By Bonnie Stanard
This weekend our parent organization (SC Writers Association)
is holding the “Big Dream” conference at Pawleys Island, SC. It is a revival of
the annual conference we used to have at Myrtle Beach. Because of a schedule
conflict (I’ll be signing books at the Lexington County Museum Friday night), I
won’t be at the conference, but I hope this event will return in 2018 with
opportunities for writers to network as well as improve their craft.
Writer conferences have begun to fill a growing need. They
provide guidance for writers who increasingly do the work of publishing houses,
from formatting books to promoting themselves. As writers self-publish in
increasing numbers (790,000 books in 2016), one source of support on the road
to professionalism is the collective advice of other writers as found in
conferences. At the same time, small publishing houses use conferences to
market their services and connect with possible clients.
BOOK FESTIVALS
Unlike writer conferences, these target the reading public
and, at least in my experience, are less successful. The reading public doesn’t
show up in numbers for festivals held in libraries or venues where authors sit
at tables and hawk their novels. Even the most engaging display doesn’t
translate into book sales.
If it’s true that authors sell books (not publishers), then
I’d like to see book festivals do more to feature authors (and I don’t mean add
more “readings.”) Why not put authors on a stage for three minutes of
spotlight? Or broadcast interviews of authors? Or feature genre lunches with
select visitors sitting with authors?
LIST
Numerous book festivals and writer conferences are within
driving distance of Columbia. I hope I have excluded those that limit
participation to select authors. As far as I can tell, these are annual events.
If a 2018 date hasn’t been provided, the plans may still be in the making.
The
Deckle Edge Literary Festival is relatively new to Columbia, SC and features
events for “lovers of the written word.” It was held February 24-26, 2017.
Hopes are high that it will fill the void left when the SC Book Festival closed
down several years ago. The 2018 date hasn’t been posted, so check the website
for updates.
Writing in Place has served writers for 16 years. Held in the summer on the campus of
Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC), it draws prominent writers to lead workshops.
Lodging is usually available in a Wofford College dormitory for $35 a night.
NORTH CAROLINA
Carolina Mountains Literary Festival is scheduled for
September 6-8, 2018. It’s home is Burnsville,
NC, which is about 36 miles north of Asheville. Wish I had attended
these presentations in 2017—Apocalypse Now; Finding Stories in Your Backyard;
Merging of Literary and Genre Fiction.
NC Writers Network’s Fall Conference at Wrightsville Beach
(215 miles from Columbia) November 3-5 is upon us. Events include the usual
readings and genre workshops with manuscript
critiques by editors or agents. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on this group,
which has been producing three annual conferences.
The
Writers’ Workshop of Asheville, NC offers a bi-annual writers retreat, the most
recent one held at Folly Beach, SC on October 5-8, 2017. Though no events are
currently listed, check the website for upcoming workshops.
Book ‘Em North Carolina supports authors with presentations, writing
workshops, and a sales venue. At its September 23, 2017 event at Robeson
Community College in Lumberton, you could rent half a table for $50.
GEORGIA
The Berry Fleming Book Festival is held at Augusta
University in Georgia (75 miles from Columbia). I attended the September 23,
2017 Festival and found the presentations informative. There’s no cost unless
you rent a table, and it’s open to the public.
Milton Literary Festival’s panel discussions and workshops
will be held in a couple of weeks (Saturday, November 11) at Milton City Hall.
I like its “Book
an Author” event, described as a fast-paced session in which 15 authors will pitch their
work for three-minutes. Milton is located 37 miles
north of Atlanta, 232 miles from Columbia.
The
Red Clay Writers Conference is also coming up in November (the 18th)
at KSU Center in Kennesaw, Georgia (also located north of Atlanta, 242 miles
from Columbia) It is organized by the Georgia Writers Association.
The Pat Conroy Literary Festival, recently held in Beaufort, SC, was useful. The workshop that I attended featured a local agent who worked in NY City for many years.
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