I love book fairs and festivals. They have two of my favorite things in life – people and books. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say people are things, but you get the idea. Book fairs are places where most everybody who is in the place has a love for books. That’s why they are there – unless, of course, they were dragged there by a bookloving relative or friend. I’ve seen patient husbands trailing along after their wives and carrying their bags of books and smiling indulgently when the wives stop at yet one more author’s table. And I know those two have a great marriage. In fact last year I signed a book for a young wife whose husband surprised her with the trip to the KY Book Fair because he knew how much she loved to read. Such a romantic gesture and so thoughtful too. Besides, what longer lasting present can a person get! A book usually takes at the least a couple of days to read and then sometimes that story can live in your imagination for years afterwards. No box of candy can last that long except maybe as extra pounds on your hips. Flowers wilt. Books keep giving.
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So I’m hoping a few people will want my book and my autograph. This book fair is a bit different than others I’ve attended. Each author is generally signing only one title for readers. So I’ll only have one book to push. That’s another thing about book fairs, the competition for book buyers can be keen. And if you as a writer have the misfortune of being at a table beside a super salesman, then you might as well pack it in if you can’t match the sales pitch. Most of the time when a reader gets the hard sell by an author, they are afraid to even take a peek at the books on the next table. Of course they usually buy a book from the good salesman author. Sometimes every title available on that author’s table.
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I’ve watched the super salesmen (and women) operate and admire their talent of selling their work. Not my talent. As one guy told me once, I’m good at giving away bookmarks. So if any of you live in the Cincinnati area and need a bookmark come on down by the river on Saturday to the Books by the Banks festival. I love to talk to people and I’ll give you all something to keep your place in those books you just bought from the guy down the row.
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Book prize drawing day is the last day of the month. Still time to pitch in your name if you haven’t already. And I’ve got two more days to get these edits on Angel Sister done. I only lack about a hundred pages, but I can feel myself drooping. Sleepy eyes don’t make very good final edits eyes. And tomorrow I’ve volunteered (I couldn’t tell my daughter-in-law no! And I didn’t have a deadline when I said yes.) to help with my grandkids’ elementary school book fair. It will be fun and I’ll have a couple of hours free sometime – surely – to finish these edits. Just one more rough spot in them to go.
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Thanks for reading and hope you are having a great Wednesday.