Readers Connect with Writers at Events
Ah, crisp apple slices, hot kettle corn, and roasted turkey legs kicked off the Apple Festival. Last week, I attended the event in Lincoln, Arkansas. My friend, Nicole Donoho from Teddyfly Publishing, had a 10 by 10 tent set up for writers to promote and sell their books. But it was so much more than that.
While we talked to nice locals, visitors came from Ohio and the Pacific Northwest, also. Avid readers and curious shoppers stopped and browsed our table. Vivid book covers, and free candy drew them to us. Chocolate anyone? You bet. What a way to bring people together.
On Friday, dozens of smiling children enjoyed the festivities. The kids were out of school because they did their homework ahead of time. What a great incentive. They loved our books, and their parents bought several. My friends signed them, and the kids were excited. It was their first autographed book. Also, we learned what kind of stories they preferred. And we found out what their parents liked.
The crisp October mornings in Arkansas get the folks thinking about upcoming holidays. Over the breaks, people read. At our booth, they had their choice of picture books, teen fantasy stories, science fiction tales, and novels for adults.
Nicole and her friend Lisa Overstreet wrote most of the children’s books. After taking Nicole’s writing class, Eveleigh Thompson wrote her first book. She was ten-years-old when she finished it. Other writers included Alan Lampe, C. J. May, M. D. Gashier, and of course, me.
I didn’t have a printed book to sell. The digital file was still at the publishing house. I only had small posters of my cover and the blurb. It didn’t matter. While sales were important, I wanted to see my friends and connect with new readers. I had opportunities to collect emails. Those subscribers might read my stories in the future.
During the event, I met a librarian. She purchased books from our table, and she said she would order mine. That made my day even better. My novel will be on the shelf at the Lincoln Library. Yay!
Before I left, I visited other vendors. Homemade crafts ranged from jewelry to decorative wreaths. T-shirts, hats, jelly, and artwork sold like hotcakes at a charity fundraiser. The whole town turned out for the Lincoln Apple Festival. No one passed up the paper boats of sliced apples. Yummy. In one building, they cooked apple dumplings, poured apple cider and served beans with cornbread. Everyone had a grand time, including me. I think I’ll go again next year.
