Why I Love Book Events

By Maggie King

I love in-person book events. I love connecting with readers. I love signing my books and adding names to my mailing list. I love the benefits: new readers, learning of future book-related opportunities, networking with other authors (and we’re readers as well.)

“Hawking” my books at the Powhatan Library Authors Roundup

I learn much from the people I meet at these events. An author shared her enthusiasm for an AI tool she used to successfully create sales copy. A reader recommended Le Ventre de Paris by Emile Zola for its vivid descriptive passages of the tastes and smells of a central market in 19th century Paris. The book made it to my TBR list and I hope to get to it this year. I like hearing what readers like to read, and what they don’t.

Even if I don’t sell a lot of books on a given day, I still might make valuable connections. And word of mouth is definitely at work: one person tells someone about me and my books, that someone tells yet another someone, and so on.

Many festivals include author talks and panel discussions (perhaps a topic for another post), readings (can be tiresome for the audience), and, of course, book signings.

Attending an in-person author event lets me meet writers and readers I’ve only met online. I no longer travel, so my options for events are limited to ones that are local or a short drive from my home. Fortunately, bookish gatherings abound in Virginia, home to many authors. In 2025, I participated in five book events. I have four scheduled for this year and expect to add a few. My favorites are the Chesterfield County Local Author Book Fair, the Hanover Book Festival, and the Powhatan Library Authors Roundup.

Tell us about your experiences with book events, whether as an author or reader.

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Author: Maggie King

Maggie King is the author of the Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Death by Cupcake, Murder by the Glass, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and Crime in the Old Dominion. Maggie is a member of International Thriller Writers, Short Mystery Fiction Society, and is a founding member of Sisters in Crime Central Virginia. She serves Sisters in Crime on the national level as a member of the Social Media team. Maggie graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a B.S. degree in Business Administration, and has worked as a software developer, customer service supervisor, and retail sales manager. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Glen, and Olive the cat.

10 thoughts on “Why I Love Book Events”

  1. I miss all the book fairs and conferences we did in Los Angeles. As Speakers Director for Sisters-in-Crime/LA, I did lots of events for our writers. We don’t have many here in this quiet area of Northern Ohio. I did a Zoom talk to some wanta-be writers with several folks actually there at the library where we held the event, but that’s about all. I did enjoy talking to readers and writers. Maybe we can get something going this year…after the snow and that recent asteroid (they now say it wasn’t a meteor) that boomed over our area on St. Patrick’s Day. Writers learn a lot from in-person events, and we sell a few books, too.

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  2. I enjoy participating in book events in Idaho, although the weather limits the ones we can door outdoors. For those outdoor events, we have to lug not only our books, signs, etc., but also canopies, tables, chairs, and more. So worth it, however. I’m fortunate to have connected with two other authors so we can share the foregoing–one even “loans” her husband to set up said equipment. Most of our events are “craft fairs” so we’re not competing with other writers, but my favorites are the ones at libraries because we have a built-in audience.

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    1. Bonnie, I’ve long been a fan of libraries, first as a reader, then a reader/author. I haven’t done as well at outdoor events, but am glad that they work for you.

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  3. I definitely enjoy in-person book events, inside or outside here in California. Writing can be a very solitary career, so I think it helps for us to meet other people with similar interests whether they’re writers or readers or both.

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  4. I really miss the writers’ conferences we used to have in L.A. The Southern California Crime Writers Conference was always great, and the Left Coast Crime. We used to meet our fellow writer friends from all over the world during those weekend conferences. Loved the one-day writers’ workshops, too. Book signings seem to have vanished, also. It’s not the same on Zoom. And it was a great way to meet new writers and readers – plus sell a few books along the way.

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    1. Rosemary, I expect that more events will come back. We seem to have plenty on the East Coast. I see that the The LA Times Festival Of Books is happening in April.

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      1. I miss them, as Rosemary and Gayle. But the LA TIMES event is “just too much” for me. It’ huge and you can “seeminly” walk for miles to see a few friends. Plus the travel to get there and the parking. Oops. Sorry, I sound like a grump. Give me those library events.

        Loved the enthusiasm of your post, Maggie!

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