BAIPA member Mike Burwen is enthusiastic about participating in book fairs, after his excellent experience last October.
Mike says, “I was invited to tout my book at the Great Valley Bookfest in Manteca. It was held outdoors at a shopping mall. About 4,000 people attended, according to the fair manager. I haven’t a clue about how the fair promoters found me. It was an extremely successful event for me. I sold about 30 books in one day at my booth, and several more were sold at the Barnes & Noble booth there.”
The Barnes & Noble booth was stocked with several copies of every book shown at the fair. Late in the day, Mike was approached by a B&N rep, who asked him if he would be interested in participating in a traveling book show that B&N is thinking of staging in mid-2015.
Mike continues, “The book fair was free. Everything was provided for the authors and their significant others, including the booth, lunch, dinner, and even a hotel room. I’ve identified other book fairs, but they all charge for booth space, and expenses are not covered.”
Mike would like to be in touch with other BAIPA members who might be interested in sharing the cost of a booth at other fairs. For more info, call Mike at 707-658-2844 or email [email protected].