Savvy Saturday: Reflections on a Halloween Party by Kylee Howells

Hello all, and welcome back to Savvy Saturday! This week, I'm your host. Me, Kylee Howells, the Champagne Book Group Social Media Coordinator (aka Social Media Goddess). I'm the planner behind most of the posts, but don't often pop out to chat. For this Savvy Saturday, though, I think it would be fun to talk about what I've learned so far this year with planning Facebook parties.

First and foremost, they are not easy. For those who are thinking of planning their own, just getting people to host is difficult enough! Not to mention having people attend! Between the little and the big details, there is a lot of planning that goes into each party, and I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not the master of it yet. If you have been a host in any party ever,

Things that are great about parties:

• You get to have fun and chat with people you normally wouldn't get to meet.
• You get to do all the giveaways. It is always so much fun to be like "free book for you, and a free book for you over there" and so on.
• You get to really watch authors as they interact with readers, and if you are on top of things, you can talk to them about their encounters and how to improve. I will also be the first to admit I'm not always on top of everything. I'm good, but I'm not all-knowing lol.
• You get to participate as a party-goer as well as a party planner. I personally love posting pictures for responses, and laughing like crazy at other people's answers.
• You get to see authors develop new fans right then and there. It's a really beautiful proud mama hen moment.

The not-so-great-but-please-don't-fire-me-for-saying-so parts:

• No one will ever know what timezone the party is in. You can put it on the sign-up sheet, on the party page, in the emails, in the reminders, in the group chats, wherever; and it is guaranteed that hours before the party at least half of your hosts will ask you what timezone it is, and another quarter will just assume it's their own and post at when they think it's their turn.
• Not to say to you hosts don't ask. I may get frustrated, but I would very much prefer you to be in the half that asks!
• Wrangling hosts is like wrangling kittens when it's not nap time. Trying to get everyone in one place and working like a well oiled machine is tougher than it sounds. And it sounds tough.
• Inviting people to the party, and actually getting them there.
• It is the worst feeling when I see only one or two people interacting during a party with the authors. But I'm telling you guys, it's like fishing with just a hook sometimes. You might catch one or two fish, but somehow you just aren't connecting with people who might want to participate.
• You are stuck to your computer with an umbilical cord all day. You think I'm joking, but even when it's not your turn, people are constantly asking questions, sending giveaway winners, running into issues, etc. One party I was stuck inside for twelve hours. I went a little stir crazy and ran around outside when it was over. I tried going out to breakfast during one party and my phone was constantly going off with questions, post, etc. until I felt bad for the person I was with.

Overall, I really do like Facebook parties, and planning them, no matter how stressful they can be. I look forward to our next one (TBD) and hope that all of you reading will be following our Facebook page then so you can know when to be there for my hour (a.k.a Giveaway Bonanza).

About Me:

I am an editor for Champagne Book Group, and the Social Media Coordinator, a.k.a Social Media Goddess—I'll answer to either! I joined the CBG team in June of 2014 as a hopeful and innocent intern in my junior year of college. This ended up being my big break into the publishing world, and now I get to edit while working with the authors to promote their work. I love to plan our weekly blog post with authors and think up all the posts and events we can do using Twitter and Facebook. If there is ever a question about promotion, or just any inquiry at all, you can always ask me, and I'll do my best to find an answer.

I graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in English Literature and a minor in Technical Writing in May of 2015. Currently I enjoy the warm climes of Texas, a drastic change from my home state of Minnesota. In between working on social media, editing, and working at my local bookstore, I enjoy line dancing, reading, and playing with my adorably horrible dog, Billy. I've been camping all of once in my life and realized it's not my thing. I prefer vacations with hotels, and I adore charming places to stop and appreciate life in.