My First Book Fair

Everyone experiences a lifetime of firsts. Your first day at school; your first day at work; and a hundred other important markers.

I am a published author. I like the word "published"; it is so much better than "professional". Claiming that I am a professional writer implies that a) I know what I am doing; and b) I actually make a living from it; when clearly neither of these are true.
There are thousands of writers and aspiring writers out there (I don't like the word "aspiring" - in my opinion, if you are writing, or want to write: you are a writer). In this line of work, we have many little firsts.

My first published book: 3rd January 2013. It seems such a long time ago, I remember I was so terrified of people's reactions. I actually didn't tell anyone except my best friend and my sister that I was getting published.

My first virtual author event: 1st July 2013. I joined in a rather fun global online author event run by #IndieBooksBeSeen. I had to post an author selfie and I was terrified by the notion that I was calling myself an author on social media.

My first radio interview: 17th March 2014. I was invited to talk on an American radio station. Which was an amazing experience. Except... I thought I was only going to do a fifteen minute slot to a modest audience, but it turned into an hour to 100,000 listeners, which I found absolutely terrify- I think there's a running theme.

On Saturday 23rd July, I will be attending my first book fair as an author. And I am already a bag of nerves. This is the first time I will be meeting people face-to-face and having the gall to call myself a writer.
I like being a writer; I like creating books and stories that people enjoy, I like causing a reaction, and the feedback whether it is positive or not. I love how social media plays a major part for the modern author – you can connect to readers around the world in a very real way. All the while, in the comfort of your own home.
I could go on about all the other benefits of hiding behind a computer, but I won't bore you.

The UK Indie Literary Festival (I have yet to say that aloud without getting tongue-tied) is the brain child of author and CEO of Follow This Publishing, Dawn Singh.

There will be 30 authors attending from all over the UK, and even a few international authors stopping by for a chat by Skype.

The authors are listed at the end of this post - I would highly recommend checking them out.
There are genres to suit all readers, and writers at every stage of their career, from those with established series and multiple publications, to debut authors.

So... where is this awesome line-up and fantastic Festival taking place?
For once, not-London. As a northerner (even though I lived in London for a few years), I have always hated the fact that organisers of all manner of events can't organise things that are not-London.
(I'm still fuming that a major British Show Jumping event was relocated from Sheffield to Olympia)
So I was very pleased to hear that this was being held somewhere more central.
Bradford.

Which means I am going to be overly Yorkshire and proud!

So anyone in the area, come along and say hi.
The Festival is on from 9am - 5pm, and a full rundown of the workshops and talks can be found on the IndieLit website.
The rest of the authors will be in attendance to chat and answer any questions you might have, so if you are a keen reader, or want advice on how to get into publishing, you should really really come along.
Do you have questions about book covers? Social media? How to create an author brand? How to start book-blogging?
Get your arse over there.

Not only that, there's sure to be plenty of goodies, competitions, and great deals on some awesome books, so you won't be leaving empty-handed.

And don't miss out on the Indie Visible anthology that provides short stories and tasters from the attending authors - 50% of profits will go to the Lumos Foundation.

So here's the information you need:
http://ukindielitfest2016.wix.com/indiefest
https://www.facebook.com/events/907175889372670/

Address:
St James Hall, Bolton Rd, Bolton, Bradford, BD2 4LH

And here we go with the awesome authors list:

Alex Brightsmith
Thriller
Amazon
Goodreads

Alex Mellanby
YA fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads

Amanda Green
Short stories & non-fiction
Amazon
Goodreads

Bridget Allyson
Poetry & short stories
Amazon
Goodreads

C.J. Rutherford
Fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads

C.R. McBride
Contemporary romance
Amazon
Goodreads

C.S. Woolley
Fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads

Chris Turnbull
Historic fiction & sci-fi
Amazon
Website

Claire Colley
Contemporary fiction & horror
Amazon
Goodreads

D.M. Singh
YA fantasy
Amazon
Website

Diana Jackson
Historical & crime fiction
Amazon
Goodreads

Elizabeth Haley-Woods
Short stories
Amazon
Goodreads

Felicity Snowden
Historic fiction & mystery
Amazon
Goodreads

G.K. Holloway
Historical fiction
Amazon
Goodreads

Irene Lofthouse
Children's fiction
Amazon
Goodreads

J.G. Clay
Horror
Amazon
Goodreads

Jason Pinnington
Children's fiction
Amazon
Goodreads

Joe Kipling
YA dystopian
Amazon
Goodreads

Joseph Eastwood
YA fiction & fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads

Joshua Sutton
Dark fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads

K.S. Marsden ~ muggins
Fantasy & YA
Amazon
Goodreads

Kendare Blake
YA fantasy & horror
Amazon
Goodreads

Laura Morgan
Dark romance
Amazon
Goodreads

Maria Gibbs
YA thirllers & short stories
Amazon
Goodreads

Michael Wombat
Thriller & short stories
Amazon
Goodreads

Rachel Cotterril
Fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads

Roger Gordon
Memoirs
Amazon
Goodreads

Roger James Barton
Non-fiction
Amazon

Rose English
Short stories
Amazon
Goodreads

S.A. Burgess
Fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads

Steven M Caddy
Sci-fi
Amazon
Goodreads

Victoria Howard
Romantic suspense
Amazon
Goodreads

Victoria Kinnaird
YA fantasy
Amazon
Goodreads