On Saturday 27th July I was one of the 30+ attending independent authors at the UK Indie Lit Fest at the Kala Sangam Arts Centre, Bradford. This was my second stint as an attending author and I have to say I enjoyed it even more than I did the first time. I met many familiar faces (Dawn Singh, Rose English, Roger J. Barton, ChrisTurnbull, William Coniston, John Jackson, Joshua Sutton etc - click on each to view their Amazon author page) and many new (Scarlett Flame, Duncan Thompson, Willow Woods, etc - again, click on each for their Amazon author pages). All of the indie authors made me feel welcomed and amongst friends.
It was the same for the readers who came to the event and visited my table. Rainne Atkins, who won The Case of The Curious Client in the raffle last year and wrote an amazing review on her blog about it, came by. I was delighted to hear how much she enjoyed the book and was ecstatic when she bought both The Case of The Lonesome Lushington and The Case of The Spectral Shot. She also received a Bow Street Society branded pen and postcard featuring Sabrina Poole as Society clerk, Miss Rebecca Trent. Rainne’s enthusiasm for my writing touched me beyond words. To write stories people fall in love with has always been my fundamental motivation.
Overall the UK Indie Lit Fest was a fantastic event. I was tired by the end but loved every moment of it. I can’t wait until next year’s event!
~ T.G. Campbell, August 2019.
The covers of my Bow Street Society books were used as an example of good branding by John Jackson in his talk on Social Media. Chris A Turnbull then referred to my table’s display as a good example of how to set-up your author table. I was over-the-moon with these mentions and grateful to both John and Chris for their compliments.
I also gave a talk in addition to having a table. My Pitfalls of Making a Book Trailer talk was well-received by those who listened (despite my crippling nerves!). One of the attendees visited my table afterward to ask me further questions about the process. They also said how much they enjoyed the talk and how making a book trailer wasn’t something they’d thought of doing before. I gave out several copies of the handout that accompanied the talk, too.
GREAT CONNECTIONS AT THE UK INDIE LIT FEST 2019
Another memorable moment was a reader telling me her friend had read The Case of The Spectral Shot and recommended it to her. As an indie author who does their own marketing and promotion I sometimes wonder if my efforts are reaching the right people. This simple bit of information given to me at the lit fest, though, made me feel like the many, many hours of hard work were even more worth it.
For me, writing a presentation and delivering it to a group of strangers wasn’t something I’d put in my comfort zone. I think it’s important to always put yourself out there as an indie author, though. Even if that means doing something that terrifies you. So, giving the talk was a massive personal achievement for me.
Bow Street Society logo artwork by Heather Curtis: mouseink@gmail.com
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