If you’re an author, you know there’s nothing better than meeting people who love books and write books. The best way to do so is to attend fairs and festivals across the country. They can give you a chance to escape everyday life and truly focus on your writing career while having a great time.
Book fairs and festivals offer an excellent opportunity for authors to connect to book buyers and reviewers, engage with fellow authors and publishers, meet your readers and find new ones too. You may also network with book industry leaders, find the help you need, such as a publicist or book editor, and learn about the latest and greatest trends in the industry.
Keep in mind that book fairs are often on the lookout for speakers. If you volunteer to speak as an author, you’ll gain exposure and be able to add appearance to your resume and press releases. Since 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.
While she’s a respected author, she’s also greatly admired by her peers. It’s the little things that make a big difference in the minds of the media and reviewers. If you’d like to secure a panel slot or speaking gig, plan far ahead as speakers are usually booked way in advance.
For more upcoming book events check out C-SPAN2 at: https://www.BookTV.org and click on the Book Fairs tab. For more information about book events and book marketing visit https://www.Book-Marketing-Expert.com.
Here’s my list of upcoming book fairs and events that are worthy of your attendance in 2022 as of the date of this publishing:
- The RBMS Booksellers’ Showcase, June 21-24, 2022, New Haven, CT. The RBMS Booksellers’ Showcase offers a variety of exhibitors and products like original art and illustration and manuscripts. https://rbms2022.us2.pathable.com/
- American Library Association Annual Conference, June 23-28 2022, Washington D.C.. Over 25,000 experts in the industry will help you take your career to new heights. https://2022.alaannual.org/
- The Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors, September 22 – 25, 2022, Virtual and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Bookmarks connects people and books through its annual festival, which has been around for over 17 years. https://www.bookmarksnc.org/festival
- The Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair, October 8-9, 2022, Seattle, WA. The Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair features exhibitors from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. http://www.seattlebookfair.com/
- Harlem Book Festival, 2022 Dates TBD, Harlem. The Harlem Book Festival is visited by over 30,000 readers and viewed by millions on C-Span https://www.harlembookfair.com
- Printers Row Lit Fest, 2022 Dates TBD, Chicago. This is a large book fair with more than 150,000 book lover attendees. https://printersrowlitfest.org
- Writers at Woody Point, 2022 Dates TBD, Woody Point, Newfoundland. Travel to Canada and immerse yourself in the talent that lies across the border. https://www.writersatwoodypoint.com/
- The Brooklyn Book Festival, 2022 Dates TBD, Brooklyn, NY. This festival’s mission is to “celebrate published literature and nurture a literary cultural community.” https://brooklynbookfestival.org/
- The South Dakota Festival of Books, 2022 Dates TBD, in Brookings and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It connects more than 4,000 attendees and more than 50 noteworthy authors, scholars, and publishers. http://sdhumanities.org/festival-of-books/
- International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) 2022 Dates TBD, Atlanta, GA. Sara Bolme, author of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace, considers this the best book show for Christian authors..https://www.innovopublishing.com/the-international-christian-retail-show.html
- The Texas Book Festival, 2022 Dates TBD, Virtual or Austin, TX. Founded in 1955, this festival includes over 250 authors as well as over 100 exhibitors. https://www.texasbookfestival.org/
- The Baltimore Book Festival, 2022 Dates TBD, Baltimore, MD. The Baltimore Book Festival offers storytellers, poetry readings, panel discussions, cooking demos, live music, and more. https://brilliantbaltimore.com/baltimore-book-festival/
- Decatur Book Festival, 2022 Dates TBD, Decatur, GA, This is the largest independent book festival in the country. Over the years, over 1000 authors and hundreds of thousands of people have attended this event in downtown Decatur. https://decaturbookfestival.com/
- The Southern Festival of Books, 2022 Dates TBD, Nashville, Tennessee. This festival connects readers and writers from Tennessee and beyond. https://www.visitmusiccity.com/things-to-do-in-nashville/events/southern-festival-books
Take a break from your pen and attend one of these top book fairs and festivals. You won’t regret it!