Your students did it! They brainstormed, thought creatively, outlined and finally created a wonderful classbook! Now the books have arrived. Your students are officially published authors! It’s time to celebrate this significant milestone with a classbook publishing party.
4 Classbook Publishing Party Ideas
A publishing party doesn’t have to be too elaborate - unless of course you want it to be. To take some of the planning off of your plate we suggest using something like SignUp Genius to help gather the various items you might need for your particular party—treats, supplies, awards, decor, people to help run the party and more.
We put together these four ideas, but there are certainly many other ways to celebrate your students becoming published authors. We were sure to include something for every level of dedication. Whatever you decide, have a blast celebrating with your class!
Party Idea #1: Brown Bag Lunch Discussion
This party is a simple, cost-efficient way to celebrate your students becoming authors.
Have everyone pack a sack lunch for the day of the party and stay in the classroom. Plan to have several parents sign up to send in special treats to have during the book reveal.
Unveil the classbooks together—how excited will your class be when you open the box of books? It’s an exciting time to literally cut open the box with your class, and for everyone to see the classbooks for the first time together. So no peeking!
After your students each take a look at their book, then they can start taking turns reading passages from their writing. After everyone reads their passages, have them talk about what they love about each person’s writing—be sure we’re doing positive feedback only—and enjoy lunch while everyone discusses their books.
Finish off the party with special treats and let everyone look through the books together.
Party Idea #2: Use Your Book Theme
Many teachers like to use the theme of their classbook as inspiration for their publishing party. This is a fantastic way to honor the creative writing and illustrations that were the results from writing prompts and activities.
For example: if you and your class went with a superhero-themed writing for their classbooks, then it would make sense to celebrate your finished classbooks with a snazzy superhero party!
Have your students come to school dressed as the superheroes from their stories (or bring the costume with them to change into for the party). Plan to have the students take turns reading a their part of the classbook aloud to the class. Or they can describe their hero to the class, if they don’t feel comfortable reading out loud yet.
Have parents send in superhero treats and drinks, and plan to decorate the classroom with superhero themed decor.
Party Idea #3: Book Signing Event
While your students may not have attended an author reading and book signing, it’s likely that you have. For this party idea, you’ll want to invite other grades to come and visit on the day of the party if you can.
As a class, you and your students can create a flyer inviting other students to come and hear authors read passages from their books. Set the stage, set up a circle of your student’s desks so people can walk around—and give out autographs in the other student’s books.
Plan to serve special treats and drinks to not only your guests but for your distinguished authors as well. Your students can mingle with your visitors in between readings and during the signing time while they enjoy showcasing their books.
If you cannot invite other classes to your book signing, it is also a good idea to invite parents or other special family and friends to come by and listen to the readings and get their books signed or autographs.
Party Idea #4: Red Carpet Party
Literally put out the red carpet for your published authors!
Set up your classroom like the Academy Awards red carpet. Have your students dress up for it—within school dress code, of course—and then take photos of your students on the “red carpet” with their books.
If possible, create awards for every student, so they can give “acceptance speeches.” This could include reading a portion of their writing piece and then thanking everyone they felt helped in the process of putting together their projects. It would be a nice touch to film all the speeches, so parents can view it later!
Plan for some fun treats that are fit for award winners to top off the party, and everyone can have fun discussing who’s wearing who, and how they can’t believe all these amazing published authors are gathered in one spot!
Writing resources for teachers
Visit our online teacher’s lounge for tips and ideas about improving your students’ writing. It’s there to help you instill a love of writing in your students.
If you want your class to become published authors and have a publishing party to celebrate, head over and sign up to receive your free classbook publishing kit. You won’t want to miss a chance to give your class the gift of having a published book!