Women Who Write Book Festival; Grand Rapids, MI

October 2019

I had a good time at this year's Women Who Write Book Festival.  It was an interesting change to be surrounded by other women authors.  The festival was held in Grand Rapids, at the Salvation Army Center there, and organized by a group called "Hook A Sista Up", a group in Grand Rapids, that fosters writing and other entrepreneurial pursuits of women.

The center was a great space to hold an event like this.  The room was large, and the tables were laid out to make easy travel for lots of people.  There were large windows which let in great light, which is a bonus when books are involved.  

I was thrilled to not only showcase my books, but also share books written by Andy Lockwood and Donald Levin.  One of the pure joys I have, being an author advocate, is getting exposure for authors where they wouldn't normally find readers.  Participating in events like this make that possible.  It was a great day, and each one of us sold books!

I had only two disappointments with the day; slow traffic and too short a day.  I was expecting many more people to be at the event, given how much pre-advertising was done by this group through social media.  I was surprised to see so few people.  However, one thing I did notice was the poor on-site marketing.  I've noticed this with many events... not enough signs on the street, in front of the building, or in the lobby so passersby who aren't on social media can discover the event.  Also, I think that because the day was so short - it ended at 3pm, fewer people were able to find us and attend.  Perhaps a longer day next year might go over better.  It was a two and a half hour drive for me... which made it a bit frustrating that I didn't have a greater opportunity to reach more readers.  I think if the event were to be extended, either starting earlier or ending later, might help with foot traffic.  Other than that, it was a great day!

The bonus to the day... My table sat next to the spectacular Peggy Christie and I bought her latest collection of short stories;  (book review coming soon.)  I look forward to the opportunity to try this event again next year!

A special thank you goes out to Bailey Lockwood for helping me discover this event.  I appreciate you, muchly!