By Scott Lorenz

Westwind Book Marketing

“Authors, put down your pen and go explore the many book fairs and festivals around the country. You won’t be sorry!”  Scott Lorenz, Book Publicist

After writing diligently for weeks and months on end it’s time to get invigorated! Nothing does the job like meeting people who love books and write books. Check out this list of book festivals and fairs that I compiled that authors can attend for 2019. These events are an excellent way for authors to meet book buyers and reviewers, interact with fellow authors and publishers, meet your readers and find new ones too. As an author you can 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, authors not only gain great exposure but can also add that appearance to their resume and press releases. One of my author clients was 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 slot or speaking gig you must plan ahead; dates for panel participants, speakers and autograph sessions are usually arranged months in advance.

For more upcoming book events check out C-SPAN2 at: http://www.BookTV.org and click on the Book Fairs tab.   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 2019 as of the date of this publishing:

1. Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, April 13-14, 2019 in Los Angeles, CA. The festival attracts more than 150,000 people. https://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/  
2. 2019 Dayton Book Expo, April 27, 2019 at the David H. Ponitz Conference Center, Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. There will be unique books by new authors and panel discussions for aspiring authors. https://www.daytonbookexpo.com/
3. BookExpo America, May 29-31, 2019, Javits Center, NYC, the ‘Big Daddy’ of all book events. It’s worth a trip just to see what the book business is all about. There are plenty of great seminars to attend, book signings and events. I highly recommend all authors attend.  http://www.bookexpoamerica.com
4. Millbrook Literary Festival, May 18, 2019.   Millbrook Free Library on Franklin Street presents dozens of thought provoking authors.  https://millbrookliteraryfestival.org/
5. Printers Row Lit Fest, June 8-9, 2019, Chicago, Illinois on and around the area of Dearborn Street, from Congress to Polk. A large book fair attended by more than 150,000 book lovers. http://printersrowlitfest.org
6. Santa Barbara Writers Conference, June 16-21, 2019, in Santa Barbara, California. There will be more than 20 different instructional workshops each day. http://www.sbwriters.com
7. American Library Association Annual Conference, June 20-25, 2019, in Washington, D.C.. Some 25,000 experts in the market who will help you advance your career. https://2019.alaannual.org/
8. International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) June 25-June 28, 2019, Nashville, TN. CBA’s International Christian Retail Show Considered the best show for Christian authors according to Sara Bolme, author of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace. http://www. Marketingchristianbooks.com
9. Harlem Book Festival, July 20, 2019 Harlem, NYC visited by over 30,000 readers and viewed by millions on C-Span http://www.harlembookfair.com
10. The Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair will begin August 2, 2019 and finish August 3, 2019 in Denver, Colorado www.rmaba.org/rmbpf/2019/rmbpf_2019_GeneralInfo.html
11. Writers at Woody Point, August 13-18, 2019 in Woody Point, Newfoundland. Travel to Canada and see what creativity and talent lies across the border. http://www.writersatwoodypoint.com
12. Decatur Book Festival, August 30-September 1, 2019, Decatur, GA, largest independent book festival in the country. Since its launch, more than 1000 authors and hundreds of thousands of people have attended this event in downtown Decatur. http://www.decaturbookfestival.com
13. The Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors will be held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on September 5-8, 2019 https://www.bookmarksnc.org/2018-festival-books-authors
14. The Brooklyn Book Festival will begin September 16, 2019 and run through September 23, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York. http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org
15. The Iowa City Book Festival will begin October 1, 2019 and end October 7, 2019 in Iowa City, Iowa. http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org
16. The South Dakota Festival of Books in Brookings and Sioux Falls, South Dakota will be held October 3-6, 2019. http://sdhumanities.org/festival-of-books/
17. The Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee will run from October 11, 2019 through October 13, 2019. https://www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors/thingstodo/southernfestivalofbooks
18. The Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair will be held October 12-13, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. http://www.seattlebookfair.com
19. The Vegas Valley Book Festival will take place on October 19, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. https://10times.com/vvbf
20. The Texas Book Festival will begin October 26, 2019 and end October 27, 2019 in Austin, Texas. http://www.texasbookfestival.org
21. The Baltimore Book Festival will begin in Baltimore, Maryland on November 1, 2019 and end November 10, 2019. http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com
22. The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair (40th Annual) will be held November 15,  2019 through November 17, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. http://bostonbookfair.com

The Bottom Line: Authors, put down your pen and go explore the many book fairs and festivals around the country. You won’t be sorry!

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 Check his blog at: http://www.The-Book-Publicist.com