Your Book Festival Questions Answered 

by K. Marcus

New to attending book festivals as an author/illustrator? Do you plan to apply to one in the future? Five SCBWI Westchester PAL authors/illustrators share their experiences. (Answers combined and edited.)

What book festivals have you recently attended?

Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival IIII

Hudson Children’s Book Festival II

Neev Literary Festival I

Poughkeepsie Book Festival I

Westchester Book Festival I

Rye Book Festival I

What do you wish you knew before you attended your first festival?

  1. Wear comfortable shoes!

2. Bring:

  • fun stickers for giveaways
  • handouts for educators interested in booking school visits
  • bookmarks/promo materials
  • a notebook to college emails for your mailing list
  • pens/Sharpies

3. Ask if you can sell copies of your out-of-stock books.

4. Ask if they provide lunch.

5. Decide how you would like to display your books in advance. 

6. Festivals have varied application processes and deadlines. Do your research! 

SCBWI Westchester volunteers have compiled a list of Book Festivals in NY, NJ, CT, & PA for members.

What do you look for in a festival?

  1. Organization!! If they don’t seem organized in their communications, they probably will not be organized on the day of the festival. You want good information/communication from the festival.
  1. Good attendance – ask about the attendance numbers because high attendance = better book sales. 
  1. Do they have publicity?
  1. I go by word of mouth and pay attention to which festivals the authors I admire attend. 

Do you have a favorite festival?

Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival III

Any additional tips for future attendees?

  1. Purchasing a book tier will help you display your books because attendees need to see your books and the area can be small.
  1. Most festivals need you to apply to them every year. Don’t assume you’ll be invited back.
  1. Get a good night’s sleep the night before!
  1. Take the time to chat with other authors/illustrators. Whether that means getting there early and chatting beforehand, staying late or stopping by other tables. The kidlit community is so supportive, and chatting with other people in person is a great way to build community.
  1. Take pictures with the other author/illustrators. Then you can post on social media to uplift and amplify the festival and other author/illustrators.
  1. Wear something fun like something your character might wear.
  1. Don’t forget to buy some books!
  1. If you are interested in finding out about a festival, why not volunteer? It is a great way to meet the organizers and be a part of the fun!

We hope these insights from SCBWI Westchester veterans enable you to become a festival pro in no time! Thank you to Ronni Diamondstein, Jyoti Gopal, Amalia Hoffman, Susanna Reich and Eric Rosswood for your participation! 

 

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