Book Fairs & Festivals for Authors Summer/Fall 2014
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications Book Marketing
Book fairs and festivals offer authors an excellent place to interact with fellow authors and publishers, network with book industry leaders, locate the help you need, such as a publicist or book editor, and learn what's new in the marketplace.
Book fairs usually want speakers. By volunteering to speak, the author not only gains great exposure but can also add that appearance to their resume and press releases. One of my author clients was recently a member of a panel of authors at a Southern Book Festival. I issued a press release about it and added it to her accomplishments on her bio. Not only is she a respected author but she's now an author admired by her peers. It's these little things that all add up in the minds of reviewers and the media when they decide who they will write about. If you want to land a panel gig or speaking slot you must plan ahead; dates for panel participants, speakers and autograph sessions are usually arranged months in advance.
For upcoming book events on C-SPAN2 visit: http://www.BookTV.org For more information about book events and book marketing visit http://www.Book-Marketing-Expert.com
Here's my list of upcoming book fairs and events that are worthy of your attendance in 2014:
The Harlem Book Fair in Harlem, New York will take place July 11, 2014 through July 12, 2014. http://www.qbr.com/harlem-book-fair.aspx
The Martha's Vineyard Book Festival will take place every Thursday, beginning July 24, 2014 through August 21, 2014 in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. http://mvbookfestival.com/author_lecture_series_2014
The Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair will begin August 1, 2014 and finish August 2, 2014 in Denver, Colorado http://www.rmaba.org/rmaba_events.html
The Brooklyn Book Festival will begin September 15, 2014 and run through September 21, 2014 in Brooklyn, New York. http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org/
The Bookmarks Festival of Books will be held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on September 4, 2014 through September 7, 2014. http://bookmarksnc.org/events/festival
The Kansas Book Festival will be in Topeka, Kansas on September 13, 2014. http://kansasbookfestival.com/general-info/about-the-festival/
The South Dakota Festival of Books in Deadwood, South Dakota will be held September 26-28, 2014. http://www.sdbookfestival.com/
The National Book Festival will take place in Washington, DC on Saturday, August 20, 2014. http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/
The Baltimore Book Festival will begin in Baltimore, Maryland on September 26, 2014 and end September 28, 2014. http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/
The Iowa City Book Festival will begin October 2, 2014 and end October 5, 2014 in Iowa City, Iowa. http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/
The Brattleboro Literary Festival will take place October 2, 2014 through October 5, 2014 in Brattleboro, Vermont. http://brattleboroliteraryfestival.org/
The Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee will run from October 10, 2014 through October 12, 2014. http://www.humanitiestennessee.org/programs/southern-festival-books-celebration-written-word
The Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair will begin October 11-12, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. http://www.seattlebookfair.com/
The Vegas Valley Book Festival will run from October 16, 2014 through October 18, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. http://vegasvalleybookfestival.org/
The Texas Book Festival will begin October 25, 2014 and end October 26, 2014 in Austin, Texas. http://www.texasbookfestival.org/
The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair (38th Annual) will be held November 14, 2014 through November 16, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. http://www.bostonbookfair.com
The Miami Book Fair International will kick off in Miami, Florida on November 16, 2014 and wrap up November 23, 2014. http://www.miamibookfair.com
The Bottom Line: Take a little summer vacation and hit some book festivals. Make it a priority to visit a book festival in the coming weeks and months. You'll be glad you did!
About Book Publicist Scott Lorenz
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it's their first book or their 15th book. He's handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman's World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications' book marketing approach at http://www.book-marketing-expert.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist