{"id":237,"date":"2008-04-28T04:15:13","date_gmt":"2008-04-28T12:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=237"},"modified":"2008-04-28T04:15:13","modified_gmt":"2008-04-28T12:15:13","slug":"promote-your-book-at-book-festivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=237","title":{"rendered":"Promote Your Book at Book Festivals"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m back from the big Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. SPAWN had a large booth where some of our members displayed and sold their books to a crowd of around 150,000. (SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http:\/\/www.spawn.org<\/a> <\/p>\n

People came out to the festival, which was held at UCLA, despite the fact that temps were in the 90s. They came to buy books and to meet their favorite authors and other celebs such as Valerie Bertinelli, Mary Higgins Clark, Michael Connolley, Sandra Dijkstra (literary agent), Maxine Hong Kingston, Dr. Laura Schlesinger, Jonathon Kirsch and Tommy Lasorda.<\/p>\n

Is a book festival a good place for an author to sell books? Well, yes and no\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsometimes and sometimes not so much. Some books sell and others just sit there. Your book will do better at some festivals than at others. Some festivals attract serious readers\/book buyers and some draw lookiloos with nothing else to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon; and many of whom left their wallets at home.<\/p>\n

I attend several book festivals each year and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always experimenting with booth design and sales approach. I observe other authors and I attempt to discover their secrets to bookselling success. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tYou really must have an appealing and\/or interesting cover. This weekend, the favored book was one that pictured dolphins swimming in vivid blue ocean water.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tA title can be a draw for some people. The book most picked up in our booth without solicitation was one containing the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Halloween\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the title.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tYour booth should have a theme. I sell many more copies of my books on writing and publishing from the SPAWN booth than I do if I join others in a generic, no-theme booth. People come to the SPAWN booth looking for help, advice, information, etc. about writing and publishing.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tPeople will gravitate toward an attractively designed booth. Large interesting posters, a generous bouquet of flowers and tasteful decorations related to the theme of your book, etc. will definitely catch people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tPersonality plays an important part in book festival success. Genuinely likable authors who reach out to people sell more books than those who just sit back and wait for the sale.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tFreebies and samples can raise your sales quota. Authors who offer something for free or who serve food treats, for example, can attract a crowd and sometimes sell more books. <\/p>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re an author with one or more books to sell, try setting up a booth (or share a booth) at a local book festival or flea market. Watch the calendar section in the county newspaper to find such events. Contact the Chamber of Commerce in other cities to see if they have book festivals scheduled during the year. Go to the Directory of Book Fairs at http:\/\/www.lights.com\/publisher\/bookfairs.html<\/a> <\/p>\n

Check out my article on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How to Work a Book Festival so it Works for You,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d at http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/articles\/promo_bookFestival.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n

If you have a stalled or failing book and you feel like giving up the whole authorship thing, stop\u00e2\u20ac\u201dread my new ebook, first. Let The Author\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Repair Kit <\/em>breathe new life into your book.
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/author_repairkit.html<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m back from the big Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. SPAWN had a large booth where some of our members displayed and sold their books to a crowd of around 150,000. (SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http:\/\/www.spawn.org People came out to the festival, which was held at UCLA, despite the fact […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t