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Plan
Ahead
for
Book Fairs, Tradeshows, Conferences, and Conventions!
Here's Your Work List
From Carolyn Howard-Johnson
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Book Fairs
A List and Mini Reviews of Each |
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Promotion Tip:
Warning!
Book fairs are only as good as you make them Each varies in
character. Choose the best matches for you, then promote,
promote, promote. For other ideas on how you can make
your book fair successful, check "book fair" references in
the index of
The
Frugal Book Promoter.
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or
tech on every page of this Web site.
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(The
book fairs below are ones that I have personally presented at or
participated in some other way. Contact me for recommendations if you
wish. Conventions and tradeshows are listed separately below.)
 West Hollywood Book Fair
has been put on hiatus. I hope it will be back soon. Google to see if
this is the big year for them to return.
 LA
Times Festival of Books at USC. This is a huge fair. You'll get lost if you don't plan,
but the possibilities are endless. They offer an early bird rate
if you sign up before November of the previous year. The fair is usually
the last week in April. You'll find a section in The
Frugal Book Promoter on book fairs that includes suggestions for
making them successful based on my many years as dirctor of Authors'
Coalition booth there.
San Bernardino Book Fair at San
Bernardino Valley College. This fair is
very small; a great opportunity for new authors but there are many in
the San Bernardino area. Google "San Bernardino Book Fair" to find
Scholastic book fairs, school book fairs, Cal State fairs, etc.
Great Salt Lake
Book Festival is underwritten by Utah Humanities. It sponsors other
fairs and events including a well-planned and diverse one in St. George,
Utah. Check them all out.
Hollywood Book
Festival is still a small but fun book fair. Their theme is "spotlighting books worthy of further consideration from
the film, TV and game industries."
www.hollywoodbookfestival.com .
National Book Festival in Washington DC is sponsored by
the Library of Congress. Opportunities for presenters other than very
famous or extremely well-reviewed or connected authors is limited but
support for this fair is far-reaching and opportunities of other kinds
abound.
Excellent sponsors.
Usually helpd during
October in Nashville, TN,
the
Southern Festival of
Books has been celebrting wht written
word for at least twenty-seven years. I loved Nashville and the musical
offering the fair offered. Even if you aren't local, you could plan a
really nice trip around this business experience.
Yvonne Perry and
Carolyn Howard-Johnson as Carolyn signed her books at the
Southern Book
Festival in Nashville, TN, 2007.
I
presented at Book Em in
North Carolina, founded
and directed by Author Patricia Terrell and it was small but full of
networking opportunities and donates to literary charities.
I display my
books at
Brevard Authors Book
Fair (Cocoa,
FL) Spring.
Check this fair for benefits offered by
The Book Display
for authors who can't attend and the cost is truly nominal. Reasonable booth prices.
The sponsors do several book fairs in the area each year.
Others Book Fairs:
These are fairs I know about but haven't attended
or participated in. Because book fairs change venues frequently, and
directors even more frequently, this is more a list of fair
possibilities for you to Google so that you might query for a booth or
speaking opportunity.
Tip: New authors may want to schedule a book fair booth
in both spring and fall for the first five years of their careers and
slowly work into being a presenter.
Amelia Island Book Festival (Amelia Island, FL), Fall
Atlanta
Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival, The,
(Atlanta, GA) Fall
Austin Jewish
Community Book Fair, The (Austin, TX), Late fall
Austin Book Festival (Austin, TX), Late fall.
Baltimore Book
Festival,(Baltimore, MD), Fall
Blackboard Festival: "Dozens
of Authors. . .Thousands of Readers. . .All Under One Roof." Houston, Texas
Blue Metropolis
(Montreal, CA), Spring
Brooklyn Book Festival
(Brooklyn, NY), Fall
Buckeyes Book Fair
(Wooster, OH). Late fall.
Celebrate the Book
(Carlisle, PA), Fall
Central
Coast Book and Author Festival (San Luis Obispo, CA.) Fall
Collingswood Book
Festival (Collingswood, NJ), Fall
Connecticut Children's Book Fair (Storrs, CN), Fall
Delaware Book Festival (Dover, DE), Late fall
Fall for the Book Literary
Festival (Fairfax, VA), Fall
Frankfurt Book Fair
(Germany) Tip: Indie Book Publishers Association (IBPA) sponsors a booth
here and renting a post is a frugal way to be part of the fair, though I
do strongly suggest the author also be present to get the most out of
it. Many authors and publishers sell foreign rights at this fair.
Georgia Literary
Festival,(Blue Ridge, GA), Fall
Indianapolis Bookfest,
Dolores Thornton, founder.
Kentucky Book Fair
(Frankfort,
KY), Late fall
Meet
the Authors Book Fair (Melbourne, Fl) Late fall. Check this fair for
benefits offered by The Book Display for authors who can't attend.
Reasonable booth prices.
Montana Festival of the Book,
(Missoula, MT)
Multicultural Children's Book Festival (Washington, DC), Late
fall
Miami Book
Fair International,
(Miami, Florida)
National
Black Book Festival, (Houston, TX)
Nebraska Book
Festival, (Lincoln, NE)
New Yorker Festival
(New York City), Fall
Texas Book Festival.
Tokyo International Book Fair
Arizona
Daily Star Tucson
Festival of Books with the University of Arizona, (Tucson, AZ), Spring.
West Coast Author
Premiere (Ventura County), Summer
West Texas
Book & Music Festival, (Abilene, TX)
Wisconsin Book
Festival
Miami Book Fair
(Florida). My husband was featured at this fair as a gold medal winner
of the Readers' View medal for his What
Foreigners Need To Know About America From A To Z.
Spring Book Show (Atlanta,
GA)
Latino Book & Family
Festivals, The (Houston, TX), Fall
Litquake (San Francisco, CA), Fall
London Book Fair
Louisiana Book Festival
(Baton Rouge, LA), Late fall.
Miami Book Fair International
(Miami, FL), Late fall
Midwest Literary
Festival (Aurora, IL), Fall
New Orleans Bookfair
(New Orleans, LA), Late fall
Novello Festival of Reading
(Charlotte, NC), Fall
Orange County Children's Book
Festival (Costa Mesa, CA), Fall
Bologna Children's Book
Fair, Italy
Philadelphia Book
Festival
Red Dirt Book Festival
(Shawnee,
Oklahoma)
Rochester
Children's Book Festival (Rochester, NY), Late fall
Sarasota Reading
Festival (Sarasota, FL), Late fall
Santa Barbara Book & Author
Festival (Santa Barbara, CA), Fall
South Dakota Festival of
Books (Deadwood,
SD), Fall
St. Petersburg Times Festival
of Reading (St. Petersburg, FL), Fall
Twin Cities Book Festival
(Minneapolis, MN), Fall
Vegas Valley Book Festival
(Las Vegas, NV), Fall
West Virginia
Book Festival (Charleston, W. VA), Fall
Wisconsin Book Festival
(Madison, WI), Fall
Wordstock (Portland, OR),
Late fall
Wyoming Book Festival,
(Cheyenne, WY)
A LIST OF JEWISH BOOK
FAIRS
This list is courtesy of my
publicist friend Scott Lorenz, President of Westwinds Communications.
Most are events to celebrate Jewish Book Month and sponsored by
Jewish Community Centers (JCC). These may or may not be annual events,
though the longest one listed has been going for 64 years. Each will
take some extra research and your book would qualify if it would
interest a Jewish audience--whether or not you are Jewish.
Shalom Austin’s
Jewish Book Fair
(Austin, TX)
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-jXyXCxCBVLpvk%40303617887-KnYUUxS9h65sI
JCC of North Shore,
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-9PMMpIBqGYowY%40303617888-B/UixaFxHtvJE
JCC Charleston sponsors Charleston Jewish Bookfest in late July.
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-ouLt6pBPJwZZc%40303617889-vpur2jtsfQAKA
JCC Dallas. For more information, please contact
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-NTEB70CY37JmQ%40303617890-qBWaoFmNT5DKc
JCC Indianapolis will host The Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts on
October 28
November 15, 2015,
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-SlBWQ.7YdBOoU%40303617891-uBTAJHKrSwqZA
Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor The 28th Annual
Jewish Book Festival will take place in November 2015.
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-.4q4LSIq/zJgk%40303617892-RiTyoxeLNO0GY
Weinstein JCC will host the Fife-Davis Family Annual Jewish Book
Fair & Gift Shop in November 2015.
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-yX5JuL3ooY6EY%40303617893-yof3ocAMV.enU or
Columbus JCC
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-KalqJC7S1ndvk%40303617894-bzvCBEguE/z0w
Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center (Houston, TX) 40th Annual
Jewish Book & Arts Fair,
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-mFAa6YyMpeU.I%40303617895-BhmMHggoVvqME
JCC Memphism Jewish Literary and Cultural Arts Festival
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-ihSSr40WCBRzQ%40303617896-lbbt2TZHHcxfI
jewishliterary&category=Culture
St. Louis JCC’s 37th Annual St. Louis Jewish Book Festival.
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-enl1CqTO6jjgM%40303617897-D1jQtilvH3/Oc
JCC of Metro Detroit’s 64th Annual Jewish Book Fair.
>http://m1e.net/c?17920389-2OFvja0cLP/Yw%40303617898-QII0WVXVcX0QA
Marcus JCC Atlanta’s Book Festival. For 23
successful years,
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-486CVb6N2YNf6%40303617899-LXYNYA7uUGvoY
JCC of Greater Washingtonm 43rd Annual Book Festival,
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-LLq2CvXmv6MbI%40303617900-XNUFRilizSBoo
Mandel JCC (Beachwood, OH) Annual Festival of Jewish Books & Authors.
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-1WNZbai9OcR7U%40303617901-wrca7WVTi5AJw
JCC Jewish Book Festival, Vancouver.
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-KrIcBD/OHjKsM%40303617902-fTUA3RiXGm7Kk
Scott says, "Book fairs typically seek out guest speakers or panelists.
By volunteering to speak at a Jewish book fair, you will pique the
interest of new readers and potentially gain a few new fans.
Additionally, you can add the speaking appearance to your resume and
press material. Be sure to plan ahead because book fairs, speaking
engagements and readings are all planned months in advance. For more
book fairs and festivals visit
http://m1e.net/c?17920389-zb2iybDUSEGXY%40303617903-ZmjbHMdOShSXA ."
Feel free to contact him for updates and his other services for authors.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Carolyn
Howard-Johnson is available to speak or serve as a panelist at book
fairs.
See a list of the many places Carolyn
has spoken including many book fairs, publishing industry expos and conventions,
writers' conferences and retail tradeshows.
MORE
For a list of genre fiction conventions go to
http://www.locusmag.com/Conventions.html
or
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wilf.james/i_conlist.htm
For a
long list of national and international book fairs (albeit with no
personal comments) go to the
Library of Congress list at
http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/bookfair.html.
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Tips
Tip #1
To present at a fair, contact the program
directors well in advance. Six to eight months in advance is
a good guideline.
Tip #2
Learn
more about making book fairs and other book promotion at
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. There is a search
engine near the top of the blog for searching for specific
topics with keywords.
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or
tech on every page of this Web site.
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Conventions and Tradeshows |
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For the uninitiated,
tradeshows and conventions are usually set up for people in the trade
and those associated closely with it. Often the public is not invited
and special credentials are required for entrance. Sometimes fairly high
entrance fees are required as well.
The DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film,  Music & Books
Small
Publishers of North America's College.
IBPA's
(Indie Book Publishers Association) Mini University usually can be
found at Book Expo America and the West Coast.
Virginia Library Association Annual Meeting and Exhibit offers a
book exhibit.
Massachusetts Library
Association Annual Meeting and Exhibit. Association Book
Exhibit. A combined exhibit and professional conference.
International
New Age Tradeshow (INATS)
isn't about books only, but if you write for new agers, this
is a tradeshow with an excellent reputation for sales of new
age books.
This is what the floor of Book Expo America looks like.
Bologna Children's Book Fair
is really more of a tradeshow for all things related to
publishing work for children. Contact them at
area.eventi@bolognafiere.it.
Book Publicists of Southern California
(BPSC) has a mini book fair at each of their meetings.
This, left to
right, is Pam Kelly, Dee Vollendorffand Carolyn.
Pam and Carolyn are both BPSC's Irwin Award
winners.
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Tradeshow
Tip
If you can wrangle a press
pass to a trade show, that gives you access to the media
room. That usually means free coffee and donuts at a
minimum, but it also allows you to pick up media kits from
businesses and other media that may be of use to you and
bring in a stack of your own media kits to be distributed to
the media in attendance. If you review books for an online
review site, that may qualify you for a pass to some book-orented
tradeshows and book fairs. You will need a letter of
referral, but it is worth it. (A press pass may also mean
that you can avoid entrance fees.)
BTW, this is an example of
the kind of tips in The Frugal Book Promoter, big-little things that
only come with experience and lots of it. (-:
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or
tech on every page of this Web site.
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Writers' Conferences
The Big and the Cozy |
Don't forget to check out my
list of books for writers on
this site
and in the appendixes of both multi award-winning books in the
HowToDoItFrugally Series,
The Frugal Book Promoter
and
The Frugal Editor. Both are now in their
second editions.
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Free Online Conferences
When I can donate my time,
I try to support free online conferences. One I co-founded
wtih Lea Schizas is
The Muse Online Writers' Conference. One I've presented
at for several years running is the
Catholic Online Conference (please check of availability
because this conference is a volunteer effort). held Also
check out Jo Linsdell's
PromoDay
that appears every spring. It focuses on book marketing.
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion,
or
tech on every page of this Web site.
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Net Promotion
Tip
Links and recommendations can be a great way to build Web
site traffic. Trouble is there is a tendency to withhold a
favor until someone has reciprocated.
If I think a link will be useful to you, my Web site visitor,
I will post it whether or not it is reciprocated. Nor do I
expect links to be tit for tat.
Example, someone may mention my book or my site in their
newsletter rather than on their Web site and that makes me
just as happy. I suggest you do the same. It gives
your link page and your suggestions more credibility and it underscores what
pubic relations is supposed to be about -- ethics and a
willingness to help one another out when possible.
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion, or
tech
on every page of this Web site.
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For resources and links
galore, grab yourself a copy
of the
Frugal Book Promoter.
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Buy Links for
Carolyn's Books |
"Careers
that are not fed die as readily as
any living organism
given no sustenance."
~
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Studio photography by
Uriah Carr
3 Dimensional Book Cover Images by iFOGO
Logo by
Lloyd King
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Subscribe to
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers Newsletter
and get a FREE copy of
Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers
"I have been a professional writer 40 years, and am also a
tenured full professor of journalism. Carolyn's Sharing with
Writers newsletter is most useful for me--and for my
students. I emphasize to them that while research is 90% of
writing, and the actual writing is about 10%, there's another
100% out there called promotion. Carolyn shows numerous ways to
get the message to the mass media."
~Walter Brasch, author
and educator
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As You
Browse... |
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...you will find at least one promotion, writing.
or tech tip on every page on this site. Sometimes you'll find two or
three! Happy browsing and collecting!
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Endorsements |
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"I’m a writer who
would love to have someone else take over the editing and proofreading
stages of my manuscripts because I hate editing, proofreading, and
rewriting. Ms. Howard-Johnson’s techniques and her encouragement from
page to page of THE FRUGAL BOOK EDITOR lifts my spirits to the level
where I can approach these hated tasks in a better attitude and get the
job done. I advise all writers to obtain a copy of THE FRUGAL BOOK
EDITOR and keep it handy as your write."
~Lucille P. Robinson, reviewer for
Alternative Read
Wow. What more can I
say? [The Frugal Book Promoter is] interesting,
informative, readable and more. Easy to follow, quotes and technique
mixed in together wonderfully. This is an A-one job. Watch out world!
I’m going to have to put it under my pillow
~
Leora G. Krygier, author of First the
Raven and When She Sleeps |
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Tip |
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Please notice the new page on this site that
features writers' conferences and
their benefits. It's an extension of the conference information on this
page.
Find at least one tip on writing, promotion. or
tech on every page of this Web site.
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Site
Sponsor |
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Carolyn's Blogs |
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Sharing with Writers
All things publishing with
an emphasis on book
promotion. Named to
Writer's Digest
101 Best Website list.
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The New Book Review
Great way for readers, authors, reviewers and publicists to get more
mileage out of
a great review.
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The Frugal Editor Blog
This is the Frugal, Smart
and Tuned-In Editor blog.
Covers editing, grammar, formatting and more.
Get the answers you need.
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Carolyn's Awards |
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Awards for Carolyn's Books, Blogs and More The New Book Review
Named to
Online Universities'
101 Book Blogs
You Need to Read
Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites
for Sharing with Writers blog.
Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008)
and the Second Edition of The Frugal Book Promoter
(2011).
Reader Views Literary Award for The Frugal Editor
New Generation Award for Marketing and Finalist for The Frugal Editor
Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award
Military Writers Award of Excellence for
Tracings, A Chapbook of Poetry.
A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion wins author Military
Writers Society of America's Author of the Month award for March, 2010
Gold Medal
Award from Military Writers Society of America, 2010.
MWSA also gave a nod to
She
Wore Emerald Then,
a chapbook of poetry honoring mothers.
The Frugal
Editor
Named #! on Top Ten
Editing Books list.
Finalist
New Generation Book Awards 2012, The Frugal Book
Promoter, Finalist 2010 The Frugal Editor,
Winner 2010 Marketing Campaign for the Frugal Editor
The Oxford Award
recognizes
the
alumna who exemplifies the Delta Gamma precept of
service to her community and who, through the years,
devotes her talents to improve the quality of life
around her.
The Frugal
Book Promoter is runner-up in the how-to category for
the
Los Angeles Book Festival 2012
awards.
Winner Diamond Award
for Achievement in the Arts
Glendale
California's Arts and Culture Commission and the City of
Glendale Library,
2013
And more than a dozen other awards for Carolyn's novel, short story collection and poetry.
See the awards page on this site.
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A
Selection of Carolyn's Past
Speaking Engagements |
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Presenter
2009, 2010
Presenter,
2008, 09, 10, 11
Panel moderator, 2007
National Span College
presenter 2002
Fellows presenter, 2007,
08
Co-sponsor and presenter,
2007, 08, 09, 10, 11
University of Dayton Erma
Bombeck Writers' Conference, 2006, 2008
Sisters in Crime,
Pasadena, 2009
On the
Los Angeles Valley College Campus 2012, Rancho
Library 2013,
Valley College Spring 2014
Wisconsin Regional Writers Association
Presenter, Keynote 2010
Book 'Em,
NC,
Three Panels 2013
Presenter, 2013
Seminar Speaker, 2014
Keynote, 2013; 2014
Secrets of Great
Dialogue, 2015
Learn
of more about
Carolyn's conferences. |
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Your
Book Marketing Resource |
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The Frugal Book Promoter
is one of your most valuable resources because
it is written from personal experience and gives you
the basics for promoting everything else you do--in
print, on TV or radio, or online. See an excerpt on
Fifteen
Publicity Commandments,
and excerpt from that book. |
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