UK lit festivals doing rather well
Alex Hippisley-Cox writing over at Publishing Perspectives after going to this year’s Hay Festival:
No one in the Hay signing tent could possibly imagine that “the end of the printed book,” as many predict, might be just around the corner. It was heaving with people carrying literally armfuls of books to the check-out!
I’m lucky enough to have been to Hay a couple of times to perform my fiction. It was brilliant. Literary festivals are brilliant. If you’ve never been to one, you really should try and change that this summer.
Apart from being, you know, a really lovely weekend of watching and listening to your favourite authors, you learn a lot as a writer too. Just being there is rewarding.
For kick-off, mingling with, smiling politely and even chatting to other likeminded souls is excellent motivation. You like books? And you’re a writer? Me too! We must keep in touch.
More than that though, you get to see how it’s done. Watching an experienced author talking about their work can be as inspiring as it is interesting. Inevitably, you’ll start to think about your own work and how you’re going to perform when you become a bestselling scribbler too.
Basically, go to a literary festival soon. While there’s still plenty of doom and gloom in the publishing industry, their popularity shows that there is still a thriving audience for all things bookish and writerly. Most encouraging.
