{"id":2937,"date":"2016-11-26T16:30:39","date_gmt":"2016-11-27T00:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=2937"},"modified":"2019-01-30T08:37:45","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T16:37:45","slug":"finding-treasure-at-an-indie-author-book-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2016\/uncategorized\/finding-treasure-at-an-indie-author-book-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Treasure At An Indie Author Book Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indie Author Book Fair<\/h3>\n

This morning, I participated in an Indie Author Book Fair at the West Vancouver Library<\/strong> in British Columbia. It’s an event that indie authors love as it’s an opportunity to promote and sell your books as well as connect with readers. I love doing these as I never know how the day will go and how many readers I’ll attract. One thing I have discovered is that there is always some\u00a0delightful surprise.<\/p>\n

Unexpected Treasure<\/h3>\n

\"Indie<\/a>At this one I found unexpected treasure. The treasure was the connection I made with other authors, whose relationships\u00a0I value, especially since writing is a solitary experience.<\/p>\n

Though I enjoy sitting alone at my computer, pounding away at some story, I also relish company. Perhaps it’s because I was an only child growing up with three adults taking turns as my caregivers: Mom, Dad, and Baba (grandmother).\u00a0And it’s also because\u00a0being an indie author isn’t for the faint-hearted. Too often, you’re struggling to figure out things on your own, whether it’s learning the craft of writing or figuring out how to get your work published and promoted.<\/p>\n

I was more than delighted to find not one, but two treasures<\/strong> at this book fair.<\/p>\n

Treasure no. 1: Karen Dodd<\/h3>\n

One was Karen Dodd<\/strong>, a writer\u00a0I had\u00a0met at the Surrey \"Indie<\/a>International Writers Conference in 2012.<\/p>\n

Karen Dodd, the wonderful author of the murder mystery, DEADLY SWITCH<\/a><\/strong>, indie published her book a year before I published mine. She was an invaluable resource. She spent considerable time helping me navigate complex self-publishing tasks which can be overwhelming to any writer starting out.<\/p>\n

Though I had been writing for quite awhile and had hoped to publish traditionally, she gave me the confidence to do it myself and to do it right.<\/p>\n

We both respect readers too much to throw a book out into the public without\u00a0care. We’ve both used professional editors, book cover designers, and formatters to make sure our books can compete with any\u00a0traditionally\u00a0published book\u00a0out there. She was also one of my early beta readers.<\/p>\n

Karen’s murder mystery<\/strong>, compares favourably and in fact surpasses many bestsellers in her genre. So, if you are looking to read a thriller, or want to buy one as a Christmas gift, I highly recommend her novel. The sequel is in the works and she plans to publish it next year.<\/p>\n

Treasure No. 2: Stewart McKenzie<\/h3>\n

\"IndieThe other treasure I discovered was author\/illustrator Stewart McKenzie<\/strong>, the author of a children’s book, Soccer Sami and the Big Meanie Coach,<\/strong> suitable for\u00a0kids 5-9 years.<\/p>\n

It’s an adorable story, written in verse<\/strong>. Stewart’s written a timeless story of a kid who loves soccer\u00a0but has to deal with\u00a0a bear of a coach\u00a0in order to\u00a0get a chance to play.\u00a0\u00a0His illustrations alone are worth the price of the book.<\/p>\n

Though I’ve just met Stewart, his wit (which shines through in his story) and generous spirit means that I have added another valuable connection to my writing life. With Christmas around the corner, this book would make a lovely gift for any child or grandchild.<\/p>\n

Conversations with Readers<\/h3>\n

I also met some inquisitive readers who stopped by my table to ask me about my novels (and also buy a few). I think, next to writing, conversations with readers\u00a0are what I enjoy the most about my writing life.<\/p>\n

So if you ever have an opportunity as writers or readers to participate or attend a book fair, you never know who you’ll meet. Now I say yes to all such invitations and find I’m rewarded in ways I hadn’t expected.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indie Author Book Fair This morning, I participated in an Indie Author Book Fair at the West Vancouver Library in British Columbia. It’s an event that indie authors love as… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1,744],"tags":[921,78,920,605,922,7,876,5],"class_list":["post-2937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-books","tag-book-fair","tag-diana-stevan","tag-indie-author","tag-karen-dodd","tag-stewart-mckenzie","tag-story","tag-west-vancouver-library","tag-writing-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Library.png?fit=1600%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-Ln","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2886,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2016\/uncategorized\/indieauthor\/","url_meta":{"origin":2937,"position":0},"title":"Indie Author Day","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"30 \u0412\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0441\u043d\u044f, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The first Indie Author Day takes place on Sat. Oct. 8th in libraries all over North America. Key members of the publishing industry are supporting indie authors and their growing body of work. Publishing associations like The Library Journal and Publisher Weekly's Book Life are a few who have helped\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Indie Author","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/INDIE-AT-LIBRARY-300x233.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3219,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2017\/writing\/upcoming-events-for-author-diana-stevan\/","url_meta":{"origin":2937,"position":1},"title":"Upcoming Events in Campbell River and Vancouver’s North Shore","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"26 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that I'm back from our trip to California (photos to follow soon), I'm gearing up for a few upcoming events. One is at the end of this month and two are in early May. Authors for Indie Day First up is Authors for Indie Day at Coho Books in\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"upcoming events","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_2220-300x284.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2576,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2016\/writing\/writers-festivals-and-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":2937,"position":2},"title":"Writers Festivals, Libraries, and More","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"15 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"North Shore Writers Festival April is turning out to be quite a month for a writers' festival and more.\u00a0The month\u00a0begins with my book launch of The Rubber Fence at the\u00a0Campbell River library\u00a0on Vancouver Island and\u00a0continues at the Lynn Valley library for the North Shore Writers Festival. At the North Shore\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/IMG_0922.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/IMG_0922.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/IMG_0922.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3133,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2017\/writing\/a-writer-takes-stock-in-february\/","url_meta":{"origin":2937,"position":3},"title":"A Writer Takes Stock In February","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"23 \u041b\u044e\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As a writer, I've enjoyed February so far, even though the early weeks brought some disappointment. It was a rough winter by Pacific Coast standards. We normally get little snow, but this year the big snow dumps did some damage. We were lucky though to get away with just a\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3438,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2017\/writing\/siwc-an-exceptional-writers-conference-in-b-c\/","url_meta":{"origin":2937,"position":4},"title":"SIWC – An Exceptional Writers Conference in B.C.","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"19 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m back from a wonderful holiday in the Maritimes. I\u2019ll post more about that later, but today, I\u2019m off to work at the Surrey International Writers Conference, held Oct. 19-22, at the Sheraton Hotel in Surrey, British Columbia. A great event with bestselling authors, agents, and editors from the USA\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Book-signing-ad.png?fit=1200%2C446&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Book-signing-ad.png?fit=1200%2C446&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Book-signing-ad.png?fit=1200%2C446&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Book-signing-ad.png?fit=1200%2C446&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Book-signing-ad.png?fit=1200%2C446&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6351,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2024\/writing\/the-kindness-of-strangers-and-strange-authors\/","url_meta":{"origin":2937,"position":5},"title":"Kindness of Strangers on Goodreads","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"9 \u0421\u0456\u0447\u043d\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When I read about a recent book scandal, I was reminded of the line, \"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.\" Blanche Debois says it in the Tennessee Williams play, Streetcar Named Desire. It\u2019s a curious line because Blanche is not great at assessing strangers, and the only\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"kindness of strangers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/OIP-1.jpeg?fit=474%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}