A Peep Behind the Scenes at Book Fairs

Author: Carol Lovekin at Parlour Press, LLandysul Book Fair 

WOWZERS! What an incredible Summer it has been. A Summer of stories, poetry, publishing, books & learning about Book Fairs. 

When I published my books Soul Ink & Soul Seeds at the start of this Summer, Jeff and I decided we would try having an Author's stall at some Book Fairs , to test the waters. It was a great way to network and to find out if selling books at fairs is a viable outlet in financial terms. 

I also had this hair brained idea that I could organise a Book Fair in our village ... and so I did. 

The first Book Fair was at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. It was very lovely to be back there and off course, the venue was spectacular. I used to be the Creative Director of the Children's Storytelling Trail at the Garden, so it was really quite magical to be in the Great Glasshouse again. 

I met lots of lovely people, but the truth is, I didn't sell any books outside of my friends who kindly came specifically to give their moral support. I didn't mind though, as the Book Fair stall was free and I had slipped in last minute. The Garden is near where I live, so we treated it as a lovely day out.

Then we went to Carmarthen Book Fair organised by Sarada Thompson and her partner, John. They are both renowned authors in their own right. It felt like a great honour to be part of their Book Fair. I got in last minute because my dear friend, Lazarus Carpenter, asked if I could share his table with him. I sold lots of books, talked with a wide range of people from different parts of West Wales, as well as meeting a small gathering of woman with hearing disabilities, sharing our truth with each other. My friends came to visit me as it was close to home, which was so kind of them. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but WOW!

My wonderful new husband, Jeff came with me to all the fairs. I could not have done it without him. He is an absolute star. We had really good fun meeting people. 

Also, at Carmarthen Book Fair, we met John and Maxine Rolls who own a TV station over in Pembrokehsire. What lovely people they are. I told them all about my books and how, since the onset of my hearing disabilities, I have been writing stories and poems in my sleep. I showed them my new books and they invited me to come and be interviewed at Showboat TV.

The next Book Fair was a complete surprise. I was on the waiting list of the very popular, most established and biggest Book Fair in West Wales, Narbeth Book Fair organised by renowned authors, Judith Barrow and Thorne Moor.

One of the authors pulled out last minute, so we ended up taking their place. I had half a stall, which was more than enough. There were 45 authors at Narbeth Queen's Hall. It was huge, with great workshops happening in off shoot rooms. We met so many amazing people. What a joy. I sold a few books in the morning, but nothing in the afternoon. Still, we didn't mind because the experience was worth its weight in gold.

And then, my own Parlour Press Book Fayre in Llandysul at The Porth Hotel. It was magical. I made sure that the whole event was deaf friendly and so for me, it was absolutely blissful. We had the most amazing feedback from everyone, I sold lots of books, more than I had sold all Summer. I also launched The Parlour Press Anthology on the same day. I had put out an advert of social media and 10 poets collaborated with me, to produce The Parlour Press Anthology 2018.

What an absolute treat to see the people from my Creative Writing Workshops at the Book Fayre, the Poets performing readings, Authors sharing their work. Just lovely and off course, the sunshine helped us. I did some fb live readings for the poets that had taken part in New York and japan.

I learnt so much on my Book Fair adventure. Especially from my own Book Fayre. It reminded me of who I am, what I am capable of. I had forgotten that I am actually quite good at organising events. I thought I couldn't do it anymore because of my hearing, but making it a deaf friendly event, meant that I had control over my environment. This Summer has gone some way to re-building my shattered confidence, not completely, but has given me the courage to step fully into the next exciting phase of my life.

And so my Summer of Book Fairs comes to a close but as that door closes, so a very exciting door is opening ... a door that I never thought would be an option for me and that has come to me in such a beautifully spiritual way ... It seems that each part of my life is a stepping stone to the next ... you can read about it in my next BLOG ...