, but the logistics were a bit difficult to work out. Not least because I was fully self-employed, trying to get a business and a book off the ground at the same time back then. When Sin & Secrecy followed in 2020, it was impossible. It was the heart of the pandemic, after all. But I planned, very early into the strategy for Silhouettes to do some kind of event. And thank goodness for the team at TheGallery — curator and manager Violet M McClean in particular — for holding me to it. Turns out, celebrating myself does not come naturally to me!

On the night itself, family, friends and staff from Arts University Bournemouth were in attendance. I was even honoured by the presence of the leader of the online MA Creative Writing course. That said, it was a small and unpretentious event. I prepared a speech; originally I was asked to talk about my writing journey, but by and large, that isn’t all that interesting. I gave a bit of background about how Silhouettes came about, and spoke on the circularity of art and inspiration. One of my more profound moments, I think. Friends of mine recorded said speech — I may post it in due course.

What I learned from the Silhouettes launch event

Book launches don’t need to be intimidating events. You can keep them simple; some drinks, background music, a couple of speeches, and a signing. A reading is always good — I think it pays off to give the attendees — potential customers — a taste of the merchandise. In my case, I read a poem. One of my more uplifting ones (albeit with a morbid twist): O to be Bubbleless, featuring one of my favourite things (a lobster).

Also, find a venue that suits the mood of the event. I had had it in mind to throw a post-launch party in a private room of a pub or bar. It didn’t happen in the end, and I’m glad, in retrospect. I think that kind of atmosphere would have set the wrong tone. When it comes to launching my next book, I’ll keep these things in mind.

What’s next?

I’m not all done with Silhouettes. There’s still an audiobook version to release, for one thing. Plus, the goal is to get it into brick-and-mortar bookshops and libraries. There are some obstacles to get over, particularly as the book is self-published. But I have a strategy to get around this and convince the decision-makers that this work is as professional as any other.

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