Attending book fairs and festivals can offer numerous benefits for independent publishers, making these events valuable opportunities to showcase their books and connect with a wider audience. We caught up with JuLee Brand, publisher of W. Brand Publishing, and Amy Disbennett, trade sales representative for the eastern states at Independent Publishers Group, to hear about their experience with and advice about book events.

JuLee Brand, Publisher, W. Brand Publishing

Currently, we go to the bigger festivals in larger cities. I try to choose fests that are in central locations or are close to where our authors live. We also look at the attendance estimates of past years, city size, travel costs, and the cost of exhibiting.

As an independent publisher, what are some essential tips you would give to fellow publishers attending book fairs and festivals?

First and foremost, set goals and expectations for the fest as to what you expect for your company and also what you expect from and for your authors. For example, my primary business goal is to meet with at least two to three writers who have strong potential to publish with us. My goal for our authors who attend is to have enough books for them to sell and create an eye-catching booth/display that attracts fest attendees to come over and check out the authors.

Having good swag and/or free stuff is a big draw. We have a large display for our free bookmarks, which feature all our books with QR codes so they can purchase the books later. We also have W. Brand Publishing branded bookmarks, stickers, and buttons that we give away.

And a very important item: Research if the festival will require you to apply for a state tax/sales license, and make sure you pay the taxes later.

How can indie publishers maximize their exposure and make the most of these events?

We have found that a couple of our buttons have sayings that really resonate, and the more people walking around with them, the more come to our booth. Branding bags for book purchases also helps get your name seen throughout the festival.

At some of the larger fests, authors can apply to speak on panels or solo. While the slots are very limited, having an author accepted is great promotion for them and for the booth. Also, many festivals offer exhibitors opportunities to promote through ads and sponsored areas. 

Considering the budget constraints of independent publishers, how can publishers determine which book fairs and festivals are worth the investment of time and resources?

This goes hand-in-hand with goal setting and expectations. If your goal is only sales, I suggest starting with smaller festivals where your authors have a following. Street festivals and craft fairs can be a great place to start if sales are your top goal.

However, we see festivals as a marketing and promotional expense for the company and part of our partnership with our authors to provide them with this platform to meet new readers and make longtime fans. Because of this, we can go to the fests with less pressure. Of course, we want to make sales, but if you’ve ever been to our booth, it’s obvious that we are having a great time regardless of sales or torrential downpours.

Are there any criteria publishers should consider while making these decisions?

1. Look realistically at your budget. Can you cover booth fees, travel, accommodations, food, supplies, and incidentals that inevitably pop up? How many books will you supply each author? Will you be giving away items?
2. Determine your booth rules. How many authors can your booth/table hold? Will you set up specific times for authors to sign?
3. Plan the look of your booth before you get there. Will you have a banner? Custom tablecloth? Displays? What kind of setup will you have: tables, booth, side of a tent?
4. Your schedule. There is a lot of planning before and after a festival. Budgeting, designing, commitment, and confirmation by authors all need to be considered to make sure you make the best impression you can, especially your first time there.

How have book fairs and festivals changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The biggest change I’ve seen is the friendliness by the attendees, exhibitors, and festival organizers. Printers Row Lit Fest was the first large book fest to come back after moving it from June to September 2021, and it was amazing to see such a large group of people, outside, and to feel a bit more normal again.

At some of the fests that have been on university campuses, we had to wear masks when entering the buildings, but since the exhibitors were outside, most could use them at their own discretion.

While COVID still is out there, I have seen the pandemic precautions like masking gradually subside and they are now used on a voluntary basis.

With the rise of virtual events, what are your thoughts on online book fairs and festivals?

Personally, we have not attended or exhibited in any online fest. For us, it is the in-person aspect of meeting people one-on-one, sharing a laugh while feeling the sunshine, experiencing the moment not tethered to the internet, checking out someone’s cool shoes, and petting all the dogs (seriously, it’s a thing). While I think it’s a great option for those who cannot be in public, the reason we do this is for human connection, so in-person will always be our preference.

What are some common mistakes you've seen independent publishers make when attending book fairs and festivals?

The biggest mistake I’ve seen is the lack of attention to what the publisher or author’s booth looks like and making sure the displays and decorations stay put to withstand weather conditions. Another mistake is not having anything the attendees can take away to remind them of your company, book, or author.

While I am normally an out-of-the-box kind of person, when it comes to the rules set forth by the event planners, I make sure we adhere to them. Exhibitors who encroach on their booth neighbors, pass out flyers around the fest, and provide items that are not fest-sanctioned push the limits of the event coordinators, making more trash and perhaps even creating conflicts for the coordinators to smooth over.

How can they avoid these pitfalls and enhance their chances of success?

My suggestion is do your research. Pull up photos of the fest from other years and see how other exhibitors do it. This gives you a baseline for what is the minimal amount of atmospheric décor you’ll need. Ask yourself if what you are planning would catch your eye enough to stop. As far as takeaways/freebies, provide things that make sense based on your goals for the event. If it’s sales, make sure your freebie has a QR code or provide digital freebies with a QR code display. If your goal, like mine, is to meet new writers, be available to answer questions and be open to hear their pitch.

How can independent publishers build meaningful connections and partnerships with other industry professionals at book fairs and festivals?

This is the fun part but also one that you actually will have to schedule for yourself since you’ll probably feel like you need to glue yourself to the booth. Go walk around, say “hi,” ask questions of other publishers or authors there, pass out way more business cards than you think you’ll need. While I met several publishers at IBPA PubU, I ran into them again at several book fests, and it has created a great friendship bond.

What networking strategies would you recommend?

Stay connected with the festival organizers and be respectful of their time. The fests are a huge production and, like the Tucson Festival of Books, it’s all done by volunteers. Don’t be intimidated by asking other publishers and authors to connect, no matter how big or small a company you are. We all started somewhere, and you can learn something from just about anyone once you start chatting. And smile! It’s amazing how just a smile will start a conversation.

How can independent publishers leverage book fairs and festivals to increase their book sales and gain wider recognition?

Utilize any additional marketing the festival provides, even if it is an additional fee. Make sure your author(s) participate. The general public still does not care who the publisher of a book is; they want to know the author. Provide free stuff, such as digital copies, swag etc. Promote through social media both the fest and all the authors you have in attendance for the week leading up to the fest and several days after. Tag all your authors and have them share on their platforms as well. Make sure you have a link to a sales page on your profile pages.

Reach out to local news affiliates prior to the fest and pitch authors and anything special about your company that could be considered newsworthy: local author, nonprofit proceeds from sales, etc. Do live feeds from the fest that you can utilize later as well as doing sound-byte interviews with your authors to use in marketing later. Take pics with attendees and have them tag you and your authors.

Are there specific marketing tactics they should employ during these events?

Any live social media is great. Tag all authors, indie bookstores, and (with their permission) other publishers and/or authors that are at the event as well. Again, offer free stuff. We do free e-book downloads on many books of all genres and encourage attendees to download them all. Bookmarks with QR codes are probably the best use of money for a printed piece aside from your business card.

The number one marketing tactic is to make everyone who stops at your booth an advocate for your company whether they are a writer, a reader, or someone out walking their dog. Being kind, respectful, and just smiling goes a long way to endear you and your company to people who are out for a pleasant day at a book fest.

Amy Disbennett, Trade Sales Representative—Eastern States, Independent Publishers Group

For several years, I was the events coordinator for an independent children’s bookstore. Additionally, I managed an independent children’s book publisher for 10 years, which involved not only pitching and organizing author events for the authors on our list but also attending multiple regional and national shows and conferences as a publisher. Currently, I am the eastern states trade sales rep for IPG, which also includes regional and national shows and conferences representing many indie publishers at these events.

What are some essential tips you would give to fellow publishers attending book events/fairs and festivals? How can they maximize their exposure and make the most of these events?

It can be tricky to break through the noise of these types of events. So, when possible, we always tried to do a little something extra:

• Had swag that stood out in either its usefulness or coolness that also wouldn’t take up a lot of space for traveling attendees. For example, we would give away really nice branded pens; branded button or enamel pins for attendees to have on their lanyards; cool prints (sometimes signed) of artwork from our picture books; as well as samples of our books to give away.
• We would sometimes offer a giveaway of an author to attend a bookstore or school, and we would offer a promo on the copies purchased for said event.
• When relevant, we would try to coordinate with our distributor to offer a special promo discount on books purchased by show attendees within a specific window of time.
• Lastly, when at our booths, we really tried to have curated, eye-catching displays. This included a simple one-pager that featured frontlist on one side, and key backlist on the other. We would also include info on how to order on this sheet, as well as any recent stellar/meaningful reviews or blurbs. Essentially, a short and sweet list of highlights that an attendee could easily reference when they got home.

Considering the budget constraints of independent publishers, how can they determine which book events/fairs and festivals are worth the investment of time and resources? Are there any criteria they should consider while making these decisions?

A few key things I would recommend:

• Look for events that have dedicated vendor showcase time. If the vendor time is constantly in conflict with other events and opportunities for attendees, you may not get the exposure you were hoping for. Even better, look for events that have budget-friendly opportunities with a focus on small or indie publishers. Take advantage of those when you can.
• When relevant, see if there’s an opportunity to share costs with another similar publisher/author or be a part of group representation through your distributor.
• Not every event is the right event for you or a particular author. If your focus is on children’s books, you may not get as much notice in an event that focuses more on adult titles, for example. Similarly, if your hope is to promote a book/author that is strongly tied to a particular setting/region/climate, you may want to only focus on events and festivals based in that specific region.
• At events, in-booth author signings are not always worth the time or investment. Often, attendees are drawn more to authors with name recognition, signing the latest in a popular series, etc.
• If you have the budget and/or an upcoming title that you feel very strongly about, I’ve often found it can be worth it to spend the additional money to present at an indie/small press showcase, a Rep picks events, and/or include ARCs in a galley room. These are generally big spends, so definitely do your homework to find the right fit, but that’s often where we saw the largest boosts in interest and sales. This may mean that rather than attending several events/festivals, you pick the one that makes the most sense for you and go all in.

With the rise of virtual events, what are your thoughts on online book events/fairs and festivals? Are they equally beneficial for independent publishers, or are there certain advantages to physical events that can’t be replicated virtually?

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of virtual or online events. In general, they are sometimes harder to connect to sales depending on how an event host is allowing attendee entry; and again, I do feel like you lose a bit of the interest or energy that can come from an in-person event more so than a virtual one. It’s rarely the same level of engagement as an in-person event.

That said, I do think there are opportunities for virtual events to help grow an audience and build customer loyalty. For example, perhaps you have an illustrator or author that is going to Zoom into an elementary class to answer student’s questions about their book, but even more so on how to be an author or illustrator. Or maybe you have a title that is perfect for book clubs, so you have opportunities for book clubs to win a virtual evening with that author.

What are some common mistakes you’ve seen independent publishers make when attending book events/fairs and festivals? How can they avoid these pitfalls and enhance their chances of success?

I think one thing I see is not always knowing their audience. You need a hook or an elevator pitch about why this book is the right book for them. Be ready to succinctly explain who this book is for and how can a bookstore be positioned to sell this book to their customers. Know that a particular title may not be for everyone. Instead of trying to sell it to everyone, point out why this title is special. Imagine a specific reader for your book and sell to that reader. Sometimes, leaning into the specificity of a title’s audience is good.

Similarly, I also sometimes see minimal displays or overly cluttered displays. If you have only one title to showcase, then consider a shared table or galley room presence rather than taking on the expense of a full table or booth just for one title. The reverse is also true; sometimes having too many books on display is overwhelming. You want to make sure your titles pop not get lost in a sea of books.

How can independent publishers build meaningful connections and partnerships with other industry professionals at book events/fairs and festivals? What networking strategies would you recommend?

When at these events, I always recommend attending any breakfasts, lunches, or other events that you’re free to go to. It’s good to not only position yourself with the opportunity to introduce yourself to other industry professionals, but also it’s helpful to know what is being discussed at the various events: what did the keynote speaker have to say, what are attendees buzzing about, etc. This allows for much more sincere conversation starters and shows that you’re interested in the overall event and how it connects to the industry.

Also, when you are at your table or booth, be sure to have your business card handy and a way for collecting/organizing the contact info of others.

I also recommend exploring and introducing yourself to the other vendors and publishers. You never know when a possible partnership or connection might present itself.

How can independent publishers leverage book events/fairs and festivals to increase their book sales and gain wider recognition? Are there specific marketing tactics they should employ during these events?

Absolutely. I always do the following at a minimum:

• Send out a pre-event e-newsletter to attendees showcasing where we’ll be located, highlights of key titles that will be present, as well as teasing any cool swag or promotions we will be having.
• While at the event itself, I try to engage on social media: post about our booth, our excitement for being at the event, etc.
• Send a follow-up thank you e-newsletter to all attendees after the event. In this newsletter, I share a photo or two, thank attendees for stopping by, a few reminders of key titles, and I include info on event promotions and how to order.
• Lastly, for attendees that I had a more engaged interaction with, I follow up with them personally to continue our conversation: did they want a sample of the book they had their eye on, is there a particular question I can answer, etc.

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