Book fairs and festivals can be hit or miss. A lot depends on where they are held and who attends them. Last year, I participated in a book fair in Massillon where I didn’t make a single sale. That’s the only time that’s ever happened to me, and it may have been because the fair was held at a community center, a place where people go to swim, exercise, or take a pottery class…but not buy books.

At the other end of the spectrum are well-organized, well-publicized book fairs held in conjunction with other public events. That’s exactly what the May 9 Grove City Book Festival was. Held at the same time as the opening of the city’s farmers’ market, the Grove City Book Festival drew scores of people who combined vegetable purchases with book buying. When it was over, I had sold a total of 16 books, including 12 copies of The Secrets We Carry: Journal of a Girl in Trouble. That set a new record for books sold at a book fair, surpassing the 10 books I sold at last year’s Canal Town Book Festival in Dover.

Things got off to a somewhat shaky start. Rain had fallen the night before, and it was still falling when I arrived at Town Center Park where the fair was to be held. Not all the tables had been set up yet and those that were had water on them. In carrying my box of books to my table, my folded tablecloth fell off, something I didn’t notice until another author called my attention to it. Before long, things began to improve. The rain stopped and a volunteer brought a towel to dry off my table. This table, by the way, was extra long, allowing me to display my books, flyers, signs, and business cards without any crowding.

There weren’t too many people walking through the fair when it officially started at 10 am, but by noon the flow of foot traffic was strong and steady. There were occasional lulls, but none lasted very long. As always, I had to make a couple of restroom stops, but a volunteer watched over my table until I returned.

So why was this book festival more successful than previous ones? For thing, more people seemed to respond to my sign, declaring “This book fights sexual abuse” and promising that 2/3 of book sale revenue would go to RAINN and the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. Some of my book buyers, sad to say, indicated they had experienced sexual abuse or knew someone who had. One woman who bought two copies of The Secrets We Carry and one copy of The Bullybuster planned to put them in a library that was part of a faith-healing program. By 3:15, 45 minutes before the fair ended, I had no more copies of The Secrets We Carry and only three copies of The Bullybuster. So I headed for home.

My success at the Grove City event put me in a predicament for the Newark Book Fair, which came a week later. I only had three copies of The Secrets We Carry in my inventory, which was likely not enough. An order for 25 more copies was on its way, but wasn’t due to arrive until May 18, two days after the Newark event. The solution came by way of my son, Jonathan. As a “Prime” Amazon customer, he gets express delivery, so I had him order six copies of The Secrets We Carry, which arrived two days before Newark. It was the right move; I sold eight copies at that city’s book fair, so three wouldn’t have been nearly enough.

It’s too bad the Ohioana Book Festival was cancelled this year due to a staff shortage. But even though Ohioana is one of the biggest book festivals in the state, I might not have matched the success I had in Grove City.