I enjoyed my time at this event. The event was well planned-out, super-affordable, with a nice diversity of vendors. There were three book tables (mine and two others), spaced well throughout the room, which worked to everyone's benefit, I think. There was plenty of space for people to walk about without feeling claustrophobic, and nice table neighbors. An added bonus, there was the opportunity for families to bring their children to have photos taken with the Easter Bunny. This event had everything going for it, except there was one major problem... a lack of marketing common sense. The only place I saw any promotion at all was on Facebook, and there wasn't very much of it. I shared whenever I could, but the organizers should have done more. I'm a member of LOTS of online resources to list events in Michigan, and I didn't see this event listed anywhere. The event was held at a very nice German Community Club, the facilities were wonderful, clean, warm, with food available and lots of parking... but not one sign out front to let people driving by know that there was something exciting happening inside. The club is situated in Sterling Heights, off Utica Road, with lots of free parking, and plenty of traffic going by, but no one was turning in because no one knew that we were there! There was an "A" frame sign out front advertising the club's Friday Fish Fry, but no sign advertising this event. The event organizers put a hand-written sign on the front door - but no one could see that from the road. The fact that it was the day before Easter, and a particularly rainy day, didn't help the declining visitors... but certainly, there would have been more people visiting had they known the event was happening. Many vendors were frustrated and went home early - which is never a good sign. I sold some books, some people signed up for my newsletter, and I had a lovely conversation with my table neighbor... but I'm not sure I will attend this event if they host it next year. At least, not unless they promise to do some more promotion. It has lovely potential, but potential doesn't become real without marketing.
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This is a book festival I always look forward to attending. Wonderful people, beautiful surroundings, and supporting a charity that serves literacy... what's not to love? Karen is an amazing organizer. She is truly a kind soul, and understands the importance of books and authors - most especially - local authors. We always have a warm welcome in her shop. I had a fabulous day. The atmosphere at Leon & Lulu is calm and exciting, simultaneously. The energy of the place makes it easy to have conversations with readers and other authors, making for comfortable connectivity. The areas they give us are like miniature living rooms. Super comfy couches, exquisite tables, and enough space in between to get up and stretch. The environment is so comfortable, I feel more like I'm visiting with friends than working a festival. This time, they offered readings from authors every fifteen minutes throughout the day. My reading time was at 12:30pm, which was perfect. For those of you who know me, afternoons are more brain-friendly for me. :-) I read from Drake's collection of short stories, "A Duck Quacks". It was fun to share his work with visitors. It was also wonderful that the reading space was so close to my table that I could support other authors when my time slot was over. Spending the day hanging out with author friends, meeting readers, selling and signing books, and spending my day in such an energetically artistic place... The day was comfortable and easy going. I just love being a part of this festival. I look forward to attending again in Autumn. This was my first time attending one of the Shipshewana On The Road events, either as a vendor or a guest. Its was an interestingly fun weekend. For those seeking out a variety of stuff to buy, this is certainly the place. Vendors had everything from "as seen on TV" stuff, to hand-crafted wood and leather, to LOTS of food! Curiously enough, one of the most prevalent items I saw walking by in the hands of visitors was a "magic" mop... promised to pick up dog hair from nearly any surface - several people had two. The most curious item... the Sugar Gliders. Super cute, super soft, and completely irresistible. I didn't bring one home, though because... Charlie has no self-control yet. I was there as a vendor, selling my books, sharing booth space with four other spectacular Indie Authors... Jordan J. Scavone, R.A. Andrade, Brenda Hasse, and Wendy Sura Thomson. After a slight learning curve for booth set up - it's always a challenge to find just the right configuration, we got right at it. The show ran both Saturday and Sunday, and we didn't need to breakdown and set up each day - the venue was locked and guarded at night. This, in itself, is a bonus. Saturday saw more traffic and sales than Sunday, yet I met a lot of interesting people both days. I kibitzed with the other authors that the little microcosm of humanity that this show held provided a wealth of characters for my next twelve books! LOTS of interesting people! The booths were 10' x 10', and had pipe & drape back walls. The facility was well heated (a necessity, as some of us learned at a recent event), and the bathrooms were clean and safe. There was a very engaging security person who kept us entertained each time he made his rounds, and I think he enjoyed our antics as much as we enjoyed his. The aisles were wide, with plenty of room for the throng that walked them throughout the weekend. Standing at my table, engaging with readers, I never felt that the venue was too tight for the number of visitors. There was only one other bookseller booth in the entire venue, which was nice. It made for very little competition for sales. The booth cost was affordable, split between us... but might be cost prohibitive for a single author. The sponsors had everything well in hand, were friendly, helpful, and well organized. The event seemed to be well-publicized, based on the number of visitors, and they had the event running on the marquee facing I-75 to draw in traffic.
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