Christian Writers Downunder: How to Have a Fabulous Author Event

What do you get when you mix a local bookstore, an enthusiastic manager and her staff, twenty-seven Aussie authors, 25% discounts and lot of customers looking for Christmas bargains? A fabulous 'Meet the Author' event, that's what!

The Koorong Christian bookstore in Toowoomba recently held an author event in conjunction with their nationwide Family and Friends Day. Twenty-seven authors were initially scheduled, though two were unfortunately unable to make it on the day due to unforeseen circumstances. But that still leaves twenty-five who were in-store. That's a lot of authors!

Most of the authors came from southeast Queensland, though we also had two interstate visitors from the ACT and Victoria.

It was a very successful day, with lots of customers coming through the store from the first minute it opened at 9.00, and interesting conversations still being had during the last half hour before closing at 5.00. There were a lot of sales overall, and the manager was happy with the way it went, but the conversations and connections were also key.

So What Goes Into an Event Like This?

We're very fortunate in Toowoomba because the Koorong store manager, Kirsten Hart, really champions the cause of Australian authors. She and all of her staff were enthusiastic about the event and put in a lot of work beforehand to ensure it was a success.

Here are just some of the tasks the staff did beforehand.

Building these events up over a number of years so that they got bigger and better each time.
Coordinating dates so that it coincided with Koorong's family and friends day and associated discounts.
Contacting authors months in advance to obtain photos and blurbs that were used in advertising memes on social media and professional posters on the day.
Ordering everyone's books well in advance so they were in store on the day.
Taking care of logistical issues such as catering for the authors, hiring extra chairs, liaising with other store owners re parking.
Rearranging the whole store and setting up everything needed for the day, and I'm sure there were many more activities behind the scenes. These events are a lot of work and not something you can throw together in five minutes.

Kirsten also organised for local radio station, 92.9 The Voice FM, to broadcast from right outside the store all morning. A number of authors were interviewed, and it really did make a difference. I spoke to several people during the day who said they came into the store because they heard about the event on the radio. One person even came up to my book table and said she had heard me on the radio. Apparently the station also got some leads for future interviews, so it was mutually beneficial.

It's probably also worth mentioning that the Koorong store in Toowoomba is in a central location surrounded by other stores, a cafe next door, and not far from the CBD. So the visibility of the store also helps with random or spontaneous drop-ins. Bonus!

An Author's Perspective

Vanessa Foran was one of the interstate authors who travelled up for the event. I asked her if she could share a few words about her experience of the day and this is what she wrote:

"As a new author I was excited to attend the 'meet the author' event. I wanted to experience my first book signing, as well as meet some other writers. I was thrilled to see how much effort had gone into organising the event. The store manager appeared to have thought of everything, including a 'passport' to encourage customers to engage with authors (to qualify for a free hot drink from the cafe next door customers had to get their passport "stamped" by each author). Authors were seated according to their writing genre, and I had some wonderful conversations with Linda Watt, Ruth Bonetti, and Stephanie Walters, all fellow memoir writers.

Throughout the day, visitors engaged with the passport activity, got books signed, or asked about our writing journeys. As well as the joy of signing books, connecting with other writers and readers, and even praying with one customer, perhaps the most valuable moment in the day occurred when I noticed the reaction of two young Mums to my book cover. They seemed very interested in my story of my travels with young children, Travels of a Wimpy Mum, but their expressions changed when they noticed the subtitle: 'Finding courage through the Book of James'. My older readers tell me the book is funny, engaging and inspiring, so I wish more young parents would read and be encouraged by it. Based on the reaction of those two mums, I'm now considering a more general interest sub-title, such as 'Finding faith on the road', that I'm hoping will appeal to a broader age-range of Christian readers, and introduce them to the life-giving wisdom of the Book of James. So the day was beneficial for me on a number of levels."

Thanks for sharing that, Vanessa. It's always interesting to get on-the-spot feedback and reactions to your books at events like this. I spoke to many of the authors and know they were blessed by the event in various ways, and we trust that God will continue to minister to the readers through the stories we've shared in our books.

Full List of Authors

I'm sorry I couldn't include photos of all authors in this post, but here is a full list of those involved: Adele Jones, Anne Hamilton, Ben Boland, Hannah Currie, Ingrid Dacker, Jeanette Grant-Thomson, Jennifer Mistmorgen, Jessica Kate, Jo Wanmer, Judy Rogers, Karen Roper, Lexia G. Mackin, Linda Watt, Lucy Khan, Lynne Stringer, Nola Lorraine, N. R. Eccles-Smith, R. A. Stephens, Rebekah Robinson, Rian Roux, Ruth Bonetti, Sarah Alison, Stephanie Walters, Ted Stubbersfield, Vanessa Foran; and in absentia, Frances Prentice and Glenn Cox.

Thanks and Disclaimer

Thank you so much to Kirsten and the team at Toowoomba Koorong who made it all possible. It's amazing what can be done when you have booksellers who care about Australian authors.

Also, a little disclaimer. I was a participant in this event, but I am not a Koorong employee and therefore cannot speak on their behalf. If you are interested in other questions, such as how to get your books into Koorong, it is best to contact them direct.

If any of the other authors who were there on the day would like to share their experiences, please add them in the comments section. We'd love to hear what you thought.

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Author Bio

Nola Lorraine has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her books include the inspirational historical novel Scattered, the Christian devotional book Comfort Zone, and the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light which she co-edited with Jeanette O’Hagan. She also has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She loves sharing the words and stories God impresses on her heart, and prays that He will use them to bless others.