January was another busy month for me which has left little time for writing. My local U3A asked me to give a talk at their monthly meeting. Researching the life and times of Agatha Christie and putting together a PowerPoint presentation took up much of the first half of the month (though I did manage to sell 7 of my paperback books! Yippee!) and the second half has been pretty hectic as well. I’ve been co-opted onto the working party of four to organise a Book Fair.
I’ve taken part in various Book Fairs over the years, but this is the first time that I’ve been involved in helping to organise one. As part of this year’s annual 10-day Swindon Festival of Literature (an event that’s been held for over 30 years there is to be a Book Fair for local authors in the town centre. The event will also showcase four or five writing group activities designed to encourage budding writers to take up writing. With 2.2 new books being published each year, promotion and publicity is essential if your books are to stand any chance of being seen.
I’m a member of a small group of local authors who get together monthly to discuss marketing ideas to sell our books. We all met at a local Book Fair a couple of years ago. Although I would love to be read as widely as possible – nothing lifts the spirits like a wonderful 5* review on Amazon and Goodreads from a perfect stranger – I must confess I’ve never given much attention to promotion and publicity which these days is a necessity for all writers. I posted so rarely on Facebook and Twitter (never made it to X) that since the Pandemic, I’ve stopped bothering altogether. I’ve forgotten all my passwords. Giving talks and attending the odd Book Fair (neither of which produce massive sales) tend to be the only things I do lately.
If any of you live in the Swindon area, do pop into The Hub in the centre of the town on Saturday 10th of May. The Book Fair runs from 10.30am until 2.30pm and from 3-4.30pm, I’m giving a free creative writing workshop – Pictures Tell Stories – designed to give ideas to both experienced writers and beginners.
If you would like more details go to the Contact Me tab on my website. Are you a local author? Why not book a table and sell your books?
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