Southwest Wisconsin Book Festival

                I've just returned from the Southwest Wisconsin Book Festival in Mineral Point. People attending came from as close as across the street from the Mineral Point Library where the Saturday morning events were held, to Rockford, Illinois, Cedarburg, (the fellow said he left home at 5:30 a.m to arrive on time), New Glarus and many points in between.  Most of those who were attending were interesting in publishing their writing—a notable goal, and a rather confusing one as well.

                I served on a panel:  “The Many Paths of Publishing.”  The four of us on the panel, each a published author, had quite different approaches.  One of the panelists was a highly successful self-published E-book author, which means her books were mostly sold on line and not in print.  Another panelist followed what he called a hybrid approach where he paid to have his book published, but the publisher helped with publicity and promotion (something many self-published authors must do themselves).

                The third panelist followed the more traditional approach, obtaining an agent, and then publishing her book as a paperback original with a New York publisher.  I explained how I do not self-publish and work almost entirely with regional publishers without a literary agent, although I did have one at one time.  I was the old timer in the group, reminding them that the type for my first book, which came out in 1970, was set with a Linotype machine—something the younger members of the group had never heard of.

                I sure those in the audience went away totally confused about which way to publish their books—but that’s the nature of the publishing industry these days.  More than a little confused itself.  But bottom line—people are still buying books.

                Hats off to Kristin Mitchell, Director of the festival and owner of Little Creek Press in Mineral Point for organizing the event.

               

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Writers should be most concerned about their writing.

 UPCOMING EVENTS:

September 16, Winchester Academy, Waupaca Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Limping Through Life

September 18, Riveredge Nature Center, Newburg, WI 7:00 p.m. Farm Story

September 21, 12:00-2:00 p.m.  Old World Wisconsin, Book Signing.

September 23, 6:30-7:30 Mount Horeb Public Library. Limping Through Life

September 26, 5:30 p.m. WPT, Premier Showing, “A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps,” Green Bay, Rock Garden, 1951 Bond Street.  Book signing, A Quiet Season. Tickets required, includes dinner.

September 28, 1:00 Barnes and Noble, Wausau, Book Signing. Limping Through Life

October 1, 6:00 p.m. UW Memorial Library Commons, WPT “A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps.” Book signing, A Quiet Season.

October 4-5, Heartland Fall Forum (Book Festival), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Chicago. O’Hare.

October 13, 1-4 P.M. August Derleth Celebration, Circus World Museum.

October 17, 5:30, Park Falls Library, Park Falls.

October 20, Noon. Rib River Ballroom, Marathon City. German-American Group. Limping Through Life.

October 22, 3:00 p.m. Brillion Library. Limping Through Life

October 23, 2:45-3:30, Wisconsin Library Association, Green Bay. Letters from Hillside Farm

October 26, 10:00-2:00 Grafton Book Festival, Liberty Memorial Library, Grafton.

November 2, 9:00-4:00 The Clearing, Door County. Writing From Your Life Workshop