Bucks County Book Fest

Yesterday I attended a book festival in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I purchased a vendor table, found a partner to share it with me, and hoped to sell my books. I didn’t know what to expect since it was the first year of the festival, so I didn’t know the track record or what types of people attended the festival, so my hopes were fairly restrained.

It was fantastic!

Now, I have to confess, my bar for being impressed was pretty low. The last book festival I attended resulted in men propositioning me and asking if I sold condoms, so pretty much anything without that would be awesome. 

But this really was.

First of all, I met my tent partner for the first time and she and her husband were so nice! Her name is Tracey Lyons and she writes sweet historical novels, so if that’s your thing, you can check her out here. It was nice having someone to share the tent with. She reminded me to hand out swag to people even if they weren’t purchasing anything (something I always forget to do) and I chatted people up and explained what we both wrote. Also, they provided the pop-up tent, so it was one less thing for me to schlep.

Second, the people who were walking around really did like romance. Or at least, they didn’t turn their noses up at it. There was a nice variety to the vendors so we had all different types of authors selling their books and lots of people came by to chat. The one woman who was a little snooty about romance books always ending with the couple getting together was suitably chastised when I compared them to mysteries where the crime is always solved.

Third, I sold books! And I met people who run book clubs and who write book blogs, so my name is getting out there. Some people who I didn’t know even said they’d heard of me (I refrained from asking, “Are you sure?”).

And one of my favorite mystery authors came by to find me and say hello. She and I are Facebook friends and this is the first time we’ve attended the same event. It was really nice to meet her—she’s just as friendly in person—and her books are fantastic! If you like mysteries set in New York in the 1930s, check her out here.

So, it was a terrific event and I’m really glad I participated. It even gave me a bit of a boost emotionally, which I sorely needed. Can’t wait for next year!

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