On the Road at Author Events
I have three events in the next few weeks, none of them in Chicago, where I live.First up this Saturday is the 3rd annual Author Fair at Princeton (IL) Public Library. Princeton is located just south of I-80, a bit north of Peoria. The library hosts a lovely author fair each year, with interesting authors selling terrific books in a variety of genres. This is a picture of me with Jessica Cage, another Chicago author, in Princeton two years ago. She won’t be there this year, but the following week I’ll see her at...
Penned Con! This is my first appearance at Penned Con, a huge author/reader event in St. Louis that supports autism being held September 29-30. There are some wild activities promised (I believe one involves wearing pajamas) along with the opportunity to meet dozens of authors - and buy their books. Here’s the link to find out more.
Last but not least is another return appearance, this time at the Oswego (IL) Public Library Literary Fest. It’s a beautiful building and just like Princeton, will host some pretty wonderful local authors on October 7.
Will I sell a lot of books? I have no idea. Sometimes I do. Sometimes (full confession) I sell none.
Will a lot of people show up? I have no idea. It depends on the weather, on the publicity, on the traffic, on competing events, luck. Unless there are reservations or pre-paid tickets, it’s hard to gauge even how many books, flyers and business cards to pack.
Not all the events I do incur a fee. The bigger ones do, the library ones usually not. But there’s gas, parking, food, and my time.
So with no guarantee of anything, why do it?
I like to meet my readers and potential readers. I like having the opportunity to share why I wrote my books and why I think they’re inspiring. I like chatting with other authors about the joys and challenges of this profession. I know I’ll always pick up some tidbit that will help me.
But the best part? The absolutely best part? I spend the day surrounded by books and people who love books.
And whether I sell a lot or a little, that’s a good day.
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