I Love the Smell of Fresh Ink in the Morning
On Saturday, November 7th, I had the honor of being one of the authors at this year's Kentucky Book Fair. Held in Frankfort, KY at the Convention Center, this was the 28th year of this great homage to Kentucky literature. It is great that authors and artists have a venue such as this in order to showcase their work. Of course, it benefits libraries throughout the state because several grants to public and school libraries are funded by the Kentucky Book Fair.
Arriving at the Convention Center bright and early Saturday morning, I was at least confident in where I would be sitting. My wife, Lisa, had helped me drop off my books on the previous day. I knew that they would be waiting for me...my children of words. Okay...I don't want to get too overdramatic. But then again, I'm an author...so I guess that I am entitled to a little bit of melodrama. Anyway, I walked confidently into the place where I would be spending my day and tried to look like I knew what I was doing.
I was the first to arrive at my table. Already there were people starting to wander about, looking at books and checking their personal shopping lists. I wondered if I was on any of those lists. I sat down and took out my favorite book-signing pen. I was all prepared.
Within minutes, I was joined by my first table-mate. I felt at ease when I saw a friendly face and warm, welcoming smile. Her name was Anne Shelby, and she was quick to point out that we were going to become friends whether we wanted to or not...considering the close quarters and all. We introduced ourselves to each other. It was as though we had known each other all of our lives. We got along so well together. I guess it was the sense of common backgrounds. Her husband is Edmund Shelby, the editor of the Beattyville Enterprise. She was signing several of her books. Her newest one is called The Man Who Lived in a Hollow Tree which is a lovely picture book based on an old Appalachian legend.
Soon we were joined by our third tenant for the day. Her name was Alycia Davidson. Her book, The Grave of the Fireflies, was written for teenage readers, although anyone could enjoy it. The story involves mythical creatures and treasure! The cover of this book was just beautiful. It sounds like a great read!
So we sat. We were our own little version of the Three Musketeers. Luckily, we all got along just fine. For a minute, however, I was slightly worried that not too many of my books would sell. There were several authors at the event, and with the economy being in the slump, there is only so much money to go around. What if I sat there and didn't sell one book? Of course, I was just honored to attend the event. But still...
My worries were soon alleviated when the book buyers began to snatch up volumes left and right. The best thing about being at a book fair is that the entire place is filled with people who love books. I don't have a whole lot of competition in my genre of choice, children's poetry (sort of offbeat and wacky children's poetry!). So I was quite pleased to have several of my books purchased throughout the day. I can honestly say that I was very pleased with the amount of books that I was able to get into the hands of the reading public. I hope that they enjoy reading my book as much as I enjoyed writing and illustrating it.
During the day, two events were very meaningful to me. One of these was when a woman from the University of Kentucky came by with a list and stopped by my table. She asked me to sign a copy of my book for the UK Appalachian Studies room. I was so honored! Little did I know that she would return about thirty minutes later with another list. This time, she purchased a copy of all three of our books at our table. These were for the children's section at the UK library!
Another event began when Anne Shelby, the wonderful author I spoke about earlier, sold a copy of her book to someone who stated that they had come to the book fair with her book in mind. After they left, she said that it always felt good when someone told her that. Well...wouldn't you know. About an hour later, someone came up to our table and asked for a copy of my book. They said that my book was on their list of books that they just had to purchase! I was on someone's list! After they left, I turned to Mrs. Shelby and said, "Now I know what you were talking about!" It felt great to be on someone's agenda for the day.
During the day, I was able to meet lots of other great authors and illustrators. I was delighted to speak with Linda Hager Pack who wrote the book A is for Appalachia. I informed her that this book was on prominent display in the library at LBJ Elementary. She was very pleased. I was also able to meet Silas House. He is a very well-known and talented author who wrote a fantastic book called The Coal Tattoo as well as several others. He was signing copies of his books, including his newest novel Eli the Good. It was an honor to meet these great Kentucky authors.
As I packed up my materials and made my way out of the Convention Center at the end of the day, I made sure to speak with Mrs. Connie Crowe. She is the coordinator for the entire event. I informed her that the fair had been amazing. She was pleased and told me that she hoped to see me again next year. I have the same hopes! It was great to meet and speak with people who have similar interests and who value literature and reading.
I will look back on this event with great fondness for many years to come. Although I have attended other book signings in the past and will hopefully attend many more in the future, none will ever be able to measure up to the feeling of attending my very first Kentucky Book Fair.
Until next week...class dismissed!
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