Upcoming Book Festivals 2011

Sometimes book festivals are a way authors can sell their books.  These are just a few of the book festivals scheduled from June through November.  If any of you know of others, please post in the comments section.

June

New York Book Festival,  http://www.newyorkbookfestival.com/

July

Hollywood Book Festival  http://www.hollywoodbookfestival.com/

Iowa City Book Festival http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/

September

Sept.– Decatur Book Festival. FREE. Near Atlanta, Georgia. http://www.decaturbookfestival.com.

Princeton Children's Book Festival Saturday, September 10, 2011   11:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. 65 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542. http://www.princetonnewsnetwork.com/2010/09/09/princeton-public-library-presents-childrens-book-festival/

Sept.– Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference, Denver, Colorado; www.rmfw.org

Sept. – Brooklyn Book Festival 2011 to be held in Downtown Brooklyn on Sunday,– a huge, free public event. www.brooklynbookfestival.org

Sept. – Orcas Island Writers Festival, Eastsound, Washington. http://www.orcasislandwritersfestival.com/

Sept.  –National Book Festival - Washington, DC. http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

 More than 70 authors now are slated to appear at the event on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010. The event, free and open to the public, situated between 3rd and 7th streets on the National Mall.

Sept. – Baltimore Book Festival – Free. www.BaltimoreBookFestival.com

OCTOBER:

Oct. – The Self-Publishing Book Expo, New York, NY, Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers

http://selfpubbookexpo.com/

Oct. - River City Reading Festival , Location: Lawrence, http://www.rivercityreadingfestival.org/

Oct.– The Southern Festival of Books, to be held at Nashville's War Memorial Plaza. • www.humanitiestennessee.org/festival

Oct. – Bouchercon by the Bay – San Francisco, CA. www.bcon2010.com

Oct. – Boston Book Festival – Bigger, better and still FREE! www.bostonbookfest.org

Oct.– Texas Book Festival, Austin, Texas,  www.texasbookfestival.org

Oct. –Michigan Book Festival, Laurel Park Place Mall, 37500 6 Mile Rd. Livonia, MI. Free and open to the public, bringing books to life through author readings, seminars, and book signings. The Michigan International Books Festival is expected to attract more than 30,000 attendees and book buyers. http://www.internationalbooksfestival.com/

NOVEMBER:

Nov.  – The  New England Book Festival, Boston, Mass. www.newenglandbookfestival.com

Nov. -  Kentucky Book Fair, Louisville, KY,   http://www.kybookfair.org/

Nov. – New Orleans Book Fair,    http://www.nolabookfair.com/

Sharing Your Work - Part Two

Practicing and Performing Your Work

Preparation:  Read your selection aloud, and think about the meaning of the words you have written. Pay attention to each sentence and think about what images/feelings you are trying to convey. Underline the key word(s) in each sentence and think about ways to emphasize the word(s) when reading the passage. Imagery words should sound like the image they are describing.  If you were reading a sad passage, you would not want to have a jovial light sound in your voice.  If you are expressing anger, think about how much anger the character in the selection is feeling.  The rate, pitch and volume should reflect these things. 

Vocal contrast and body language is important: Think about varying your volume, rate, tone, and gestures at different points of the reading. Avoid monotone delivery.  Facial expressions, eye contact that is appropriate for the portion of the script you are presenting, gestures and body language should all reflect the emotions and the tone of the selection.  Knowing when, where and how to do these things will all help to make your delivery believable.  Make sure, before you begin that everyone in the audience can hear you.  Speak slowly enough that the audience can follow you.  Practice enunciation so that you say the words clearly and distinctly.  Gestures should not be overdone, but should be natural to the presenter.  Practice enough so that they flow, and are a part of you and the selection, not stilted and mechanical.

The places you mark in your script will help you practice and have a polished delivery. Do not forget marking pauses in your selection. These do not need to come at the end of a sentence, but rather at the end of a complete thought.  The length of pauses varies depending on their purpose.  You can compare their length to beats in music.  At the end of a complete thought, a slight pause is best (one beat), for a comma or semi-colon a little longer (one to two beats), and at the end of a sentence or for a dramatic pause in the selection about a three beat seems to be appropriate.

When reading poetry, read it for meaning not the form in which it is written.  If it has a heavy rhyme/rhythm scheme, be careful that your delivery does not get so caught up in it that the audience will not comprehend the underlying message the author intended.  We tend to lower our pitch at the end of a line…when we do we are giving is a vocal period; it is a verbal close to a sentence.  If there is no period, and the sentence is carried into the next line, keep the vocal pitch up, and place a pause where appropriate.

Energy Level:  Increase your energy level when speaking—this will boost your volume, make you appear to be more confident, and hold your audience’s interest for a longer period of time.  I can always gauge how much I have put into a reading by how tired I am after a performance.  Remember this is a performance, you want to bring your work alive!

Sharing Your Work with an Audience

Sharing Your Work with an Audience

 “Standing and delivering” is a powerful way to present your work. However, it is perfectly fine to read, and to develop a personal style. The most important reason for reading your excerpts from your book is that performing is an affirmation. You are the author, take the plunge and go public—you will be surprised at how rewarding it can be.  In addition, presenting your work to the public orally, it will help the sales of your book if you learn to present it correctly. 

There is nothing like a reading performance that kindles something between the writer and the audience.  It is a special moment when the author is able to bring their work alive for the audience in such a way that they see or think of the work differently.  You will want to read the selection you have chosen in such a way that the audience will get a true feel for the meaning of the piece. There are a few things to keep in mind when preparing for this kind of presentation.

• Check for time limit.  You need to know how much time you have been given at this event.  Make sure edit your selection sufficiently to meet the time limit.   You will want to allow some of your time for a short introduction to get the audience ready to listen to the selection itself. 

Editing your work will not be easy because you feel that all of your writing is worthwhile, but you will have a stronger presentation if you limit yourself to the minimum time limit. Try to find the most important part and the section of the writing that might resonate with that particular audience. In addition, select a section that lends to being read aloud.  This means that there will many imagery words in that section.  It is also a good idea to select a section that you are comfortable reading aloud.

• Know the selection. Knowing your material is the first step to preparing for the reading.  Once you have edited the content and are sure that you meet the time limits, read over the piece several times.

Manuscript Preparation. If you can, type your cutting from the selection in a large font and double space.  (I like to enlarge the font to at least a sixteen or eighteen point font so when I need to glance at the selection, I do not have to lower my head and lose eye contact with the audience. I number the pages so they are in order and will not get out of place.  I put my selection in a 3-ring binder that usually is black or grey.)  It is best to become so familiar with your selection that it is almost memorized so that when you can maintain the maximum amount of eye contact your audience, and you are able to find your place again when you look back at your manuscript.

(I also like to put my manuscript in sheet protectors because it makes turning the pages easier and it keeps the manuscript clean for more readings.)

• Mark up your manuscript. Add notations—“slow down,” “pause,” “look up,” underline

keywords, etc.—to give yourself reminders about delivery. Having trouble with a word? Include a note about pronunciation. You can even include notations about time, indicating where you should be at each minute marker.