Veteran Arts & Crafts Vendor at a Literary Festival

For the first time since August 2019, I went to a festival for books, not arts and crafts.

Why?

Terri.

Terri is a reader I had never met in person. She commented on a Facebook reel I posted for “Have Books Will Travel”, asking if I would be at the Middle Georgia Lit Fest. When she said she would be there, I filled out the application.

Who knew a literary group would approve an application from a crusty arts and crafts vendor? Besides Terri and her friends, who she brought with her, of course.

My Comfort Zone

I’ve been a vendor at arts and crafts festivals for years. My first event was an amateur radio event (Hamfest to ham radio folks) in April 2018. I sold one book, but I was hooked.

I love being outside. Outdoor tents. Hauling in tables and books. Uneven ground. Bundling up in the cold and combating being frozen with a portable propane heater. Wind. Dust. Sun beating down while we try to cool down with a canopy fan and two shop fans.

Regular readers and familiar vendors who became ‘Welcome back’ friends.

The almost-carnival atmosphere, with enticing aromas of smoking beef barbecue and kettle corn. People strolling by with lemonade, cookies, and tacos. Sticky fingers on little kids giving me heart palpitations…

Not Exactly My Comfort Zone

But the Lit Fest was different. Indoors. A giant sports complex. What do authors wear? One six- or eight-foot table provided by the organizers. Thank goodness they gave me an 8-foot table! No outside tables were allowed. And 155 authors with their books.

The sports complex was divided into three sections. One third for children’s books; the second for how-to and non-fiction books, and the third section was for the sci-fi and fantasy authors.

And then…me. Small-town mysteries. Vigilante thrillers. Romantic suspense. Blind Date with a Thriller wrapped in craft paper.

To celebrate my foray into the literary world, I designed a brand-new indoor banner because my banners that fit on my canopy tent would have been too wide for the allotted space.

I had price signs but no room on the table for them, and my beautiful new indoor banner but no room if we wanted to set up our chairs. Farmer Man, aka The Genius, pointed to the bleachers. So up went the banner and signs on the bleachers. Problem solved.

My Neighbors: A Big Talker and a Skeleton

On my right was a Big Talker, and I mean that kindly. He was enthusiastic, and he engaged with everyone who strolled past his spot. He was ready with a story, and nobody got past him quickly, which, as it turns out, was excellent for me. Because while he talked, people slowed down. And when people slow down, they look. And when readers look, they read signs. Still with me? And when they read signs, they pick up books and read. I had signs.

On my left was Jerry: a skeleton wearing a t-shirt advertising Tom’s sci-fi book. Yes, next to me were Tom and Jerry, and Tom introduced himself and Jerry to everyone who walked by. People are polite. Most of them said “Hi, Jerry.” Jerry, of course, didn’t respond, but he did get a lot of attention, and since Jerry’s bony elbow was practically resting on my table, people read my signs. It was an interesting neighborhood.

But there were Readers!

I didn’t blend in because I didn’t have a colorful retractable banner, but I did have my cool new banner in the bleachers.

Since everyone there was a reader or was shopping for a gift for a reader, I skipped my go-to line, “Are you a reader?” and gave the readers space to examine my covers and ask me questions.

When their eyes lingered and their fingers twitched, I said, “Pick it up and read the back to see what the story’s about.”

And they did. One book, then two, which led to three because they read the sign announcing the generous discount for three books. One reader picked up an entire series. “I want these.” Maggie traveled well that day.

The eBook Surprise

One of the biggest surprises? eBook readers. Several people told me, almost apologetically, they read ebooks. Their faces brightened when I handed them a business card. “All my books are also ebooks on my website, Amazon, Apple, and all the retailers.”

The next day, there was a substantial spike in all the Book One ebook sales on Amazon. Apparently, sports complex conversations and business cards dropped into a pocket travel farther than we might have guessed.

Observations from a Veteran Vendor

A few random notes from an art & crafts vendor trying to blend into the literary crowd:

• I discovered a way to display all of my books in my seven series on one eight-foot table. I even fit in the Blind Date with a Thriller books!
• Too many tables were artfully decorated, but the books had a “hands-off” vibe.
• Readers absolutely read signs. More than one person asked if the three-book discount had to be from the same series. (It didn’t) And then agonized over which three books to buy. (Is it terrible of me that watching each one decide made my day?)
• Very few authors displayed their prices.
• I almost ran out of business cards. I need to have an emergency stash.
• Quite a few authors didn’t have any business cards.
• I should have taken my interlocking cushy floor mats. My feet still hurt from standing all day on the shiny wooden floor.
• Too many folks were sitting behind their tables scrolling on their phones.

You don’t know how hard it was for me not to walk around the room and hand out my “Have Books Will Travel” book, but everybody has to learn in their own way.

Know an author? Tell them to read my book. Have Books Will Travel

What Was Different?

It was an entirely different crowd with different energy and a different rhythm. I’m used to the crush of buyers at arts and crafts events from 11:30 until 1:00, which I have never been able to explain.

At 11:30, the complex practically emptied and had an eerie, abandoned feel until a little after 1:00, when an enormous crowd rushed in.

They had all come to grab lunch from the outside food trucks, then after being appropriately fortified, they came inside to buy books! We were crazy busy the rest of the afternoon and had an absolutely phenomenal day.

A week later, I received a letter in my mailbox along the road where the US Postal Service delivers the weekly grocery flyer and all the miscellaneous ads for hearing aids and gutter cleaners.

The letter was a handwritten thank-you note from the organizers of the Middle Georgia Lit Fest. Who sends handwritten thank-you notes anymore? Apparently Lit Fest does. My note is in my 2026 file folder for festivals, and I added a heart sticker to it.

I keep a running list of each event: name, date, location, comments, and one column that says:

Would We Return?

The real question is this:

• Would we get up at 4:00 AM next year while not even the chickens are stirring…
• Drive 150 miles one way, which is outside our stated range for events…
• Haul 240 books in bins into a sports complex…
• And set up in a space smaller than any other space?

You bet.

You keep reading; we’ll keep hauling! 

p.s. The surprise favorite at the Lit Fest? The Blind Date with a Book packages. Readers seem to enjoy the fun of the author picking their next story.  Barrett Book Shop Blind Date with a Book