Last month I was invited to the Columbia County Florida Library Local Author Event. The library’s space is nice for a small gathering of local authors and they offered refreshments as well as the tables and space for the writers to setup their books and marketing materials. What they didn’t do was advertise the event as well as they could have. There were only 7 published authors who showed up to the event. I advertised the event on my website, Facebook page and Twitter feed. But they could have sent out email blasts, Facebook posts and asked all the local radio stations and the newspaper in the area to post the event as a Community Service Announcement.
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Sadly, there were only a couple of people who came to speak to the authors and maybe only one or two who actually sold anything. Most of the visitors was for one author who invited her friends and family to come by and talk to her. Granted, the event was scheduled on a Sunday afternoon and that probably contributed to the low turn-out. Most people would rather come by on a Saturday but that is all in the past now. They need to do some improvements and when the Blanche Hotel opens I’m sure there will be more people coming over. The possibilities are endless.
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I did get to see a couple of authors I had met previously and there were a couple of new ones I haven’t had the chance to met yet. We were an eclectic mixture of fiction, non-fiction, romance and mysteries. August may not be the best time to hold one of these events as most everyone stays home in the AC, goes on vacation or even just visit their favorite swimming hole. Even though it wasn’t as well attended as I would hope it is still a good experience in a laid-back kind of atmosphere. And, it was only for two hours.
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Below are some pictures I took of the event. Enjoy and see you at the next one that I am co-hosting myself in Chiefland, Florida. Check out the Calendar for more details.
Authors in Attendance:
Jolene MacFadden (Me)
Robert “Bob” Dekle
Delores Leggett Walker
Shantina Wilson
Susie H. Baxter
Ron Miller
Sherry Peters
