The Internet is ever changing, isn\u2019t it? Each time I teach my online courses, I have to check the links I give because they change, they disappear, they break and sometimes I mis-type them.<\/p>\n
In case I have given you the link for Shaw Guides directory of conferences, lately, I want to make sure you have it right. When I checked the link I had in the latest book I\u2019m writing, I noticed that the link was broken. Later in the day, I discovered that I had the wrong link. Here is the correct link for those of you who are seeking conferences to attend or to speak at on your expertise. http:\/\/www.shawguides.com<\/a>. For writing conferences and workshops, type in http:\/\/www.writing.shawguides.com<\/a> . <\/p>\n It appears that my favorite book festival directory link is gone. That\u2019s www.loc.gov\/loc\/cfbook\/bookfair.html. If anyone knows of another good book festival directory, I\u2019d sure like to know about it. <\/p>\n Your Book Festival Listing\/Banner<\/strong> The day that I sold so few (if any) books, I shared a booth with a guy who wrote novels and children\u2019s books. His banner advertised \u201cNovels and Children\u2019s Books.\u201d Guess who came to his booth? Readers of novels and children\u2019s books. And he sold a lot of books. <\/p>\n My point is that when you go to a book festival with your book, make sure that your listing in their brochure and your banner reflect your book\u2019s topic or genre. What is it about your book that attracts readers? That\u2019s what you want to advertise\u2014healthy eating cookbooks, science fiction, young adult thriller, books on grammar, travel guides, etc. <\/p>\n If you plan to share a booth with another author, make sure that your books are somewhat compatible. Will the people who purchase her books also be interested in yours and vice versa? Can you come up with something for the banner and program listing that will encompass both of your books?<\/p>\n Fall is a big book festival season, as is spring. Check out book festivals in your area or where you will be traveling by typing \u201cbook festival\u201d or \u201cbook fair\u201d and the name of the city at the Google prompt. <\/p>\n For more about participating in a book festival, read my article, \u201cHow to Work a Book Festival So it Works for You\u201d at http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/articles\/promo_bookFestival.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Internet is ever changing, isn\u2019t it? Each time I teach my online courses, I have to check the links I give because they change, they disappear, they break and sometimes I mis-type them. In case I have given you the link for Shaw Guides directory of conferences, lately, I want to make sure you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","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
\nAnother thing I\u2019d like to talk about today is your banner and your listing when you secure a booth at a book festival. You may recall the story I tell about the time I went to the Los Angeles Times Book Festival (where they receive around 100,000 visitors) and sold very few books. The reason was the booth banner. When I display my writing-related books at the SPAWN booth, I do very well. Why? A huge number of our visitors come to us because they are interested in writing and\/or publishing. They listen as we answer their questions about SPAWN and give them a few suggestions or resources related to their project and then they typically purchase one or more of my books.<\/p>\n