Final update to Bedford Arts Fest, and it has a happy ending. I arrived in a blustery wind and placed at "extra" table 10 - this amounted to the hinterlands. Forget a nice table cloth, I needed boulders to lock down any paper.
Fortunately, Sue Ireland, a watercolor artist, came over and said, "I can move my table a bit, and we can fit you in near me." Great - this got me out of the direct north wind and also into the flow of customers. Plus we had the added bonus of chitchat during lulls.
Traffic picked up and for such a horrific day, it turned into decent flow. Folks in shorts, folks in winter coats -that's Texas during a weather change. Anyway, I actually sold a few books (can't brag on recouping my table investment, but that's okay) and I believed my books went into good homes.
One young girl (age nine) chose a poetry book. (!). One young man came back for "My Zoo World", and he was enthusiastic, "This sounds SO funny."
A writer friend drove in from Haslet and bought a poetry set - Thanks, Becky! She is so supportive.
I was surprised at lack of interest in my flash fiction. I truly thought folks would like the idea of super short stories. I had several people say, "I barely have enough time to read my Bible." Well, I can't compete with that book.
All in all, it was a fun day and I enjoyed walking around to other artists' booths - stainglass, jewelry, oils, watercolors, puppets. There are a lot of talented people eager to share their work. I think the City of Bedford should be pleased, especially considering the weather.
I finished up the night at the Bedford Library - it was open mic poetry night. A small group of hardy souls shared their words (yes, I read - Blend and also Fall), and applauded our efforts.
My cold feet warmed and caught up with my heart. Yes, it's fun being an author.
King John - the good, but mostly the bad ...
5 days ago
Well I can certainly advocate your flash fiction, I love going to it and randomly reading a couple of stories. Glad you didn't get drenched and forgotten on the edge :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a strange season here in Texas, no one knows quite what to wear. We've gone from 90 degrees to 50 at night. Glad it was a success and you got to meet some new people.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Weather seems to be weird all over lately. It was sunny and near ninety over the weekend here... which means I picked up a rare October sunburn. Today, it's gloriously cooler, and only expected to get into the mid-seventies. (What a concept! An actual autumn day... IN autumn!)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had fun at the festival, and sold some of your books there. Even though my greatest number of book sales would most likely come from our statewide hamfests, (big amateur radio gatherings, where I'm generally well known, and have pretty good standing) I've decided not to even attempt to sell there. (sigh) The tax laws requiring me to register with the state, collect taxes and then duly report them to the state on a monthly basis (or face rather daunting fines) simply makes it not worth the hassle.