Greater Rochester Heritage Days

May 2019

This was a fun day shared with some of my favorite Indie Authors.  We had hoped it to be a full weekend, but alas, the storm clouds had other plans for Sunday.  Books and Rain are not good friends, so we chose to make it Saturday only, and avoid any unpleasant arguments between the two.  And still, we had a great day!

It's a treat to spend festival time with other authors.  Working together, we get to offer a greater variety of books to readers, reach out to people who perhaps wouldn't have discovered us or our books, share time "talking shop", and simply having fun hanging out.

Rochester puts on a fun festival, and I plan to return again next year.  There were lots of fun events for families, chain saw carving, Irish Step Dancers, Civil War Re-enactors, classic cars, pony rides, and so much more.  The event was well organized.  They were super-nice people, and very accommodating.  The staff made it easy to find the event space, with plenty of signs. We got to pull right up and unload at our space.  That's always a bonus.  Books can be heavy, and it's nice to avoid the long walks from parking lots with boxes.  They did a good job publicizing the event in local media and on social media.  Foot traffic was good, despite the disparaging weather.

We met some wonderful people, and sold some books.  Meeting readers is something I think every writer enjoys.  We get to learn about what they like to read, and perhaps get some new ideas for an upcoming project.  The young readers are so cute.  Their faces light up when they see a cover that catches their attention.  They encourage us to continue on our literary paths.  It's nice to imagine these new readers as adults one day, surrounded by books.

Lessons learned from my first "in the wild" festival:

1.  Wear water-proof shoes, just in case it rains.

2.  Make sure the canopy has well-anchored sides to reduce wind effects.

3.  Bring extra cash for the AMAZING french fries you might encounter.

4.  Always bring good friends to share the day!

A Huge THANK YOU to Donald Levin, Brenda Hasse, and Charles Stern for making it a fantastic day!