We are SO excited for the 10th annual Fox Cities Book Festival to begin. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your experiences at the celebrations.
Read all about it! Our website has the full schedule and bios of each author. Follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter (@FCBookFestival) and Instagram (fcbookfest). Use hashtag #FCBF10 and tag us with your photos and status updates during the festival. Printed programs are now available at the libraries and will be available at events.
Arrive early. There are 65 events, 50 authors, and 13 venues between October 9 and 15. And keeping to the schedule will be important for everyone. Plan to arrive five to ten minutes early to insure you will find a parking spot and a seat inside. Please check event details online prior to arrival. We never want to cancel events, however, sometimes flights are cancelled, or family emergencies occur.
Stay late. We hope you have time to engage with the authors after they speak and encourage you to meet and greet them. Many have question and answer periods after their reading or presentation and we hope you will ask your favorite authors what you want to know about them, their writing process, and what they are working on next. If there is another event scheduled in the same room immediately following, please wait outside the door to continue your conversation with our guest authors.
Discover a new author. Part of the excitement of the festival is the opportunity to hear directly from authors. Take a chance and listen in on new experiences, new genres, and tantalizing new books. You never know what you might hear or see or fall in love with. Each day provides a peek into other worlds and stranger minds. Explore.
Buy books. You can purchase in advance of the festival any of the titles featured by our authors this year at Lyons Fine Books in Neenah with a 10% discount. At the festival, The Reader’s Loft will be at many of the events selling the author’s current title. Some authors will sell their own books at their events, too.
Buy a book bag! This year we will offer big beautiful heavy-duty canvas totes with our new logo for $15. You can purchase them at any event where The Reader’s Loft will be selling books. You can also purchase them at your local library. These bags help us keep all events free and open to the public and they’ll keep your books dry and safe all year long. If you donate $50 or more before the festival begins on October 9, you’ll get a free book bag!
Author book signing. At the end of each event, the author will be available to autograph your book. Some of the lines may be long, so we advise you to write your name and what you would like inscribed on a separate sheet of paper and give it to the author along with your book to speed up the process and make sure everyone has a chance to get their book signed.
Write a review. If you’ve read the book, leave a review of it on Amazon or Goodreads. Mention that you heard the author speak at the Fox Cities Book Festival. Authors always read their reviews and you can let them know how much you enjoyed reading.
Everyone has a story! Come tell yours at Storycatchers on Friday, October 13, 7 p.m. at The Draw. Live storytelling around the theme of “Literary Upheaval” will be fun and entertaining whether you are a teller or a catcher. Throw your name into the fishbowl and be selected for a few open slots to be chosen at the performance.
Share the love of books. Invite your friends, neighbors, and family to join you at one or more of the 65 events scheduled the week of October 9-15. Let’s celebrate our communities, libraries, literacy, and love for all things literary.
